oy to doin' de drivin' in his place.

"Washin'ton Church was de name of de meetin' house whar us Niggers on de
Poore plantation went to church wid our white folks. Couldn't none of us
read no Bible and dere warn't none of de Niggers on our plantation ever
converted and so us never had no baptizin's. De preacher preached to de
white folks fust and den when he preached to de Niggers all he ever said
was: 'It's a sin to steal; don't steal Marster's and Mist'ess' chickens
and hogs;' and sech lak. How could anybody be converted on dat kind of
preachin'? And 'sides it never helped none to listen to dat sort of
preachin' 'cause de stealin' kept goin' right on evvy night. I never did
see no fun'rals in dem days.

"Niggers didn't run to no North. Dey run to de South, 'cause dem white
folks up North was so mean to 'em. One Nigger, named Willis Earle, run
off to de woods and made hisself a den in a cave. He lived hid out in
dat cave 'bout 15 years.

"Old Miss give dem dat wanted one a cotton patch and she didn't make her
slaves wuk in her fields atter de dinner bell rung on Saddays. De mens
wukked in dem patches of deir own an Sadday evenin' whilst de 'omans
washed de clothes and cleaned up de cabins for de next week. Sadday
nights dey all got together and frolicked; picked de banjo, and drunk
whiskey. Didn't none of 'em git drunk, 'cause dey was used to it. Dar
was barrels of it whar dey stilled it on de place. On Sundays us went
f'um cabin to cabin holdin' prayer meetin's. Miss Annie 'pointed
diff'unt ones to look atter da stock evvy Sunday.

"Big times was had by all at Chris'mas time. De eats warn't no diff'unt
'cept dey give us sweet bread and plenty of lallyhoe (molasses) what was
made on de plantation. Us had two weeks vacation from field wuk and dey
let us go rabbit and 'possum huntin'. Us had a gran' time clear up to
New Year's Day.

"Oh, us did have one more big time at dem cornshuckin's. De corn was
hauled to de crib and de folks was 'vited in de atternoon 'fore de
cornshukin' started dat night. When de mans got to shuckin' dat corn, de
'omans started cookin' and dey got thoo' 'bout de same time. Den us et,
and dat was de best part of de cornshuckin' fun. Cotton pickin's was
held on moonshiny nights. Dey picked cotton 'til midnight, and den dey
had a little shakin' of de footses 'til day.

"Mens had good times at de quiltin's too. Deir white folkses allus give
'em a little somepin' extra t'eat at dem special times