e, there was a big
room built out of lumber. On the other side, there was a big room that a
doctor lived in. There was a great big kitchen west of the piazza. The
kitchen was about fifteen by fifteen. I know it was that large because
we'd all eat at the same time. The old man, Tim, owned about thirty
niggers. After he died they were all divided out among the boys. Every
boy took his part of the land and his part of the niggers. But I wasn't
at his house then. I was livin' with ole Jackie George. The white folks
hadn't moved together then.

"But I went to ole Tim Haney's funeral. The old white woman fainted and
they rubbed her with camphor and stuff and had her layin' out there. I
wasn't old enough to cry over him and wouldn't anyhow because I didn't
care nothin' much about him. But I would have cried for my ole master
though, because I really loved him."

Soldiers

"I saw the soldiers when they come through our place. The first start of
us noticin' them was this. I was always up to the white folks' house.
Thad was goin' back to the Rebel army. Ole master tole my dad to go git
'im a hat. He'd got 'im one and was ridin' back with Thad's hat on on
top of his'n. Before he could git back, here come a man jus' a ridin'.

"Thad was eatin'. He look out, and then he throwed his head back and
said, 'Them's the Federals.'

"Thad finished his breakfast and then he ran on out and got with the
Federals. He didn't join 'em. He jus' fooled 'em. The bridge was half a
mile from our house and the Yankee army hadn't near finished crossing it
when the head of it reached us.

"While they were at the house, pa came ridin' up with the two hats on
his head. They took the hats and throwed pa's on the ground and tried
Thad's on. They took the mare but they give it back.

"Them folks stood 'round there all day. Killed hogs and cooked them.
Killed cows and cooked them. Took all kinds of sugar and preserves and
things like that. Tore all the feathers out of the mattress looking for
money. Then they put ole miss (Nealie Haney) and her daughter (Louisa
Haney) in the kitchen to cookin'.

"Ma got scairt and went to bed. Dreckly the lieutenant come on down
there and said, 'Auntie, get up from there. We ain't a goin' to do you
no hurt. We're after helpin' you. We are freein' you. Aunt Dinah, you
can do as you please now. You're free.'

"She was free!

"They stayed 'round there all night cooking and eatin' and carryin' on.
They sent some of