“Us didn’t have no church in de country for Niggers, an’ dey went to church wid deir white folkses, if dey went a tall.  De white folks sot in front, an’ de Niggers sot in de back.  All de time dat overseer wuz right dar wid his gun.  When dey baptized de Niggers dey tuk ’em down to de river and plunged ’em in, while dem what had done been baptized sang:  “Dar’s a Love Feast in Heb’en Today.”

“Yes Ma’am, de white folkses had deir cemetery, an’ dey had one for de slaves.  When dere wuz a funeral ’mong de Niggers us sung: 

  ’Dark was de night
   And cold was de groun’
   Whar my Marster was laid
   De drops of sweat
   Lak blood run down
   In agony He prayed.’

“Dem coffins sho’ wuz mournful lookin’ things, made out of pine boa’ds an’ painted wid lampblack; dey wuz black as de night.  Dey wuz big at de head an’ little at de foot, sort a lak airplanes is.  De inside wuz lined wid white clawf, what dey spun on de plantation.

“De patterollers wuz right on dey job.  Slaves use’ to frame up on ’em if dey knowed whar dey wuz hidin’, ‘waitin’ to cotch a Nigger.  Dey would git hot ashes an’ dash over ’em, an’ dem patterollers dey sho’ would run, but de slaves would git worse dan dat, if dey was cotched.

“Miss, in slav’ry time when Niggers come from de fields at night dey warn’t no frolickin’.  Dey jus’ went to sleep.  De mens wukked all day Sadday, but de ‘omans knocked off at twelve o’clock to wash an’ sich lak.

“Christmas times dey give us a week off an’ brung us a little candy an’ stuff ‘roun’.  Not much, not much.  On New Year’s Day us had to git back on de job.

“Chilluns what wuz big enough to wuk didn’t have time in week days to play no games on Marse Bostwick’s place.  On Sunday us played wid marbles made out of clay, but dat’s all.  I heered my ma sing a little song to de baby what soun’ lak dis: 

  ’Hush little baby
   Don’t you cry
   You’ll be an angel
   Bye-an’-bye.’

“Yes Ma’am, dere wuz one thing dey wuz good ’bout.  When de Niggers got sick dey sont for de doctor.  I heered ’em say dey biled jimson weeds an’ made tea for colds, an’ rhubarb tea wuz to cure worms in chillun.  I wuz too young to be bothered ‘bout witches an’ charms, Rawhead an’ Bloody Bones an’ sich.  I didn’t take it in.

“When de Yankees come thoo’ an’ ’lowed us wuz free, us thought dey wuz jus’ dem patterollers, an’ us made for de woods.  Dey tole us to come out, dat us wuz free Niggers.  Marster Berry said:  ’You dam Niggers am free.  You don’t b’long to me no more.’

“Us married long time atter de War, an’ us had a little feast:  cake, wine, fried chicken, an’ ham, an’ danced ’til ‘mos’ daybreak.  I ’members how good she looked wid dat pretty dove colored dress, all trimmed wid lace.  Us didn’t have no chillun.  She wuz lak a tree what’s sposen to bear fruit an’ don’t.  She died ’bout thirteen years ago.