for herself to wear on the trip; and it was supposed that she sewed until midnight, or after, when she fell asleep, letting the goods fall into the candle.  All at once, a little after twelve o’clock, I heard a scream, then a cry of “fire! fire!” and Boss yelling:  “Louis!  Louis!” I jumped up, throwing an old coat over me, and ran up stairs, in the direction of Mrs. Farrington’s room, I encountered Boss in the hall; and, as it was dark and the smoke stifling, I could hardly make any headway.  At this moment Mrs. Farrington threw her door open, and screamed for “Cousin Eddie,” meaning McGee.  He hurriedly called to me to get a pitcher of water quick.  I grasped the pitcher from the stand, and he attempted to throw the water on Celia, who was all in a blaze, running around like a mad woman; but the pitcher slipped from his hand and broke, very little of the water reaching her.  She was at last wrapped in an old blanket, to extinguish the flames; but she was burned too badly to recover.  Boss, being a physician, said at once:  “Poor girl, poor girl! she is burned to death.”  He did all he could for her, wrapped her in linen sheets, and endeavored to relieve her sufferings, but all was of no avail—­she had inhaled the flame, injuring her internally, and lived only a few days.

* * * * *

Master’s new cotton plantation.

Shortly after Boss bought his home in Memphis, he bought a large farm in Bolivar, Miss.  It was a regular cotton farm, on the Mississippi river, embracing 200 acres.  The houses built for the slaves were frame, eighteen in number, each to contain three or four families, and arranged on each side of a street that ran through the farm.  This street was all grassed over, but there were no sidewalks.  All the buildings—­the barn, gin-house, slaves’ quarters and overseers’ house—­were whitewashed, and on this grass-grown street they made a neat and pretty appearance.  The house where the Boss and the madam staid, when they went down to the farm, was about two hundred yards from the slaves’ quarters.  It was arranged in two apartments, one for the overseer and wife, and the other for the master and mistress upon the occasion of their visits.  This building was separated from the other buildings by a fence.  There was what was called the cook house, where was cooked all the food for the hands.  Aunt Matilda was cook in charge.  Besides the buildings already named, there were stables, a blacksmith shop and sawmill; and the general order of arrangement was carried out with respect to all—­the appearance was that of a village.  Everything was raised in abundance, to last from one crop to the next.  Vegetables and meat were provided from the farm, and a dairy of fifty cows furnished all the milk and butter needed.

The cane brakes were so heavy that it was common for bears to hide there, and, at night, come out and carry off hogs.  Wolves were plenty in the woods behind the farm, and could be heard at any time.  The cane was so thick that when they were clearing up new ground, it would have to be set on fire, and the cracking that would ensue was like the continuous explosion of small fire crackers.