Dey could keep dat up for hours and it was sho' good singin', for dat's
one thing Niggers was born to do--to sing when dey gits 'ligion.

"When old Aunt Flora come up and wanted to jine de church she told 'bout
how she had done seed de Hebenly light and changed her way of livin'.
Folkses testified den 'bout de goodness of de Lord and His many
blessin's what He give to saints and sinners, but dey is done stopped
givin' Him much thanks any more. Dem days, dey 'zamined folkses 'fore
dey let 'em jine up wid de church. When dey started 'zaminin' Aunt
Flora, de preacher axed her: 'Is you done been borned again and does you
believe dat Jesus Christ done died to save sinners?' Aunt Flora she
started to cry; and she said: 'Lordy, Is He daid? Us didn't know dat. If
my old man had done 'scribed for de paper lak I told him to, us would
have knowed when Jesus died?" Neal giggled. "Missy," he said, "ain't dat
jus' lak one of dem old-time Niggers? Dey jus' tuk dat for ign'ance and
let her come on into de church.

"Dem days it was de custom for marsters to hire out what slaves dey had
dat warn't needed to wuk on deir own land, so our marster hired out two
of my sisters. Sis' Anna hired to a fambly 'bout 16 miles from our
place. She didn't lak it dar so she run away and I found her hid out in
our 'tater 'ouse. One day when us was playin' she called to me right low
and soft lak and told me she was hongry and for me to git her somepin
t'eat but not to tell nobody she was dar. She said she had been dar
widout nothin' t'eat for several days. She was skeered Marster might
whup her. She looked so thin and bad I thought she was gwine to die, so
I told Mammy. Her and Marster went and brung Anna to de 'ouse and fed
her. Dat pore chile was starved most to death. Marster kept her at home
for 3 weeks and fed her up good, den he carried her back and told dem
folkses what had hired her dat dey had better treat Anna good and see
dat she had plenty t'eat. Marster was drivin' a fast hoss dat day, but
bless your heart, Anna beat him back home dat day. She cried and tuk on
so, beggin' him not to take her back dar no more dat he told her she
could stay home. My other sister stayed on whar she was hired out 'til
de war was over and dey give us our freedom.

"Daddy had done hid all Old Marster's hosses when de yankees got to our
plantation. Two of de ridin' hosses was in de smokehouse and another
good trotter was in de hen 'ouse. Old Jake was a slave what w