her all
right. My old boss, he died. I can' remember nothin much bout dem times
only I recollects when my old Missus used to get after me en whip me, I
would run under de house. Didn' want to sweep de yard en dat how-come
she get after me wid a switch. I was small den en she was tryin to learn
me."

"No, child, I didn' live on no plantation. Didn' have no quarter for de
slaves dere. My white folks live in town en dey just have my mother en
her chillun en another old man. He stayed in de kitchen en would work de
garden en go off on errands for de Missus. My mother en we chillun
stayed in a little small one room house in de yard en he stayed in de
kitchen. I wasn' large enough to do nothin much den only as like I tell
you, my old Missus tried to learn me to sweep de yard."

"I was small den, child, but I got along all right cause we ate in de
white folks kitchen. Oh, no'um, dey cook in de chimney long bout de time
I come up. No'um, didn' see no stoves nowhe' when I come up. I remembers
we had greens like collards en bread en potatoes to eat sometimes, but
say remember all what we had to eat, I couldn' never think bout to do
dat. I just knows dat I remembers old Missus provide good livin for us
all de time. Wouldn' let nobody suffer for nothin be dat she know bout
it. Old Missus used to give us every speck de clothes we had to wear too
dat was made out dis here homemade homespun cloth. You see my mother was
de cook dere. Old Massa used to keep dry goods store en de first I know
bout it, she get de cloth out de store to make us clothes. Den after de
old head died, old Missus commence to buy cloth from somebody in de
country cause people weave dey cloth right dere on dey own plantation in
dat day en time. Had dese here loom en spinning wheel. I remembers old
Missus would take out big bolt of cloth en cut out us garments wid her
own hands. Den she would call us dere en make us try dem on en mine
wouldn' never be nothin troublesome nowhe' bout it. I remembers I used
to hear my Missus, when she be readin de paper speak bout Abraham
Lincoln en Jefferson Davis, but I was small den en never paid no much
attention to it. Only cared bout my new homespun dress wid de pockets
shinin right in de front part. My Lord, child, I been de proudest like
of dem pockets."

"I hear de older people say de Yankees come en say de Yankees was here,
but I was small den. Dey didn' do nothin bout dere dat I know of. I was
small en I didn' know. Did