white chillun,
and one day Mist'ess cotch us all a-fightin', and her switched us all,
but it didn't hurt. Marster used to git my sister to shout for him. I
kin just see her now, a-twistin' and jumpin' and hollerin' for all de
world lak grown-up Niggers done at meetin's and baptizin's, 'til she
done fell out. Den Marster, he say, 'Take her to de kitchen and feed her
good.'

"Pa and Marster had a fallin' out, 'cause Marster wouldn't have no
settlement wid 'im. He just wouldn't give my Pa no money. Marster said
us younguns still b'longed to 'im and dat us had evvything us needed,
and could git anything us wanted at his store and he thought he had done
'nough for us. But my Pa said he didn't wanter take up evvything he
wukked for in trade, 'cause he would lak to have some money too.

"Bout dat time Marse Pope Barrow was a gittin' up lots of Niggers to go
wid him to Mis'sippi for to raise cotton out dar, whar he said dey was
makin' heaps of money. Pa tuk us all and went 'long wid 'im. I just kin
'member dat place. Hit was all kivvered wid water. Marse Pope, he hired
a lot of Irishmen to help dig ditches for to dreen de water off his
land. Den dey planted cotton and Pa said hit sho' was fine cotton, just
a-growin' to beat de band, when dem Irishmens got mad 'cause dey said
Marse Pope hadn't paid 'em for deir wuk, and dey blowed up de dams and
let all dat water back on de cotton. Hit was plumb ruint. Den Marse
Pope, he left dar and tuk my Pa and all of us along wid him to Arkansas.
Us made a big cotton crop out dar, but when all de cotton done been sold
us Niggers didn't git nothin'. Ma, her had done all de cookin' for de
mens what wukked for Marse Pope. His wife, Mist'ess Sallie Barrow used
to come to see him and her allus brought her maid along wid her, and de
maid, her stayed wid us. Ma said us chillun used to cry to go back to
Georgie wid Mist'ess Sallie, 'cause her rid on one of dem boats what was
run wid steam. Pa left Marse Pope 'cause he wouldn't give 'im no pay. Us
sold our things and come to Memphis, Tennessee and went to farmin' for
Marse Partee, and us just stayed dar long 'nough to make one crop.
Whilst us was out dar, our little sister died. Just 'fore her died her
said her was goin' to see God. Her told de debbil to git away f'um dar,
'cause her warn't gwine wid him. Dey put a little white dress on her and
laid her out on de bed, 'til dey could make up a coffin out of plain
pine wood for her. Dey just had a pr