t deir bones yit.'
Atter de Yankees lef' de Niggers brung back de white folkses victuals
'cause dey was our own white folkses and dey had allus done give us
plenty of evvything.

"Us chillun didn't have to do no hard wuk, jus' played 'round de yards
wid de white chillun mos' of de time. One of our little jobs was to git
in plenty of wood for de fires. Chestnut and hick'ry wood made de bes'
fires and dere was allus plenty of good kindlin' to git 'em started. Oak
and pine bark was good to make de pot bile in a hurry. Dem ovens would
bake lak evvything wid heaps of hot coals piled 'round 'em.

"Dere warn't no Nigger schools den, but Miss Jane larnt us 'long wid de
white chillun, and us sho' had to mind dem lessons or she'd tear us up.

"De slave quarters was jus' log cabins, and dey cooked on fireplaces
jus' lak at de big house. Marster didn't have many Niggers, but us had
plenty somepin' t'eat. He had a big gyarden whar he raised mos'
evvything: corn, 'taters, cabbages, peas, onions, collard greens, and
lots of pun'kins. When de mens plowed up de 'taters us chillun had to go
'long and put 'em in baskets. De bestes' times was hog killin' times. Us
chillun wukked den. Dey hung up de hogs all night and nex' day us cut
'em, put 'em down in salt, and cooked up de lard. Us chillun got some of
dem good old skin cracklin's when dey got brown.

"Atter Marster tuk de meat out of de salt, he put brown sugar and
'lasses on de hams and shoulders, sacked 'em up, and hanged 'em in de
smokehouse. Den he say for us to git de fire ready. Us made a fire wid
cottonseed to smoke de meat. Dat kep' it good, and it didn't git old
tastin'. It was sho' good eatin' when you got some of dat meat.

"When de time come 'round to gather in de corn us wukked mighty peart
lak, 'cause us couldn't hardly wait for de cornshuckin's dat Marster was
gwine to let us have atter dat corn was hauled in f'um de fields.
Marster 'vited all de other white folkses and dey brung deir Niggers
'long. Shucks would jus' fly off of dat corn while dem Niggers was
a-singin' 'Old Liza Jane' and 'Susan Jane'. When de cornshuckin' was all
done, us had a big supper--chicken pies, barbecue, and plenty of
evvything good wid lots of liquor too. Atter supper dey started up
playin' dem fiddles and banjoes, and de dancin' begun. White folkses
danced da twistification up at de big house, but us had reg'lar old
breakdowns in a house what Marstar let us have to dance in. Wid all dat
to