happy
and forgits dey am slaves.

"De last Christmas 'fore surrender I gits too much and am sick. Gosh
a-mighty! Dat de sickest I ever be and dat de last time I gits drunk.
Yes, suh, dat spoil dis nigger's taste for whiskey.

"Now, 'bout whuppin's, dere am only one whuppin' what am give. Jerry
gits dat, 'cause he wont do what massa say. He tie Jerry on de log and
have de rawhide whip.

"Dere am system on dat plantation. Everybody do he own work, sich as
field hands, stock hands, de blacksmith and de shoemaker and de weavers
and clothes makers. I'm all 'round worker and goes after de mail, jus'
runnin' 'round de place.

"When de war start, all massa's sons jines de army. He have three. John
am de captain and James carry de flag and I guesses August am jus' de
plain sojer. Dey all comes home 'fore de war am finish. August git run
over by de wheel of de cannon truck and it cripple he legs so he can't
walk good. James gits sick with some kind fever misery and he am sent
home. Den John am shot in de shoulder and it stay sore and won't heal.
One day Jerry say to massa he want to look at dat sore. Him see
somethin' stickin' out and he pull it. It a piece of young massa's coat
and de bullet have carry it into de flesh and it am dere a whole year.
De sore gits all right after dat out.

"'Fore de boys goes to fightin' dey trains near de place where am de big
field for to train hunerds of sojer boys. I likes dat, 'cause de drums
goes, 'ter-ump, ter-ump, ter-ump, tump, tump,' and de fifes goes, 'te,
te, ta, te, tat' and plays Dixie. One day Young massa trainin' dem
sojers and he am walkin' backwards and facin' dem sojers, and jus' as
him say, 'Halt,' down he go, flat on he back. Right away quick, him say,
''Bout face,' 'cause him don't want dem sojers to laugh in he face, so
he turn dem 'round.

"When surrender come, all dem what not kilt comes home and dey have a
big 'ception in Maxie. Dey have lots of long tables and de food am put
on 'fore de train come in. Dere was two coaches full of de boys and dey
doesn't wait for dat train to stop. No, suh, dey crawls out de windows.
Well, dere am huggin' and kissin' of de homefolks, and dey all laughin'
and cryin' at de same time, 'cause of de joy dey's feelin'. Den dey all
sets down to de feast. Massa make de welcome talk. I done hide in de
wagon full of hams and cakes and pies and dere a canvas over dat stuff,
and dat how I gits to dat welcome home.

"I crawls out 'fore dey unlo