s come to our house and set down
and talked to us 'bout how us ought to act, and how us was goin' to have
to do, if us 'spected to live and do well. Us allus thought it was our
own old Marster, all dressed up in dem white robes wid his face kivvered
up, and a-talkin' in a strange, put-on lak, voice. None of Marster's
Niggers never left him for 'bout two or three years. Dere warn't no way
for Niggers to buy no land 'til atter dey could make and save up some
money. Marster jus' paid up his Niggers once a year, at de end of crap
time. It warn't long atter de War was over 'fore dere was some few
schools for Niggers scattered 'round 'bout.

"When did I git married? Lordy, Miss! Such things de giverment do want
to know 'bout pore old Niggers! It warn't 'til ten years atter us was
freed, dat me and Martha Freeman got married up together. Dat was one
sho' 'nough fine weddin' what Miss Sallie Morton and our other white
friends give us. Dey give us evvything us had at dat big old feast. Dere
was three tables full, one for de white folks, and two for de Niggers,
and dem tables was jus' loaded down wid good things. Willie and Ida was
de onliest chillun me and Martha had, and dey never lived to git grown.
Martha died out and den I married up wid Mamie White. Us didn't have no
chillun and Mamie's daid now. Dey's all daid 'cept me.

"I thinks it was a good thing Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Davis did set us free,
and I sho hopes de giverment won't never fetch slavery back no more.

"I never will forgit de day I jined up wid Morton's Baptist Church. I
had done helped my Pa build it from a brush arbor to a sho' 'nough
church house. De reason I jined up was 'cause de Marster had done
changed me from nature to Grace. I thinks evvybody ought to jine up in
de church 'cause it's de Lord's will.

"Miss, I done told you all I knows and I'se a sick man, so go 'long wid
you and let me take my rest."

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Slave Narratives: A Folk History of
Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves: Volume IV, Georgia Narratives, Part 1, by Work Projects Administration

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SLAVE NARRATIVES: GEORGIA ***

***** This file should be named 13602.txt or 13602.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.net/1/3/6/0/13602/

Produced by Jeannie Howse, Andrea Ball and PG Distributed
Proofreaders. Produced from imag