"Peoples wha' lib on Colonel Durant plantation ain' know nuthin but to
lib on de fat uv de land. Dey hab plenty cows den en dey gi'e us plenty
uv milk eve'y day. I 'member we chillun use'er take we tin cup en go up
to de big house en ge' us milk to drink en den some uv de cows 'ud be so
gentle lak dat we chillun is follow em right down side de path. Den when
dere ne'er wuz nobody lak de Colonel overseer 'bout to see us, we is
ketch de cow en ge' some more milk. I al'ays'ud lub to drink me milk dat
way. We is eat plenty green peas en 'tatoes en fish in dem days too en
dey is use 'tatoe pie right smart den."

"Aw de colored peoples on Colonel Durant plantation hab good bed wha' to
sleep on en good clothes to put on dey back. Coase we ne'er hab no
bought fu'niture in dem days, but we hab bedstead wha' dey make right
dere en benches en some uv de time dey is make wha' dey call 'way back
chair. Den we is make us own bed outer hay cause de white folks ne'er
spare de colored peoples no cotton den. Hadder cut de hay in de fall uv
de year en dry it jes lak dey dries it fa to feed de cattle on. Den dey
hadder take sack en sew em up togedder en put de hay in dese. Dey sleep
right smart in dem days. Don' mucha people sleep on straw bed dese day
en time en dey don' dress lak dey use'er neither. I 'member de long
dress dey is wear den. Hadder hold em up when dey walk so dey won' tetch
de floor 'bout em. Den some uv dem is wear wha' dey call leggens. Dey'ud
gather em 'round de knee en le' em show 'bout de ankle. Dey wuz pretty,
dat dey wuz. De white folks'ud make de plantation clothes outer calico
en jeanes cloth en dat time. De jeanes cloth be wha' dey make de boy
clothes outer. Dey is weave aw dey cloth right dere on de plantation en
den dey use'er dye de thread en weave aw sorta check outer de different
color thread. Wha' dey make de dye outer? Dey ge' bark outer de woods en
boil de color outer it en den dey boil de thread in dat. Dat how dey is
make dey dye. Ne'er see de peoples hab no hat lak dey hab now neither.
Aw de colored peoples wear wha' dey call shuck hat den cause dey been
make outer shuck. Dat aw de kinder hat we is hab."

"Peoples use'er ge' aw kinder useful t'ing outer de woods in dem days
'way back dere. Ne'er hadder buy no me'icine tall den. Ain' ne'er been
no better cough cure no whey den de one my ole mammy use'er make fa we
chillun. She larnt 'bout how it made when she stay 'round de Missus en
dat how come I kno