hide down.

"My old missy she name Florence Walker and she reg'lar tough. I helps
nuss her chile, Mary, and Mary make her mommer be good to me. Us wore
li'l brass toe shoes and I call mine gold toe shoes. Them shoes hard
'nough to knock a mule out. After young missy and me git growed us run
off to dances and old missy beat us behind good. She say us jes' chillen
yet and keep us in short, short dress and we pull out the stitchin' in
them hems so us dresses drags and she sho' wore us out for that.

"Did us love to dance? Jesus help me! Them country niggers swing me so
hard us land in the corner with a wham.

"My brudder Robert he a pow'ful big boy and he wasn't 'lowed to have no
pants till he 21 year old, but that didn't 'scourage him from courtin'
the gals. I try tease him 'bout go see the gals with dat split shirt.
That not all, that boy nuss he mommer breast till he 21 year old. He
have to have that nussin' real reg'lar. But one time he pesterin' mommer
and she tryin' milk the cow and the cow git nervous and kick over the
bucket and mommer fall off the stool and she so mad she wean him right
there and then.

"Old massa he never clean hisself up or dress up. He look like a vagrant
thing and he and missy mean, too. My pore daddy he back allus done cut
up from the whip and bit by the dogs. Sometime when a woman big they
make a hollow out place for her stomach and make her lay down 'cross
that hole and whip her behind. They sho' tear that thing up.

"Us chillen git to play and us sing

"'Old possum in the holler log
Sing high de loo,
Fatter than a old green frog,
Sing high de loo,
Whar possum?

"That church they have a 'markable thing. They a deep tranch what cut
all 'round the bottom and clay steps what lead all the way to the top
the mountain and when the niggers git to shoutin' that church jes'
a-rollin' and rockin'. One the songs I 'member was

"'Shoo the devil out the corner,
Shoo, members, shoo,
Shoo the devil out the corner,
Shoo, members, shoo.'

"Us li'l gals allus wore cottanade dresses ev'ry day. Them what us call
nine-stitch dresses. Mammy make fasten-back dresses and fasten-back
drawers and knit sweaters and socks for the mens. She git sheep wool
what near ruint by cockle burrs and make us chillen set by the hour and
pick out them burrs.

"Us houses like chicken coops but us sho' happy in that li'l cabin
house. Nothin' to worry 'bout. Mammy cook them grits, that yal