k from de fields in de
mornin' and atter dinner so deir babies could suck 'til atter dey was
big enough to eat bread and milk; den dey was kept wid de other chillun
for Granny Rose to keer for.

"Slaves didn't even git married lak folks does now. Dere warn't none of
dem newfangled licenses to buy. All dey had to do was tell Marster dey
wanted to marry up. If it was all right wid him he had 'em jump over a
broom and dey was done married. Slaves couldn't git out and do no
courtin' on other plantations widout deir marsters knowed it, 'cause dey
had to have passes to leave de place whar dey lived. If dey was brash
enough to go off widout no pass de paterollers would cotch 'em for sho,
and dey would nigh beat 'em to death. Dat didn't stop courtin',
'specially on our place, 'cause dey jus' tuk anybody dey laked; it
didn't matter whose man or 'oman dey had.

"Marster had a big old ginhouse on de plantation about 2 miles from de
big house, but I never seed in it, 'cause dey didn't 'low 'omans and
chillun 'round it. De menfolks said dey hitched up mules to run it, and
dat dey had a cotton press inside de ginhouse. Dey said it was a heap of
trouble to git rid of all dem old cotton-seeds dat piled up so fast in
ginnin' time. Dere was a great big wuk-shop on de place too, whar dey
fixed evvything, and dat was whar dey made coffins when anybody died.
Yes, mam, evvything was made at home, even down to de coffins.

"Dere didn't many folks die out back in dem good old days, 'cause dey
was made to take keer of deirselfs. Dey had to wuk hard, but dey et
plenty and went to bed reg'lar evvy night in wuk time. When one of 'em
did die out, deir measure was tuk and a coffin was made up and blackened
'til it looked right nice. Whenever dere was a corpse on de place
Marster didn't make nobody do no wuk, 'cept jus' look atter de stock,
'til atter de buryin'. Dey fixed up de corpses nice. Yes, mam, sho as
you is borned, dey did; dey made new clothes for 'em and buried 'em
decent in de graveyard on de place. Marse Jack seed to dat. Dey put de
coffin on a wagon, and de folks walked to de graveyard. Dere was crowds
of 'em; dey come from jus' evvywhar. A preacher, or some member of deir
marster's fambly, said a prayer, de folks sung a hymn, and it was all
over. 'Bout de biggest buryin' us ever had on our place was for a 'oman
dat drapped down in de path and died when she was comin' in from de
field to nuss her baby. Yes, mam, she was right on de wa