aster's house. This was so that you couldn't git out 'less somebody
seen you.

My job was picking up chips and keeping the calves and cows separate
so that the calves wouldn't suck the cows dry. Mostly, we had Saturday
afternoons off to wash. I was show boy doing [HW: during] the war, me
and my sister, 'cause we was twins. My mother couldn't be bought
'cause she done had 9 boys for one farm and neither my father, 'cause
he was the father of 'em. I was religious and didn't play much, but I
sho' did like to listen to preachings. I did used to play marbles
sometimes.

We jest wore shirts and nothing else both winter and summer. They was
a little heavier in winter and that's all. No shoes ever. I had none
till after I was set free. I guess I was almost 12 years old then.

The overseer on our place was a large tall, black man. We had plenty
poor white neighbors. They was one of our biggest troubles. They'd
allus look in our window and door all the time.

I saw slaves sold. I can see that old block now. My cousin Eliza was a
pretty girl, really good looking. Her master was her father. When the
girls in the big house had beaux coming to see 'em, they'd ask, "Who
is that pretty gal?" So they decided to git rid of her right away. The
day they sold her will allus be remembered. They stripped her to be
bid off and looked at. I wasn't allowed to stand in the crowd. I was
laying down under a fig brush. The man that bought Eliza was from New
York. The Negroes had made up nuff money to buy her off theyself, but
they wouldn't let that happen. There was a man bidding for her who was
a Swedeland. He allus bid for the good looking cullud gals and bought
'em for his own use. He ask the man from New York, "Whut you gonna do
with her when you git 'er?" The man from New York said, "None of your
damn business, but you ain't got money nuff to buy 'er." When the man
from New York had done bought her, he said, "Eliza, you are free from
now on." She left and went to New York with him. Mama and Eliza both
cried when she was being showed off, and master told 'em to shet up
before he knocked they brains out.

Iffen you didn't do nothing wrong, they whipped you now and then
anyhow. I called a boy Johnny once and he took me 'hind the garden and
poured it on me and made me call him master. It was from then on I
started to fear the white man. I come to think of him as a bear.
Sometimes fellows would be a little late making it in and they got
whippe