everyone. De white preacher talk 'bout Christ. Us
have singin' and 'joyment all day. Den at night, de big fire builded and
all us sot 'round it. Dere am 'bout hundred hawg bladders save from hawg
killin'. So, on Christmas night, de chillen takes dem and puts dem on de
stick. Fust dey is all blowed full of air and tied tight and dry. Den
de chillen holds de bladder in de fire and purty soon, 'B A N G,'
dey goes. Dat am de fireworks.

"Dat all changed after massa go to war. Fust de 'federate sojers come
and takes some mules and hosses, den some more come for de corn. After
while, de Yankee sojers comes and takes some more. When dey gits
through, dey ain't much more tookin' to be done. De year 'fore
surrender, us am short of rations and sometime us hongry. Us sees no
battlin' but de cannon bang all day. Once, dey bang two whole days
'thout hardly stoppin'. Dat am when missy go tech in de head, 'cause
massa and de boys in dat battle. She jus' walk 'round de yard and twist
de hands and say, 'Dey sho' git kilt. Dey sho' dead.' Den when extra
loud noise come from de cannon, she scream. Den word come Willie am
kilt. She gits over it, but she am de diff'rent woman. For her, it am
trouble, trouble and more trouble.

"She can't sell de cotton. Dey done took all de rations and us couldn't
eat de cotton. One day she tell us, 'De war am on us. De sojers done
took de rations. I can't sell de cotton, 'cause of de blockade.' I don't
know what am dat blockade, but she say it. 'Now,' she say, 'All you
cullud folks born and raise here and us allus been good to you. I can't
holp it 'cause rations am short and I'll do all I can for you. Will yous
be patient with me?' All us stay dere and holp missy all us could.

"Den massa come home and say, 'Yous gwine be free. Far as I cares, you
is free now, and can stay here and tough it through or go where you
wants. I thanks yous for all de way yous done while I's gone, and I'll
holp you all I can.' Us all stay and it sho' am tough times. Us have
most nothin' to eat and den de Ku Klux come 'round dere. Massa say not
mix with dat crowd what lose de head, jus' stay to home and work. Some
dem niggers on other plantations ain't keep de head and dey gits whupped
and some gits kilt, but us does what massa say and has no trouble with
dem Klux.

"It 'bout two year after freedom mammy gits marry and us goes and works
on shares. I stays with dem till 1875 and den marries Navasota Robert
Grice and us live by