I nu'se aw Miss Susan fust chillun. Ne'er nu'se dem las'uns.
Sicily been yo' mamma nu'se. Nu'se Massa Ben Gause child fust en den I
nu'se four head uv Miss Susan chillun a'ter she marry Massa Jim
Stevenson. Sleep right dere wid dem chillun aw de time. Miss Susan ne'er
didn't suckle none uv dem chillun. I tell yunnah dis much, Massa Jim
Stevenson was good to aw uv his colored people en Miss Susan wuz good to
me. I sho' born right down yonner to Massa Ben Gause plantation. Gade
Caesar en Mary Gause wuz my parents. Yas'um, I is glad to see dese
chillun cause yuh know whey white folks hab feeling fa yah, it sho' make
yuh hab feeling fa dey chillun. I ole now en I can' 'member eve'yt'ing
but I ain' ne'er forge' wha' good times dem wuz."

"My Lawd! Yas, my Lawd, de peoples lib well dere to Massa Jim Stevenson
plantation. De white folks hab big house dere wid eve'yt'ing 'bout it
jes lak uh town. I couldn't tell yunnah how many colored peoples dey hab
dere but I know dis, I hear em say dere wuz more den two hundred uv em
dat lib in de quarter. Dey house wuz in uh field offen to itself dere on
de plantation en wuz strung aw up en down in two long row lak. Dey wuz
set up in good libin' den."

"Coase I ain' lib dere in de quarter wid de udder colored peoples a'ter
I ge' big 'nough to be nu'se girl, but I know how dey fare dere. My
Massa hab uh smoke house full uv meat en uh barn full uv corn aw de time
en eve'y Friday a'ternoon aw de colored peoples hadder do wuz to go dere
to de big house en ge' dey share uv meat en 'lasses en corn to las' em
de whole week. Ne'er hadder worry nuthin 'bout it tall. Dey hab dey
gristmill right dere whey dey grind dat corn eve'y week. Yah ain' ne'er
see no sech barn en heap uv meat dese days uz dey hab den. Dem hog
killin' days wuz big times fa dem plantation peoples. It jes lak I
tellin' yunnah my Massa gi'e he colored peoples mos' eve't'ing dey hab
en den he 'low eve'y family to hab uh acre uv land uv dey own to plant.
Hadder work dat crop in de night. Make light wid fat light'ud stump wha'
to see by. Dat crop wha' dey buy dey Sunday clothes wid. Ne'er hadder
hunt no clothes but dey Sunday clothes cause dey hab seamstress right
dere on de plantation to make aw us udder clothes. Miss Susan larnt Aun'
Cynthia en Starrah en Tenna to cut en sew dere to de big house en a'ter
dat dey ne'er do nuthin but make de plantation clothes."

"Aw de colored peoples dere to Miss Susan plantation hab dey certain