min' wid dey blue coats on an' all dem brass
buttons jes' a-shinin'. I holler, 'Mamma--look a-yo-o-onder!' One man
had a flag wid red on it--dat's for blood. One man come in a hurry and
say, 'All come to de house.'

"Den he look at me a-settin' on de fence, and he say, 'Hey, boy, you
mighty fat'. He talk and he talk and by dat time de yard was full o'
Yankees. 'Lemme ask you sumpin', he say, 'Where's de horses?' Wid dat,
he shot off a pistol--BAM!

"My boss had done took 'em off. I say, 'I don' know nuttin' 'bout 'em.'

"All dey got from our house was a big sack o' flour. Dey didn't burn
nuttin' o' ours. Dey say, 'You all feelin' so good, havin' a good
time--we won't take nuttin.'

"De calvary was here 'fore de Yankees was. Dey had on blue coats, too.
Dey make de boss haul corn all day a-Sunday to fed dey horses.

"Dey try to git de niggers to go back North wid 'em, and dey had a big
crowd o' colored goin', but I wouldn't go. A fust cousin to my Dad left
'cause dey beat him so. I think he done well in de North. But I didn't
want to go.

"After freedom was, some de marsters wouldn't tell you. But our marster
tole us. He said, 'You free as I is. If you want to stay wid me, all
right. If not, you know where to go.'

"Mistis warn't like de boss," (mimicking a precise, slightly acid
voice), "She say, 'I don't want to hear of no fightin' now. You'll git
your arms cut off if you fight.'

"But de boss keep her cooled down. He say, 'Arms cut off--huh! You git
yo's broke off if you don't hush.'

"After freedom, we didn't work for no regular wages--jes' knock about
like chillen 'round de house. I don't know how old I was den, but I
warn't no chicken. After while I worked on de railroad, de fust one
here, what used wood burners. I helped build it. Dey's great tall pines
growin' now where dat fill was made.

"White folks nuse to travel in wagons way back in time. When dey tuk de
cotton to New York dey went to Athens in de wagons wid oxen or mules,
and den to New York on de train. De ladies rid 'round town in
carriages--Rockaways--dem low one-hoss things. De driver sat on top. He
wore a big beaver hat and good clothes and heavy gloves.

"White folks had lots o' dances and eve'ything went well. People was
mighty nice in dis country.

"One my young bosses was a doctor. Dey didn't give dem little pills you
have now, what don't do no good. Dey made tea out o' devil's shoestring,
and yerbs out de woods, and blue mass pills.