rid
horseback and carried his medicine in saddlebags. He used to put some
kind of powders in a glass of water and give it to de sick ones. Dere
was three old 'omans what Old Mist'ess kept to look atter sick slave
'omans. Dem old granny nurses knowed a heap about yarbs (herbs). May
apple and blacksnake roots, king of de meadow, (meadow rue) wild asthma
(aster) and red shank, dese was biled and deir tea give to de slaves for
diffunt ailments." Asked to describe king of the meadow, she continued:
"Honey, ain't you never seed none? Well, it's such a hard tough weed dat
you have to use a axe to chop it up, and its so strong and pow'ful dat
nothin' else kin grow nigh 'round it. Back in dem days folks wore tare
(tar) sacks 'round deir necks and rubbed turpentine under deir noses.
When deir ailments got too hot, lak when Mammy died, dey made 'em
swallow two or three draps of turpentine.

"I ricollects dat when de news come dat dem yankees was on de way
towards our plantation, Old Mist'ess tuk her old pacin' mule and all her
money and made Uncle Moses go down on de river wid her to help hide 'em.
I told her I was gwine tell dem yankees she had done stole my uncle and
hid him so he wouldn't hear 'bout freedom. And when dem yankees finally
did git dar, dey was singin' some sort of a song 'bout freedom. I lit
out to runnin', and it was way atter midnight 'fore Old Mist'ess found
me. I was pretty nigh skeered to death. Dey called all de slaves
together and told 'em dey was free as jack rabbits, and 'deed dat was de
truth. Us stayed dar for years. It looked lak us warn't never gwine to
leave.

"Grandma started out to wuk for herself as a granny 'oman, and Old
Mist'ess give her a mule to ride on to make her trips from one farm to
another. It was a long time 'fore Niggers could git 'nough money
together for to buy land of deir own, and it seems lak it was a long
time 'fore schools for Niggers was sot up.

"When me and Oscar Harris got married, us had a big weddin' wid
evvything good to eat what us could git, and plenty of wine to drink. De
dancin' and good time went on most all night. I had a reg'lar weddin'
dress made out of pretty white swiss trimmed wid lots of lace and it had
a long train. I wore long white gloves. Tucks went 'round my petticoat
from de knees to de lace what aidged de bottom, and my draw's was white
cambric, gathered at de knee wid a wide ruffle what was tucked and
trimmed up pretty. I married on Saddy night and