I was a little child settin
dere in dat chimney corner listenin to all dat scamperin bout en I
remember dat day just as good as it had been dis day right here."

"Oh, my God, dem Yankees never bring nothin but trouble en
destructiveness when dey come here, child. I remember I hear tell dat my
old stepfather been gone to de mill to grind some corn en when he was
comin down de road, two big Yankees jump out de bushes side de road en
tell him stop dere. He say dey tell him if he want to save his neck, he
better get off dat ox right den en get away from dere. He say he been so
scared he make for de woods fast as he could get dere en tell dat he
lay down wid knots under his head many a night fore he would venture to
come out from dat woods. Never hear tell of his ox en corn no more
neither. Oh, honey, my old Missus was a dear old soul en didn' none of
her colored people have no mind to want to leave dere no time."

"We chillun never didn' know nothin bout no hard times in dat day en
time. Seems like de Lord had just open up en fix de way for us to have
everything we want. Oh, honey, we chillun never been harness up in no
little bit of place to play like dese chillun bout here dese days. We
had all de big fields en de pretty woods to wander round en bout en make
us playhouse in. Seems like de Lord had made de little streams just
right for we chillun to play in en all kind of de prettiest flowers to
come up right down side de paths us little feet had made dere, but dat
wasn' nothin. Dere was flowers scatter bout everywhe' you look in de
woods en all kind of birds en squirrels en rabbits en honey, dey was
live play things. Dat how-come we been so satisfy. I here to tell you my
old Missus was a dear old soul en we chillun sho had a fine time comin
up. She didn' never have her niggers cut up en slashed up no time. She
was good to us en we stuck to her."

"In de mornin bout dis time, me en my Missus would take a walk in de
woods down by de creek. I remember I would be dere wid my mammy en old
Missus would say, 'Judy, whe' Hester? I want her to take a walk wid me
dis mornin.' I been bout five or six years old den en I would get
tired. I say, 'Mittie, I tired, I tired.' She say, 'Well, set down en
rest awhile.' I remember dere been a big old sweet gum tree settin dere
side de creek dat had a place hollow out in it dat looked just like a
chair been made dere. Old Missus would set down dere en take me right
down side her en stay de