s house was to' (torn) down. De house sot right on
top de hill in de middle of de street you sees. His driveway was flanked
wid water oaks and it retched down to Main street. De grounds was on
each side dat drive and dey retched to whar de white folks is got a
school (high school) now. On de other side of dat drive his grounds hit
Miss Fant's (Mrs. John Fant's property).

"You could clam up Cap Douglas' stairs and git in a run-around (cupola)
and see de whole town through dem glass winders. (This cupola is still
on the house.) Never had none of dem things in Union afo' dat. Some
years atter dat, when Col. Duncan had his house run over (remodeled) he
had one of dem run-arounds put on his'n. To dis day wid all de fine
fixings folks has in Union, dar ain't narry one got none of dem things
and dey sho' is purty.

"Let me drap back, kaise I is gone too fer along; you wants olden times.
On our plantation Marse Tom had a nigger driver. He 'hoop and holler and
wake us up at break of day. But befo' freedom come 'long, Marse got a
bell; den dat nigger driver rung dat bell at break of day. He was a
sorry nigger dat never had no quality in him a'tall, no sir-ee.

"Us had to feed de mules in de dark of mornings and de black of night
when craps needed working bad. Seed many as a dozen hoe-womens in de
field at one time. Dey come when dey finished breakfast and de plows had
got a start.

"Dey used mulberry skins from fresh mulberry saplins to tie around dere
waists fer belts. If your singletree chain broke, you fixed it wid
mulberry skins; same wid your galluses. Mulberry is mighty strong and
easy to tie anything dat break.

"Marse Tom never whipped 'bout nothing much but stealing. He never let
his overseer do no whipping if he knowed it. He burnt you up 'bout
stealing, dat he would.

"Dey never wanted us to git no larning. Edmund Carlisle, smartest nigger
I is ever seed. He cut out blocks from pine bark on de pine tree and
smooth it. Git white oak or hickory stick. Git a ink ball from de oak
trees, and on Sadday and Sunday slip off whar de white folks wouldn't
know 'bout it. He use stick fer pen and drap oak ball in water and dat
be his ink atter it done stood all night. He larnt to write his name and
how to make figures. Marse Jule and Bill, two of Marse Tom's boys, found
out dat Edmund could write and dey wanted to whip him, but Marse Tom
wouldn't let 'em.

"One morning Edmund was making a big fire 'round all de pots, kaise