es: dey most eats me up evvy night." In the bedroom an oil lamp
was burning. The bed and mattress showed signs of fire. The mattress
tick was split from head to foot and cotton spilling out on the floor.
"Dat's whar I sleep," declared Alice. The atmosphere of the bedroom was
heavy with nauseous odors and the interviewer hastened to return to the
front of the house desiring to get out of range of the chinch-ridden
bed. Before there was time to resume conversation the terrier grabbed
the bread from the child's hand and in retaliation the child bit the dog
on the jaw and attempted to retrieve the bread. Alice snatched off her
stocking cap and beat at the dog with it. "Git out of here, Biddy. I
done told you and told you 'bout eatin' dat chile's somepin t'eat. I
don't know why Miz. Woods gimme dis here dog no how, 'cause she knows I
can't feed it and it's jus' plum starvin'. Go on out, I say.

"Lordy! Lady, dar's one of dem chinches from my bed a-crawlin' over your
pretty white dress. Ketch him quick, 'fore he bites you." Soon the
excitement was over and Alice resumed her story.

"Dey tuk mighty good care of slaves when dey got sick. Dey had to,
'cause slaves was propity and to let a slave die was to lose money. Ole
Miss, she looked atter de 'omans and Ole Marster, he had de doctor for
de mens. I done forgot most of what dey made us take. I know dey made us
wear assfiddy (asafetida) sacks 'round our necks, and eat gumgoo wax.
Dey rubbed our heads wid camphor what was mixed wid whiskey. Old folks
used to conjure folks when dey got mad at 'em. Dey went in de woods and
got certain kinds of roots and biled 'em wid spider webs, and give 'em
de tea to drink.

"One day us chillun was playin' in de sand pile and us looked up and
seed a passel of yankees comin'. Dere was so many of 'em it was lak a
flock of bluebirds. 'Fore dey left some folks thought dey was more lak
blue devils. My mammy was in de kitchen and Ole Miss said: 'Look out of
dat window, Milly; de yankees is comin' for sho' and dey's goin' to free
you and take you and your chillun 'way from me. Don't leave me! Please
don't leave me, Milly!' Dem yankees swarmed into de yard. Dey opened de
smokehouse, chicken yard, corncrib, and evvything on de place. Dey tuk
what dey wanted and told us de rest was ours to do what us pleased wid.
Dey said us was free and dat what was on de plantation b'longed to us,
den dey went on off and us never seed 'em no more.

"When de War was o