Master John Deeson say he had about a
hundred.

At old Doctor's house I didn't have to work very hard. Jest had to
help the cooks and peel the potatoes and pick the guineas and chickens
and do things like that. Sometime I had to watch the baby. He was a
little boy, and they would bring him into the kitchen for me to watch.
I had to git up way before daylight and make the fire in the kitchen
fireplace and bring in some fresh water, and go get the milk what been
down in the spring all night, and do things like that until breakfast
ready. Old Master and old Mistress come in the big hall to eat in the
summer, and I stand behind them and shoo off the flies.

Old doctor didn't have no spinning and weaving niggers 'cause he say
they don't do enough work and he buy all the cloth he use for
everybody's clothes. He can do that 'cause he had lots of money. He
was big rich, and he keep a whole lot of hard money in the house all
the time, but none of the slaves know it but me. Sometimes I would
have the baby in the Mistress' room and she would go git three or four
big wood boxes full of hard money for us to play with. I would make
fences out of the money all across the floor, to keep the baby
satisfied, and when he go to sleep I would put the money back in the
boxes. I never did know how much they is, but a whole lot.

Even after the War start old Doctor have that money, and he would
exchange money for people. Sometimes he would go out and be gone a
long time, and come back with a lot more money he got from somewhar.

Right at the first they made him a high officer in the War and he done
doctoring somewhar at a hospital most of the time. But he could go on
both sides of the War, and sometime he would come in at night and
bring old Mistress pretty little things, and I heard him tell her he
got them in the North.

One day I was fanning him and I asked him is he been to the North and
he kick out at me and tell to shut up my black mouth, and it nearly
scared me to death the way he look at me! Nearly every time he been
gone and come in and tell Mistress he been in the North he have a lot
more hard money to put away in them boxes, too!

One evening long come a man and eat supper at the house and stay all
night. He was a nice mannered man, and I like to wait on him. The next
morning I hear him ask old Doctor what is my name, and old Doctor
start in to try to sell me to that man. The man say he can't buy me
'cause old Doctor say he w