old for field wuk, so she looked atter de slave babies whilst
deir Ma's was wukkin' in de field. Grandpa Jack Gaines was de
shoemaker.

"Most of de time I was up at de big house waitin' on our white folks,
huntin' eggs, pickin' up chips, makin' fires, and little jobs lak dat.
De onliest way I could find to make any money in dem days was to sell
part'idges what I cotched in traps to dem Yankees what was allus passin'
'round. Dey paid me ten cents apiece for part'idges and I might have
saved more of my money if I hadn't loved dat store boughten pep'mint
candy so good.

"What I et? Anything I could git. Peas, green corn, 'tatoes, cornbread,
meat and lye hominy was what dey give us more dan anything else. Bakin'
was done in big old ovens what helt three pones of bread and in skillets
what helt two. Big pots for bilin' was swung over de coals in de
fireplace. Dey was hung on hooks fastened to de chimbly or on cranes
what could be swung off de fire when dey wanted to dish up de victuals.
Hit warn't nothin' for us to ketch five or six 'possums in one night's
huntin'. De best way to tote 'possums is to split a stick and run deir
tails thoo' de crack--den fling de stick crost your shoulders and tote
de 'possums 'long safe and sound. Dat way dey can't bite you. Dey's bad
'bout gnawin' out of sacks. When us went giggin' at night, us most allus
fotched back a heap of fishes and frogs. Dere was allus plenty of fishes
and rabbits. Our good old hound dog was jus' 'bout as good at trailin'
rabbits in de daytime as he was at treein' 'possums at night. I was
young and spry, and it didn't seem to make no diff'unce what I et dem
days. Big gyardens was scattered over de place whar-some-ever Marster
happened to pick out a good gyarden spot. Dem gyardens all b'longed to
our Marster, but he fed us all us wanted out of 'em.

"All dat us chillun wore in summer was jus' one little shirt. It was a
long time 'fore us knowed dere was folks anywhar dat put more dan one
piece of clothes on chillun in summer. Grandpa Jack made de red shoes us
wore widout no socks in winter. Our other winter clothes was cotton
shirts and pants, and coats what had a little wool in 'em. Summer times
us went bar headed, but Unker Ned made bullrush hats for us to wear in
winter. Dere warn't no diff'unt clothes for Sunday. Us toted our shoes
'long in our hands goin' to church. Us put 'em on jus' 'fore us got dar
and tuk 'em off again soon as us got out of sight of de meeti