farmin' till he die, nine year since. 'Bout 20 year
since us come here from Georgia and works de truck farm. I has two
chillen but dey dead. De way I feels now, 'twon't be long 'fore I goes,
too. My friends is good to me and lets me stay with dem.

420107

[Illustration: Mandy Hadnot]

MANDY HADNOT, small and forlorn looking, as she lies in a huge,
old-fashioned wooden bed, appears very black in contrast to the
clean white sheets and a thick mop of snowy wool on her head. She
does not know her age, but from her appearance and the details she
remembers of her years as slave in the Slade home, near Cold
Springs, Texas, she must be very old. She lives in Woodville,
Texas, with her husband, Josh, to whom she has been married 13
years.

"I's too small to 'member my father, 'cause he die when I jus' a baby.
Dey was my mudder and me and de ole mistus and marster on de plantation.
It were mo' jus' a farm, but dey raise us all we need to eat and feed de
cows and hosses.

"De earlies' 'membrance I hab is when de ole marster drive into de town
for supplies every two weeks. Us place was right near Col' Springs. He
was a good man. He treat dis lil' darky jus' like he own chile, 'cause
he never hab any chillen of his own. I know 'bout de time he comin' home
when he go to town and I wait down by de big gate. Purty soon I see de
big ox comin' and see de smoke from de road dust flyin'. Den I know he
almos' home and I holler and wave my han' and he holler and wave he han'
right back. He allus brung me somethin', jus' like I he own little gal.
Sometime he brung me a whistle or some candy or doll or somethin'.

"One Easter he brung me de purties' lil' hat I ever did see. My ole
mistus took me to Sunday school with her and I spruce up in dat hat.

"Every Christmas 'fore ole marster die he fix me up a tree out de woods.
Dey put popco'n on it to trim it and dey give me sometime a purty dress
or shoes and plenty candy and maybe a big, red apple. Dey hab a big san'
pile for me to play in, but I never play with any other chillen. My
mammy, Emily Budle, she cook and clean up mistus log house cabin. After
de ole marster die dey both work in de fiel' and raise plenty vegetables
to can and eat. My task was to shell peas and watch and stir de big
cookin' pots on de fireplace.

"My mistus hav lots of company. When she come in and say, 'Mandy, shine
up de knife and fork and put de polish on