thin'. She brung back de onions and say,
'You, Sarah, I'll larn you not to tell no lie.' She sho' give me a
hidin'.

"Now, I tells you 'bout de plantation what I's born on. You all knows
where West Columbia is at? Well, dat's right where I's born, on Massa
Kit Patton's Plantation, dey calls it de Hogg place now." (Owned by
children of Gov. Will Hogg.)

"Mamma and papa belongs to Massa Kit and mama born there, too. Folks
called her 'Little Jane,' 'cause she's no bigger'n nothing.

"Papa's name was Mike and he's a tanner and he come from Tennessee and
sold to Massa Kit by a nigger trader. He wasn't all black, he was part
Indian. I heared him say what tribe, but I can't 'lect now. When I's
growed mama tells me lots of things. She say de white folks don't let de
slaves what works in de field marry none, dey jus' puts a man and
breedin' woman together like mules. Iffen the women don't like the man
it don't make no diff'rence, she better go or dey gives her a hidin'.

"Massa Kit has two brothers, Massa Charles and Massa Matt, what lives at
West Columbia. Massa Kit on one side Varney's Creek and Massa Charles on
de other side. Massa Kit have a African woman from Kentucky for he wife,
and dat's de truth. I ain't sayin' iffen she a real wife or not, but all
de slaves has to call her 'Miss Rachel.' But iffen a bird fly up in de
sky it mus' come down sometime, and Rachel jus' like dat bird, 'cause
Massa Kit go crazy and die and Massa Charles take over de plantation and
he takes Rachel and puts her to work in de field. But she don't stay in
de field long, 'cause Massa Charles puts her in a house by herself and
she don't work no more.

"If us gits sick us call Mammy Judy. She de cook and iffen you puts a
sugar barrel 'long side her and puts a face on dat barrel, you sho'
can't tell it from her, she so round and fat. Iffen us git real sick dey
calls de doctor, but iffen it a misery in de stomach or jus' de flux,
Mammy Judy fix up some burr vine tea or horsemint tea. Dey de male burr
vine and de female burr vine and does a woman or gal git de misery, dey
gives 'em de female tea, and does a man, or boy chile git it, dey gives
him de male vine tea.

"Scuse me while I pours me some coffee. It sho' do fortify me. You know
what us drink for coffee in slave times? Parched meal, and it purty good
iffen you know's how.

"Us don't have much singin' on our place, 'cepting at church on Sunday.
Law me, de folks what works in de fields fee