its, fixes, and coons. Dem coon, fox and
'possum hounds sho knowed deir business. Lawsy, I kin jus' smell one of
dem good old 'possums roastin' right now, atter all dese years. You
parbiled de 'possum fust, and den roasted him in a heavy iron skillet
what had a big old thick lid. Jus' 'fore de 'possum got done, you peeled
ash-roasted 'taters and put 'em all 'round da 'possum so as day would
soak up some of dat good old gravy, and would git good and brown. Is you
ever et any good old ashcake? You wropped de raw hoecake in cabbage or
collard leafs and roasted 'em in de ashes. When dey got done, you had
somepin fit for a king to eat.

"De kitchen was sot off a piece from de big house, and our white folkses
wouldn't eat deir supper 'fore time to light de lamps to save your life;
den I had to stan' 'hind Old Miss' cheer and fan her wid a
turkey-feather fan to keep de flies off. No matter how rich folkses was
dem days dere warn't no screens in de houses.

"I never will forgit pore old Aunt Mary; she was our cook, and she had
to be tapped evvy now and den 'cause she had de drapsy so bad. Aunt
Mary's old man was Uncle Harris, and I 'members how he used to go
fishin' at night. De udder slaves went fishin' too. Many's de time I'se
seed my Mammy come back from Barber's Crick wid a string of fish
draggin' from her shoulders down to de ground. Me, I laked milk more'n
anything else. You jus' oughta seed dat place at milkin' time. Dere was
a heap of cows a fightin', chillun hollerin', and sich a bedlam as you
can't think up. Dat old plantation was a grand place for chillun, in
summertime 'specially, 'cause dere was so many branches and cricks close
by what us chillun could hop in and cool off.

"Chillun didn't wear nothin' but cotton slips in summer, but de winter
clothes was good and warm. Under our heavy winter dresses us wore
quilted underskirts dat was sho nice and warm. Sunday clothes? Yes
Mar'm, us allus had nice clothes for Sunday. Dey made up our summertime
Sunday dresses out of a thin cloth called Sunday-parade. Dey was made
spenser fashion, wid ruffles 'round de neck and waist. Our ruffled
petticoats was all starched and ironed stiff and slick, and us jus'
knowed our long pantalettes, wid deir scalloped ruffles, was mighty
fine. Some of de 'omans would wuk fancy eyelets what dey punched in de
scallops wid locust thorns. Dem pantalettes was buttoned on to our
drawers. Our Sunday dresses for winter was made out of linsey-woo