"'Fore long Marse Jones 'cides to move. He allus say he gwine git where
he can't hear he neighbor's cowhorn, and he do. Dere ain't nothin' but
woods and grass land, no houses, no roads, no bridges, no neighbors,
nothin' but woods and wild animals. But he builds a mighty fine house
with a stone chimney six foot square at de bottom. The sill was a foot
square and de house am made of logs, but dey splits out two inch plank
and puts it outside de logs, from de ground clean up to de eaves. Dere
wasn't no nails, but dey whittles out pegs. Dere was a well out de back
and a well on de back porch by de kitchen door. It had a wheel and a
rope. Dere was 'nother well by de barns and one or two round de
quarters, but dey am fixed with a long pole sweep. In de kitchen was de
big fireplace and de big back logs am haul to de house. De oxen pull dem
dat far and some men takes poles and rolls dem in de fireplace. Marse
Jones never 'low dat fire go out from October till May, and in de fall
Marse or one he sons lights de fire with a flint rock and some powder.

"De stores was a long way off and de white folks loans seed and things
to each other. If we has de toothache, de blacksmith pulls it. My
husband manages de ox teams. I cooks and works in Old Miss's garden and
de orchard. It am big and fine and in fruit time all de women works from
light to dark dryin' and 'servin' and de like.

"Old Marse gwine feed you and see you quarters am dry and warm or know
de reason why. Most ev'ry night he goes round de quarters to see if dere
any sickness or trouble. Everybody work hard but have plenty to eat.
Sometimes de preacher tell us how to git to hebben and see de ring
lights dere.

"De smokehouse am full of bacon sides and cure hams and barrels lard and
'lasses. When a nigger want to eat, he jes' ask and git he passel. Old
Miss allus 'pend on me to spice de ham when it cure. I larnt dat back in
de old country, in France.

"Dere was spinnin' and weavin' cabins, long with a chimney in each end.
Us women spins all de thread and weaves cloth for everybody, de white
folks, too. I's de cook, but times I hit de spinnin' loom and wheel
fairly good. Us bleach de cloth and dyes it with barks.

"Dere allus de big woodpile in de yard, and de big, caboose kettle for
renderin' hawg fat and beef tallow candles and makin' soap. Marse allus
have de niggers take some apples and make cider, and he make beer, too.
Most all us had cider and beer when we want it, b