We sure froliked Saturday nights.  Dat wuz our day to howl and we howled.  Our gals sure could dance and when we wuz thirsty we had lemonade and whiskey.  No sah! we never mixed [HW:  no] whiskey with [HW:  no] water.—­Dem dat wanted lemonade got it—­de gals all liked it.  Niggers never got drunk those days—­we wuz scared of the “Paddle-Rollers.”  Um-m-h and swell music.  A fiddle and a tin can and one nigger would beat his hand on the can and another nigger would beat the strings on the [HW:  fiddle] [TR:  ‘can’ marked out.] with broom straws.  It wuz almos’ like a banjo.  I remembers we sung “Little Liza Jane” and “Green Grows the Willow Tree”.  De frolik broke up in de morning—­about two o’clock—­and we all scattered to which ever way we wuz going.

We put on clean clothes on Sunday and go to church.  We went to de white church.  Us niggars sat on one side and de white folks sat on the other.  We wuz baptized in de church—­de “pool-room” wuz right in de church.

If we went visiting we had to have a pass.  If nigger went out without a pass de “Paddle-Rollers” would get him.  De white folks were the “Paddle-Rollers” and had masks on their faces.  They looked like niggers wid de devil in dere eyes.  They used no paddles—­nothing but straps—­wid de belt buckle fastened on.

Yes sah!  I got paddled.  Et happened dis way.  I’se left home one Thursday to see a gal on the Palmer plantation—­five miles away.  Some gal!  No, I didn’t get a pass—­de boss was so busy!  Everything was fine until my return trip.  I wuz two miles out an’ three miles to go.  There come de “Paddle-Rollers” I wuz not scared—­only I couldn’t move.  They give me thirty licks—­I ran the rest of the way home.  There was belt buckles all over me.  I ate my victuals off de porch railing.  Some gal!  Um-m-h.  Was worth that paddlin’ to see that gal—­would do it over again to see Mary de next night.

  “O Jane! love me lak you useter,
   O Jane! chew me lak you useter,
   Ev’y time I figger, my heart gits bigger,
   Sorry, sorry, can’t be yo’ piper any mo”.

Um-m-mh—­Some gal!

We Niggers were a healthy lot.  If we wuz really sick Marse Frank would send for Doctor Fielding Ficklin of Washington.  If jus’ a small cold de nigger would go to de woods and git catnip and roots and sich things.  If tummy ache—­dere was de Castor oil—­de white folks say children cry for it—­I done my cryin’ afterwards.  For sore throat dere was alum.  Everybody made their own soap—­if hand was burned would use soap as a poultice and place it on hand.  Soap was made out of grease, potash and water and boiled in a big iron pot.  If yo’ cut your finger use kerozene wid a rag around it.  Turpentine was for sprains and bad cuts.  For constipation use tea made from sheep droppings and if away from home de speed of de feet do not match de speed of this remedy.