ick atter dey died. Dere warn't no undertakers
dem days. De homefolks jus' laid de corpse out on de coolin' board 'til
de coffin was made. Lordy Miss! Ain't you never seed one of dem coolin'
boards? A coolin' board was made out of a long straight plank raised a
little at de head, and had legs fixed to make it set straight. Dey wropt
'oman corpses in windin' sheets. Uncle Squire, de man what done all de
wagon wuk and buildin' on our place, made coffins. Dey was jus' plain
wood boxes what dey painted to make 'em look nice. White preachers
conducted de funerals, and most of de time our own Marster done it,
'cause he was a preacher hisself. When de funeral was done preached, dey
sung _Harps From De Tomb_, den dey put de coffin in a wagon and driv
slow and keerful to de graveyard. De preacher prayed at de grave and de
mourners sung, _I'se Born To Die and Lay Dis Body Down_. Dey never had
no outside box for de coffin to be sot in, but dey put planks on top of
de coffin 'fore dey started shovellin' in de dirt.

"Fourth Sundays was our meetin' days, and evvybody went to church. Us
went to our white folks' church and rid in a wagon 'hind deir car'iage.
Dere was two Baptist preachers--one of 'em was Mr. John Gibson and de
other was Mr. Patrick Butler. Marse Joe was a Methodist preacher
hisself, but dey all went to de same church together. De Niggers sot in
de gallery. When dey had done give de white folks de sacrament, dey
called de Niggers down from de gallery and give dem sacrament too.
Church days was sho' 'nough big meetin' days 'cause evvybody went. Dey
preached three times a day; at eleven in de mornin', at three in de
evenin', and den again at night. De biggest meetin' house crowds was
when dey had baptizin', and dat was right often. Dey dammed up de crick
on Sadday so as it would be deep enough on Sunday, and dey done de
baptizin' 'fore dey preached de three o'clock sermon. At dem baptizin's
dere was all sorts of shoutin', and dey would sing _Roll Jordan, Roll_,
_De Livin' Waters_, and _Lord I'se Comin' Home_.

"When de craps was laid by and most of de hardest wuk of de year done
up, den was camp-meetin' time, 'long in de last of July and sometimes in
August. Dat was when us had de biggest times of all. Dey had great big
long tables and jus' evvything good t'eat. Marster would kill five or
six hogs and have 'em carried dar to be barbecued, and he carried his
own cooks along. Atter de white folks et dey fed de Niggers, and