verytime, my
mistress is de picture dat come into dis old gray head of mine. You say
you don't want po'try, you wants facts?

"Well, here de facts: My mammy name Clara. Don't forgit dat. I come back
to her directly. My young mistress was Miss Maggie. Her marry Marse
Robert Clowney; they call him 'Red-head Bob.' Him have jet red hair. Him
was 'lected and went to de Legislature once. No go back; he say dere too
much ding dong do-nuttin' foolishness down dere for him to leave home
and stay 'way from de wife and chillun half de winter months.

"Marse Sam never have so pow'ful many slaves. Seem lak dere was more
women and chillun than men. In them days, pa tell me, a white man raise
niggers just lak a man raise horses or cows. Have a whole lot of mares
and 'pendin' on other man to have de stallion. Fust thing you know dere
would be a whole lot of colts kickin' up deir heels on de place. Lakwise
a white man start out wid a few women folk slaves, soon him have a
plantation full of little niggers runnin' 'round in deir shirt-tails and
a kickin' up deir heels, whilst deir mammies was in de field a hoeing
and geeing at de plow handles, workin' lak a man. You ketch de point?
Well I's one of them little niggers. My pa name Vander. Him b'long to
one of de big bugs, old Marse Gregg Cameron. Marse Gregg, him 'low,
always have more money and niggers than you could shake a stick at, more
land than you could walk over in a day, and more cuss words than you
could find in de dictionary. His bark was worser than his bite, tho'. Pa
was de tan-yard man; he make leather and make de shoes for de
plantation. After freedom date, de way he make a livin' for mammy and us
chillun was by makin' boots and shoes and half solin' them for white
folks at Blackstock, S. C. Marse Sam Brice mighty glad for mammy to
contact sich a man to be de pappy of her chillun.

"Us live in a log house wid a little porch in front and de mornin' glory
vines use to climb 'bout it. When they bloom, de bees would come a
hummin' 'round and suck de honey out de blue bells on de vines. I
'members dat well 'nough, dat was a pleasant memory. Is I told you my
mammy name Clara? My brothers and sisters, who they? George dead, Calvin
dead, Hattie (name for pa's young mistress) dead, Samson, who got his
ear scald off in a pot of hot water, is dead, too. I's existing still. I
did mighty little work in slavery times. 'Members not much 'bout de
Yankees.

"Freedom come, pa come straigh