“Miss Evaline was Mars Daniel’s sister.  She was a old maid.  Miss Evaline, Aunt Selie old nigger woman and Brittain old nigger man done nuthin’ but raise chickens, geese, guineas, ducks, pigeons.  They had a few turkeys and peafowls all the time.  When they stewed chicken it was stewed in a big black pot they kept to cook fowls in.  They fry chicken in a pot er grease then turn drap sweet biscuit bread in.  They put eggs in it, too.  They call it marble cakes.  Then they pour sweet milk in the bottom grease and make good gravy.  When they rendered up lard they always made marble cakes.  They cut marble cakes all kind er shapes and twisted em round like knots and rings.  They take em up in big pans big as dish pans.

“We had plenty to eat and plenty flannel and cotton check dresses.  Regular women done our quiltin’ and made our dresses.  She made our dresses plain waist, full gathered skirt and buttons down the backs on our waist.

“I was named for Miss Betty Johnson.  Mars Daniel bought me books.  I slip and tear ABC’s outen every book he buy for me.  Miss Betty say A-B-C-D; I say after her.  She say, ‘Betty, you ain’t lookin’ on the book.’  I say, ’Miss Betty, I hear Miss Cornelia’s baby woke up.  Agin Miss Betty—­she was my young mistress—­ABC’s me sayin’ em long wid her.  I say, ’Miss Betty, I smell ginger bread, can’t I go git a piece?’ She say, ‘Betty—­I’m so sorry I name you fer me.  I wish I named Mary.’  I say, ‘Then you name Mary Betty an’ give me nother name.’  Miss Betty git me down agin to sayin’ the ABC’s, I be lookin’ off.  She say, ’Betty, you goin’ to be a idiot.’  I say, ’That what I wanter be—­zactly what I wanter be.’  I didn’t know what a idiot was then.

“I took up crocheting.  Miss Cornelia cut me some quilt pieces.  She say ‘Betty that’s her talent’ bout me.  Miss Betty say, ‘If she goin’ to be mine I want her to be smart.’  Miss Mary lernt my sister Mary fast.

“When I was bout fifteen I was goiner to the nigger school.  I wanted to go to the white school wid Miss Mag.  Miss Betty say, ’Betty, that white woman would whoop you every day.’  I take my dinner in a bucket and go on wid Mary.  I’d leave fore the teacher have time to have my lesson and git in late.  The teacher said, ’Betty, Miss Cornelia and Miss Betty say they want you to be smart and you up an’ run off and come in late, and do all sorts er ways.  Ain’t you shamed?’

“They had a big entertainment.  Miss Betty learned me a piece to say—­poetry.  I could lern it from sayin’ it over wid Miss Betty.  They bought me and Mary our fust calico dresses.  I lack to walked myself to death.  I was so proud.  It had two ruffles on the bottom of the skirt and a shash tied at the waist behind.  We had red hats wid streamers hanging down the back.  The dresses was red and black small checks.  Mary lernt her piece at school.  We had singing and speeches and a big dinner at the school closin’.

“Mr. John Moore went to war and was killed at the beginnin’ of the first battle soon as he got there.  They had a sayin, ’You won’t last as long as John Moore when he went to war.’