kill one
'nother. Dey put de Niggers in dem jails 'til dey hung 'em.

"Grandma was sold on de block to Marse Sam's Pa, Marse Kelsey Downs,
soon atter she was brung over to dis country from de homeland of de
black folks. She never did larn to talk dis language right plain. Us
used to git her to tell us 'bout when she was sold. De sale was in
December but it was so far off dat corn was in tassel 'fore my pore
grandmammy got to Greene County. She said dey camped at night and got up
long 'fore day and was driv lak cows, a man in front and 'nother one
back of 'em to keep 'em from branchin' out and runnin'.

"Niggers never had no chance to larn to read and write dem days. Dey
went to meetin' at Shiloh--dat was de white folks church nigh
Penfield--and Bethesda was 'nother of de white folks churches whar
slaves was brought to listen to de preachin'. One thing sho', Niggers
couldn't read de Bible, but dey jus' lumbered down 'bout de Lord from
deir heads.

"Slaves didn't run off to no North dat I ever knowed 'bout. I heared
tell 'bout one man named Si what run 'way wid dem yankees when dey come
through and dey made a black yankee soldier out of him atter he jined up
wid 'em. I heared tell of patterollers what cotched Niggers 'way from
home 'thout no pass. Folks said dey brushed you off and sont you home if
dey cotched you.

"All I knowed Niggers to do at night atter dey come in from de fields,
was to eat supper and fling deirselfs on de beds and go right off to
sleep, 'cept when dey wanted to hunt and fish, and most of dat sort of
thing was done atter de crops was laid by or atter dey had done been
gathered into de barns. On Saddy nights, de older womans ironed and
fixed up for Sunday whilst de men was busy gittin' de harness and tools
and things ready for de next week's wuk. Young folks never had nothin'
but good times on deir minds. Dey danced, frolicked, and cut de buck in
gen'ral. Dey didn't have no sho' 'nough music, but dey sho' could sing
it down. One of de dance songs went somepin' lak dis:

'Oh! Miss Liza, Miss Liza Jane!
Axed Miss Liza to marry me
Guess what she said?
She wouldn't marry me,
If de last Nigger was dead.'

"Christmas was sho' one grand time. Der warn't no big heap of good
things lak dey has now. Old Mist'ess give de Niggers a little flour and
syrup for to make sweet cake. Dere was plenty of fresh hog meat and
chickens and all sorts of dried fruits. I was allus plum crazy 'bout de
rag d