'cause my mammy and daddy was Lottie and Boyd
Denman and they come from Georgia to Cherokee County and then to Houston
County, near by to Crockett, with Old Man Denman. He was the one owned
all us till he 'vided some with Miss Lizzie when she marries Mr. Cramer.

"My daddy worked in the fields with Uncle Lot and my brothers, and my
Uncle Joe, he's driver. But Briscoe am overseer and he a white man. He
can't never whup the growed mens like he wants, 'cause they don't let
him unless he ask Old Man Denman. I seed him whup 'em, though. He make
'em take off the shirt and whup with the strap.

"Now, my mammy was cook in the Denman house and for our family and Uncle
Joe's family. She didn't have much time for anythin' but cookin' all the
time. But she's the bestes' cook. Us had fine greens and hawgs and beef.
Us et collard greens and pork till us got skittish of it and then they
quit the pork and kilt a beef. When they done that, they's jus' pourin'
water on our wheels, 'cause us liked best of anythin' the beef, and I do
to this day, only I can't never git it.

"Old Man Denman had a boy what kilt squirrels and throwed 'em in the
kitchen. The white folks et them. You ain't never seen no white folks
then would eat rabbit. I had a brother who hunted. Mostly on Sundays.
He'd leave for the swamps 'fore daybreak and we'd know when we'd hear
him callin', 'O-o-o-o-o-da-da-ske-e-e-e-t,' he had somethin'. That jus'
a make-up of he own, but we knowed they's rabbits for the pot.

"All the mens don't hunt on Sunday, 'cause Uncle Joe helt meetin' in
front he house. Us look out the door and seed Uncle Joe settin' the
benches straight and settin' he table out under the trees and sweepin'
clean the leaves and us know they's gwine be meetin'. They's the
loveliest days that ever they was. Night times, too, they'd make it
'tween 'em whether it'd be at our house or Uncle Joe's. We'd ask niggers
from other farms and I used to say, 'I likes meetin' jus' as good as I
likes a party.'

"When crops is laid by us have the most parties and dence and sing and
have play games. The reels is what I used to like but I done quit that
foolishness many a year ago. I used to cut a step or two. I remembers
one reel call the 'Devil's Dream.' It's a fast song

"'Oh, de Devil drempt a dream,
He drempt it on a Friday--
He drempt he cotch a sinner.'

"Old Man Denman am the great one for 'viding he property and when Miss
Lizzie marries with Mr. Creame Cramer, whi