niggers. I can hear dem
spinnin' wheels now turnin' roun' an' sayin' hum-m-m-m, hum-m-m-m, an'
hear de slaves singin' while dey spin. Mammy Rachel stayed in de dyein'
room. Dey wuzn' nothin' she didn' know' bout dyein'. She knew every kind
of root, bark, leaf an' berry dat made red, blue, green, or whatever
color she wanted. Dey had a big shelter whare de dye pots set over de
coals. Mammy Rachel would fill de pots wid water, den she put in de
roots, bark an' stuff an' boil de juice out, den she strain it an'put in
de salt an' vinegar to set de color. After de wool an' cotton done been
carded an' spun to thread, Mammy take de hanks an' drap dem in de pot of
bollin' dye. She stir dem' roun' an' lif' dem up an' down wid a stick,
an' when she hang dem up on de line in de sun, dey was every color of de
rainbow. When dey dripped dry dey was sent to de weavin' room whare dey
was wove in blankets an' things.

When I growed up I married Exter Durham. He belonged to Marse Snipes
Durham who had de plantation 'cross de county line in Orange County. We
had a big weddin'. We was married on de front po'ch of de big house.
Marse George killed a shoat an' Mis' Betsy had Georgianna, de cook, to
bake a big weddin' cake all iced up white as snow wid a bride an' groom
standin' in de middle holdin' han's. De table was set out in de yard
under de trees, an' you ain't never seed de like of eats. All de niggers
come to de feas' an' Marse George had a dram for everybody. Dat was
some weddin'. I had on a white dress, white shoes an' long white gloves
dat come to my elbow, an' Mis' Betsy done made me a weddin' veil out of
a white net window curtain. When she played de weddin ma'ch on de piano,
me an' Exter ma'ched down de walk an' up on de po'ch to de altar Mis'
Betsy done fixed. Dat de pretties' altar I ever seed. Back 'gainst de
rose vine dat was full or red roses, Mis' Betsy done put tables filled
wid flowers an' white candles. She done spread down a bed sheet, a sho
nuff linen sheet, for us to stan' on, an' dey was a white pillow to
kneel down on. Exter done made me a weddin' ring. He made it out of a
big red button wid his pocket knife. He done cut it so roun' an'
polished it so smooth dat it looked like a red satin ribbon tide 'roun'
my finger. Dat sho was a pretty ring. I wore it 'bout fifty years, den
it got so thin dat I lost it one day in de wash tub when I was washin'
clothes.

Uncle Edmond Kirby married us. He was de nigger preacher d