't mind nobody and kept on a-crowin' and a-flappin', so dey
whupped me down.

"Dey had jails in Jeffersonville, but dem jails was for white folks what
didn't be-have deirselfs. Old Marster, de overseer, and de patterollers
kept de slaves straight. Dey didn't need no jails for dem.

"I ain't never been to school a day in my life, 'cause when I was
little, Niggers warn't 'lowed to larn to read and write. I heared Ma say
de colored preacher read out of de Bible, but I never seed him do it,
'cause I never went to church none when I was a chap. Colored folks had
deir own church in a out settlement called John De Baptist. Dat's whar
all de slaves went to meetin'. Chilluns was 'lowed to go to baptizin's.
Evvybody went to 'em. Dey tuk dem converts to a hole in de crick what
dey had got ready for dat purpose. De preacher went fust, and den he
called for de converts to come on in and have deir sins washed away.

"Our Marster sot aside a piece of ground 'long side of his own place for
his Niggers to have a graveyard. Us didn't know nothin' 'bout no
fun'rals. When one of de slaves died, dey was put in unpainted home-made
coffins and tuk to de graveyard whar de grave had done been dug. Dey put
'em in dar and kivvered 'em up and dat was all dey done 'bout it.

"Us heared a plenty 'bout patterollers beatin' up Niggers what dey
cotched off deir Marsters' plantations widout no passes. Sometimes dey
cotched one of our Marster's slaves and sometimes dey didn't, but dey
was all time on deir job.

"When slaves come in from de fields at night de 'omans cleant up deir
houses atter dey et, and den washed and got up early next mornin' to put
de clothes out to dry. Mens would eat, set 'round talkin' to other mens
and den go to bed. On our place evvybody wukked on Saddays 'til 'bout
three or four o'clock and if de wuk was tight dey wukked right on 'til
night lak any other day. Sadday nights de young folks got together to
have deir fun. Dey danced, frolicked, drunk likker, and de lak of dat.
Old Marster warn't too hard on 'em no time, but he jus' let 'em have dat
night to frolic. On Sunday he give dem what wanted 'em passes to go to
church and visit 'round.

"Christmas times, chilluns went to bed early 'cause dey was skeered
Santa Claus wouldn't come. Us carried our stockin's up to de big house
to hang 'em up. Next mornin' us found 'em full of all sorts of good
things, 'cept oranges. I never seed nary a orange 'til I was a big gal.
Miss Poll