y, ole lady Lucy Price and 'nother 'oman, ole
lady Lucy Charles. Course he 'vantage over all de darkies and fer dat
reason he could sway everything his way, most all de time. But my mammy
and ole lady Lucy was 'ligious wimmens. Dat didn't make no diffuns wid
wicked old man Evans. One day Missus sent my mammy and de other ole lady
Lucy to fetch her some blackberries by dinner.

"Me and John was wid dem a pickin' and fillin' o' de big buckets from de
lil' buckets when ole man Evans come riding up. He argued wid both mammy
and ole lady Lucy and dey kept telling him dat de missus want her
berries and dat dey was 'ligious wimmens anyhow and didn't practice no
life o' sin and vile wickedness. Finally he got down off'n his hoss and
pull out his whip and low if dey didn't submit to him he gwine to beat
dem half to death. At [HW: that] me and John took to de woods. But we
peep. My mammy and old lady Lucy start to crying and axing him not to
whip dem.

"Finally dey act like dey gwine to indulge in de wickedness wid dat ole
man. But when he tuck off his whip and some other garments, my Mammy and
ole lady Lucy grab him by his goatee and further down and hist him over
in de middle of dem blackberry bushes. Wid dat dey call me and John. Us
grab all de buckets and us all put out fer de 'big house' fas' as our
legs could carry us. Ole man Evans jest er hollering and er cussing down
in dem briars. Quick as us git to de big house us run in de kitchen.
Cilla call Missus. She come and ax what ailing us and why we is so ashy
looking. Well, my Mammy and ole lady Lucy tell de whole story of dey
humiliations down on de creek.

"Missus 'lowed dat it didn't make no diffuns if Marse was in Union, she
gwinter act prompt. So she sent fer Mr. Evans and he took real long to
git dar, but when he do come, Missus, she 'low--'Mr. Evans, us does not
need yo' services on dis plantation no mo', Sir!' He 'low Marse aint
here. Missus 'low--'I does not want to argue de point wid ye, Mr. Evans,
fer yo' services has come to an end on dis plantation!' Wid dat ole man
Evans go off wid his head a-hanging in shame. Us niggers went out and
tole de news wid gladness shining out from our eyes, kaise us was dat
glad dat we did not know what to do.

"All de fields was enclosed wid a split rail fence in dem days. De hands
took dey rations to de field early every morning and de wimmens slack
work round eleven by de sun fer to build de fire and cook dinner. Missus
'low