ol. When us went on de fourth Sunday night riders had done
made a shape lak a coffin in de sand out in front, and painted a sign on
de ginhouse what read: 'No Niggers 'lowed to be taught in dis ginhouse.'
Dat made Marse David so mad he jus' cussed and cussed. He 'lowed dat
nobody warn't gwine tell him what to do. But us was too skeered to go
back to de ginhouse to school. Next week Marse David had 'em build a
brush arbor down by de crick, but when us went down dar on Sunday for
school, us found de night riders had done 'stroyed de brush arbor, and
dat was de end of my gwine to school.

"Dere warn't no church for slaves whar us was. Marse David give us a
pass so us wouldn't be 'sturbed and let us go 'round from one plantation
to another on Sundays for prayer meetin's in de cabins and under trees
if de weather was warm and nice. Sometimes when dere was a jubilee
comin' off, slaves was 'lowed to go to deir Marsters' church. Me? I used
to ride 'hind Miss Betsey on her hoss what she called Puss, and away us
went jiggin' down de road to jubilees at Millstone and Elam churches. I
was a rich feelin' little Nigger den.

"De chillun had to take a back seat whilst de old folks done all de
singin', so I never larned none of dem songs good 'nough to 'member what
de words was, or de tunes neither. Now and den us went to a fun'ral, not
often, but if dere was a baptizin' inside of 10 miles 'round f'um whar
us lived, us didn't miss it. Us knowed how to walk, and went to git de
pleasure.

"Atter slaves got in f'um de fields at night, de 'omans cooked supper
whilst de mens chopped wood. Lessen de crops was in de grass moughty bad
or somepin' else awful urgent, dere warn't no wuk done atter dinner on
Saddays. De old folks ironed, cleant house, and de lak, and de young
folks went out Sadday nights and danced to de music what dey made
beatin' on tin pans. Sundays, youngsters went to de woods and hunted
hickernuts and muscadines. De old folks stayed home and looked one
anothers haids over for nits and lice. Whenever dey found anything, dey
mashed it twixt dey finger and thumb and went ahead searchin'. Den de
'omans wropt each others hair de way it was to stay fixed 'til de next
Sunday.

"Chris'mas us went f'um house to house lookin' for locust and persimmon
beer. Chillun went to all de houses huntin' gingerbread. Ma used to roll
it thin, cut it out wid a thimble, and give a dozen of dem little balls
to each chile. Persimmon beer and ginge