six
weeks and Missis sho' proud of her new house. Den us makes logs into
houses for us and a big kitchen close to de big house. Den us builds a
office for Old Marse and makes chairs and beds and tables for everybody.
Old Miss brung her bed and a spindly, li'l table, and us make all de
rest.

"For eatin' de good shooters and scouters gits birds and rabbits and
wild turkeys and sometimes a lot of wild eggs or honey, when dey chops a
bee tree down. A old Indian come to holp us hunt. He'd work a week if
Marse Ed give him some red calico or a hatchet. Old Miss done bring a
dozen hens and a bag of seeds, and folks come ridin' twenty miles to
swap things.

"Dere warn't no mill to grind corn, so de boss carpenter, he hollows out
a log and gits some smooth, hard rocks and us grind de corn like it was
a morter. Old Man Stubblefield builded a watermill on de creek 'bout
eight miles from us, and den us tooken de corn dere.

"Dere was three hundred acres and more'n fifty slaves, and lots of work,
clearin' and buildin' and plantin'. Some de cabins didn't git no floor
for two years. Jes' quick as dey could, de men gits out clapboards for
de walls and split puncheon slabs for floors and palin's for fences.

"Missis, she takes two de likelies' young slaves and makes a garden,
come spring. Somehow she git herself roses and posies and vegetables.

"Dere warn't no overseer. Marse Ed, he jes' ride round on he big hoss
and see to things. Us didn't know nothin 'bout de war much, 'cause none
us could read or write.

"Dere was two fiddlers 'mongst us, Jim Roseborough and Tom. Dey'd have
de big barbecue for folks come from miles round, and coffee and chicken
and turkey and dancin' and fiddlin' all night. Come daybreak, dey jes'
goin' good. Us niggers dance back de quarters, and call

"'All eight balance and all eight swing,
All left allemond and right hand grand,
Meet your partner and prom'nade, eight,
Den march till you come straight.

"'First lady out to couple on de right,
Swing Mr. Adam and swing Miss Eve,
Swing Old Adam befo' you leave,
Don't forgit your own--now you're home.'

"Two, three years after dat I marries Liza Smith. Us has four chillen
and all dead 'cept John, and he lives out west.

"After freedom Old Marse say kill a yearlin' and have de big dinner and
dance. De young ones he told to scatter out and hunt work, not to steal
and work hard. Some de oldes' ones he give a cabin and a patch of land.
He say de niggers w