ggravate your mind den.
Plenty to eat; plenty to wear; plenty wood to burn; good house to live
in; and no worry 'bout where it was a-coming from!

"Old Marse he give us de rations fer de barbecues. Every master wanted
his darkies to be thought well of at de barbecues by de darkies from all
de other plantations. De had pigs barbecued; goats; and de Missus let de
wimmen folks bake pies, cakes and custards fer de barbecue, jes' 'zactly
like hit was fer de white folks barbecue deself!

"Young ones carried on like young colts a-frolicin' in de pasture till
dey had done got so full o' vittles dat dey could not eat another bite.
Den dey roamed on off and set down somewheres to sleep in de shade o' de
trees. When de sun started to going down den de old folks begin to git
ready to return back to dey home plantations, fer dar was de master's
stock and chickens to feed and put up fer de night, to say nothing o' de
cows to milk. The master's work had to go on around de big house, kaise
all de darkies had been 'lowed to have such a pleasant day. Next day
being Sad'day was on dis occasion not only ration day, but de day to git
ready fer de white folks' Camp Meetin' which I has already called to
recollection several times.

"I has to drap back to my own plantation now; kaise I guesses dat de
same [TN: 'same' was crossed out in the original] thing took place on all
de neighborin' places in preparation fer de white folks 'big Meetin'.
But I better confine my relations to dat what I really knows. At de
barbecue I seed niggers from several neighborin' plantations and I can
tell you 'bout dat. But I draps now to de doings o' my own white folks.

"As I has said once, de fields was in lay-by shape and de Missus done
already got de house cleaned. De chilluns was put in one room to sleep
and dat make more room fer de preachers and guests dat gwine to visit in
de big house fer de nex' six weeks. Den de plans fer cooking had to be
brung 'bout. Dey never had no ice in dem days as you well knows; but us
had a dry well under our big house. It was deep and everything keep real
cool down dar. Steps led down into it, and it allus be real dark down
dar. De rats run aroun' down dar and de younguns skeert to go down fer
anything. So us carry a lightwood not [HW: knot] fer light when us put
anything in it or take anything out. Dar ain't no need fer me to tell
you 'bout de well house where us kept all de milk and butter, fer it was
de talk o' de country