en door could be seen Henry
Jones, Liza's husband for sixty years, a tall, gaunt Negro who is
helpless. Blind, deaf and almost speechless, he could tell nothing
of slavery days, although he was grown when the war ended.

"When de Yankees come to see iffen dey had done turn us a-loose, I am a
nine year old nigger gal. That make me about 81 now. Dey promenade up to
de gate and de drum say a-dr-um-m-m-m-m, and de man in de blue uniform
he git down to open de gate. Old massa he see dem comin' and he runned
in de house and grab up de gun. When he come hustlin' down off de
gallery, my daddy come runnin'. He seed old massa too mad to know what
he a-doin', so quicker dan a chicken could fly he grab dat gun and
wrastle it outten old massa's hands. Den he push old massa in de
smokehouse and lock de door. He ain't do dat to be mean, but he want to
keep old massa outten trouble. Old massa know dat, but he beat on de
door and yell, but it ain't git open till dem Yankees done gone.

"I wisht old massa been a-livin' now, I'd git a piece of bread and meat
when I want it. Old man Charley Bryant, he de massa, and Felide Bryant
de missus. Dey both have a good age when freedom come.

"My daddy he George Price and he boss nigger on de place. Dey all come
from Louisiana, somewhere round New Orleans and all dem li'l extra
places.

"Liz'beth she my mama and dey's jus' two us chillen, me and my brudder,
John. He lives in Beaumont.

"'Bout all de work I did was 'tend to de rooms and sweep. Nobody ever
'low us to see nobody 'bused. I never seed or heared of nobody gittin'
cut to pieces with a whip like some. Course, chillen wasn't 'lowed to go
everywhere and see everything like dey does now. Dey jump in every
corner now.

"Miss Flora and Miss Molly am de only ones of my white folks what am
alive now and dey done say dey take me to San Antonio with dem. Course,
I couldn't go now and leave Henry, noway. De old Bryant place am in de
lawsuit. Dey say de brudder, Mister Benny, he done sharped it 'way from
de others befo' he die, but I 'lieve the gals will win dat lawsuit.

"My daddy am de gold pilot on de old place. Dat mean anything he done
was right and proper. Way after freedom, when my daddy die in Beaumont,
Cade Bryant and Mister Benny both want to see him befo' he buried. Dey
ride in and say, 'Better not you bury him befo' us see him. Dat's us
young George.' Dey allus call daddy dat, but he old den.

"My mama was de spr