'bout what nice fresh milk and butter de missus
allus had. A hollow oak log was used fer de milk trough. Three times a
day Cilla had her lil' boy run fresh cool well water all through de
trough. Dat keep de milk from gwine to whey and de butter fresh and
cool. In de dry well was kept de canned things and dough to set till it
had done riz. When company come like dey allus did fer de camp meetings,
shoalts and goats and maybe a sheep or lamb or two was kilt fer barbecue
out by Cilla's cabin. Dese carcasses was kept down in de dry well over
night and put over de pit early de next morning after it had done took
salt. Den dar was a big box kivvered wid screen wire dat victuals was
kept in in de dry well. Dese boxes was made rat proof.

"Whilst de meats fer de company table was kept barbecued out in de yard,
de cakes, pies, breads, and t'other fixings was done in de kitchen out
in de big house yard. Baskets had ter be packed to go to camp meetin'.
Tables was built up at Rogers under de big oak trees dat has all been
cut down now. De tables jes' groaned and creeked and sighed wid victuals
at dinner hour every day durin' de camp meetin'.

"Missus fetch her finest linens and silver and glasses to out-shine dem
brung by de t'other white folks o' quality. In dem days de white folks
o' quality in Union most all come from Goshen Hill and Fish Dam. After
de white folks done et all dey could hold den de slaves what had done
come to church and to help wid de tables and de carriages would have de
dinner on a smaller table over clost to de spring. Us had table cloths
on our table also and us et from de kitchen china and de kitchen silver.

"Young gals couldn't eat much in public, kaise it ain't stylish fer
young courting gals to let on like dey has any appetite to speak of. I
sees dat am a custom dat still goes amongst de wimmen folks, not to eat,
so heavy. Cullud gals tried to do jes' like de young white missus would
do.

"After everything was done eat it would be enough to pack up and fetch
back home to feed all de hungry niggers what roams roun' here in Union
now. Dem was de times when everybody had 'nuff to eat and more dan dey
wanted and plenty clothes to wear!

"During de preaching us darkies sot in de back o' de church. Our white
folks had some benches dar dat didn't nobody set on 'cept de slaves. Us
wore de best clo'es dat us had. De Marse give us a coat and a hat and
his sons give all de old hats and coats 'round. Us wore s