s
good. Marse Duncan Allen give my Ma to his gal, Mist'ess Laura, for her
maid. My Pa, he was Charlie Allen; he b'longed to Marse Duncan Allen
too. When Mist'ess Laura done went and married Marse Blackwell of
E'berton, Georgie, Marse Duncan give 'em my Pa for a weddin' present and
dey fetched my Ma and Pa wid 'em to live in E'berton, Georgie. Atter dey
got moved and settled, my Ma and Pa dey got married. Ma, her wukked in
de big house and done most of de cookin'. Pa driv' de carriage for de
white folks. Marster and Mist'ess was powerful good to deir slaves.
Marster, he run a big store at E'berton, and 'sides dat he had a big
plantation and a heap of Niggers too.

"On de plantation dey had big gyardens whar dey raised heaps of
cabbages, potatoes, colla'd greens, turnip sallet, onions, peas,
rutabagas, and pun'kins and sech lak. Dey raised plenty of chickens,
tukkeys, hogs, cows and sheep, and dey wove good wool cloth on de
plantation looms out of de wool f'um dem dar sheep.

"Slave quarters was just one room log cabins what was built so de
corners come together to big old chimneys. Yessum, I 'members dey just
had one big chimney to evvy four cabins. Dey cooked on de fireplace and
had pot racks for to hang de pots on, and ovens to bake in. Us sho'
could do 'way wid a heap of sweet 'tatoes what had done been roasted in
de ashes. Cabins was planked up on de inside and de outside was daubed
wid mud in de cracks to keep out de wind and rain. Our home-made beds,
nailed to de side of de cabins, had ticks filled wid wheat straw. White
folks had nice corded beds. Ma said hit was lots of trouble to keep dem
cords tight. Dey had hooks for to draw 'em up tight and den peg 'em down
wid wooden pegs.

"Marster allus give his Niggers passes on Sundays so as dem paddyroller
folks wouldn't ketch 'em and beat 'em up, if dey went off de plantation.
Niggers went to de white folks church and listened to white preachers.
When Ma jined de church, dey had to break de ice in Beaver Dam Crick to
baptize her. Her was so happy and shouted so loud, dey had to drag her
out of de crick and take her way back in de woods to keep her from
'sturbin' de rest of de folks at de baptizin'.

"I was borned in de last year of de War so I don't have no sho' 'nough
ricollections 'bout dem hard times what old folks says dey had dem days.
Atter de War was over, us all stayed on wid Marster for a long time.
Mist'ess was moughty good to us chillun. Us played wid de