“De firs’ thing dat I ‘member hearin’ ’bout de war was one day when Marse George come in de house an’ tell Miss Emmaline dat dey’s gwine have a bloody war.  He say he feared all de slaves ’ud be took away.  She say if dat was true she feel lak jumpin’ in de well.  I hate to hear her say dat, but from dat minute I started prayin’ for freedom.  All de res’ o’ de women done de same.

“De war started pretty soon after dat an’ all de men folks went off an’ lef’ de plantation for de women an’ de Niggers to run.  Us seen de sojers pass by mos’ ever’ day.  Once de Yankees come an’ stole a lot o’ de horses an’ somp’in’ t’eat.  Dey even took de trunk full o’ ’Federate money dat was hid in de swamp.  How dey foun’ dat us never knowed.

“Marse George come home’ bout two years after de war started an’ married Miss Martha Ann.  Dey had always been sweethearts.  Dey was promised ’fore he lef’.

“Marse Lincoln an’ Marse Jeff Davis is two I ’members ’bout.  But, Lawzee!  Dat was a long time back.  Us liked Marse Jeff Davis de bes’ on de place.  Us even made up a song ’bout him, but, I ’clare ’fore goodness, I can’t even ‘member de firs’ line o’ dat song.  You see, when I got ‘ligion, I asked de Lawd to take all de other songs out o’ my head an’ make room for his word.

“Since den it’s de hardes’ thing in de worl’ for me to ’member de songs us used to dance by.  I do’ member a few lak ‘Shoo, Fly’, ’Old Dan Tucker’, an’ ‘Run, Nigger, Run, de Pateroller Catch You.’  I don’ ’member much o’ de words.  I does ‘member a little o’ ‘Old Dan Tucker.’  It went dis way: 

  ’Old Don Tucker was a mighty mean man,
  He beat his wife wid a fryin’ pan. 
  She hollered an’ she cried, “I’s gwineter go,
  Dey’s plenty o’ men, won’t beat me so.”

  ‘Git out o’ de way, Old Dan Tucker,
  You come too late to git yo’ supper.

  ’Old Dan Tucker, he got drunk,
  Fell in de fire, kicked up a chunk,
  Red hot coal got down his shoe
  Oh, Great Lawd, how de ashes flew.

  ‘Git out o’ de way, Old Dan Tucker,
  You come too late to git yo’ supper.’

“When de war was over, my brother Frank slipped in de house where I was still a-stayin’.  He tol’ me us was free an’ for me to come out wid de res’.  ‘Fore sundown dere warnt one Nigger lef’ on de place.  I hear tell later dat de Mistis an’ de gals had to git out an’ work in de fiel’s to he’p gather in de crop.

“Frank foun’ us a place to work an’ put us all in de fiel’.  I never had worked in de fiel’ before.  I’d faint away mos’ ever’day ’bout eleven o’clock.  It was de heat.  Some of ’em would have to tote me to de house.  I’d soon come to.  Den I had to go back to de fiel’.  Us was on Marse Davis Cox’s place den.

“Two years later I met Pet Franks an’ us married.  De Cox’s was good folks an’ give us a big weddin’.  All de white folks an’ de Niggers for miles a-round come to see us git married.  De Niggers had a big supper an’ had a peck t’eat.  Us had eight chillun, but aint but three of ’em livin’.  Me an’ Pet aint been a-livin’ together for de las’ twenty-three years.  Us jus’ couldn’ git ’long together, so us quit.  He lives out at Acker’s Fishing Lodge now an’ does de cookin’ for ’em.