gravy was good
and brown. You was lucky if you got to eat 'possum and gnaw de bones
atter my Ma done cooked it.

"Dey cotch rabbits wid dogs. Now and den, a crowd of Niggers would jump
a rabbit when no dogs was 'round. Dey would tho' rocks at him and run
him in a hollow log. Den dey would twiss him out wid hickory wisps
(withes). Sometimes dere warn't no fur left on de rabbit time dey got
him twisted out, but dat was all right. Dey jus' slapped him over daid
and tuk him on to de cabin to be cooked. Rabbits was most gen'ally
fried.

"Grown boys didn't want us chillun goin' 'long 'possum huntin' wid 'em,
so all right, dey tuk us way off crost de fields 'til dey found a good
thick clump of bushes, and den dey would holler out dat dere was some
moughty fine snipes 'round dar. Dey made us hold de poke (bag) open so
de snipes could run in. Den dey blowed out deir light'ood knot torches,
and left us chillun holdin' de poke whilst dey went on huntin' 'possums.

"Atter dinner Saddays all of us tuk our hooks, poles, and lines down to
Dry Fork Crick, when it was de right time of de year to fish. Sometimes
dey stewed fish for old folkses to eat, but young folkses loved 'em
fried best.

"Winter time dey give chillun new cotton and wool mixed shirts what come
down most to de ankles. By de time hot weather come de shirt was done
wore thin and swunk up and 'sides dat, us had growed enough for 'em to
be short on us, so us jus' wore dem same shirts right on thoo' de
summer. On our place you went bar foots 'til you was a great big
yearlin' 'fore you got no shoes. What you wore on yo' haid was a cap
made out of scraps of cloth dey wove in de looms right dar on our
plantation to make pants for de grown folks.

"Mr. David Bell, our Marster, was born clubfooted. His hands and foots
was drawed up evvy which a way long as he lived. He was jus' lak a old
tom cat, he was such a cusser. All he done was jus' set dar and cuss,
and a heap of times you couldn't see nothin' for him to cuss 'bout. He
tuk his crook-handled walkin' stick and cotch you and drug you up to him
and den jus' helt you tight and cussed you to yo' face, but he didn't
never whup nobody. Our Mist'ess, Miss Betsey, was allus moughty kind at
times lak dat, and she used to give us chillun a heap of ginger cakes.
Deir seben chilluns was Dr. Bynam, Marse David and little Misses
Ad'line, Elizabeth, Mary and Mildred. Dey lived in a big old two-story
house, but I done forgot how it