ayer and sung 'Hark F'um De Tomb,'
and den dey buried her away in de groun'.

"Pa got his money for dat crop and den us come on back to da plantation
in E'berton, Georgie, 'cause Old Marster had done been a-wantin' us
back. He said he needed us, chillun and all, and us was sho' glad for to
git back home. Ma done de cookin' and Pa driv' de carriage and done
little jobs 'roun' de barns and hosses. Sometimes he wukked a little in
de fiel's. Us chillun used to clean yards, git in de wood, feed
chickens and on Sundays atter dinner when dar warn't no company at de
big house us would go up to de big plunder room in de attic and us would
have de bestes' times wid de white chilluns, a-dressin' up in de old
clothes what Mist'ess had stored away up dar. Sometimes when Marster
would ketch us up dar all dressed up, he would make us come down and
preach for him. Den he made us all set down 'cep' one what was to do de
preachin'. Sometimes it was his own son he called on to preach to us,
and dat white boy sho' told us Niggers 'bout our sins. Den dey would
make my sister, Millie, sing, 'Po' Sinner Man, Done Gone Down Yonder'.
One time when Marster's son was a preachin' he told all about a fight us
done had once when I hit him wid a rock. He said I sho' was goin' to de
debbil for dat. I just knowed Marster was gwine git atter me 'bout dat,
but he just laughed and said hit warn't de fust time a preacher had done
been hit wid a rock."

"Marse Deadwyler, de mayor, up at E'berton, lived on de plantation next
to ours, and he had a big old deer what sho' hated chillun. Hit would
try to stomp 'em to death, and us sho' did make tracks fast sometimes
when dat old deer got out. And Marster had a old mule what would fight
at us chillun too. One time us didn't know he was in de parstur when us
went out dar to play. De gate was wukked wid draw poles and us couldn't
git 'em down, so us had to crawl under a old crib house and hit was
plumb dark when Marster foun' us. Us sho' didn't go in de parstur no
more lessen us knowed dat mule was fas'ened up good and tight at de
barn."

"One time, in de middle of de night, long atter us chillun had done gone
to bed us heared grown folks runnin' 'roun', and dey told us to git up
and see Mr. Deadwyler's house a burnin' up. Dat was de bigges' fire I
ever seed. Blazes and sparks went way up, and dey didn't save nothin'.
Us chillun got so 'cited us didn't go back to bed no more dat night."

"Niggers didn't have no