church of dey own, but dey did have prayer
meetin's. Dey would kindle 'em a big fire for light and to keep 'em
warm, off clost to de woods, whar deir racket wouldn't 'sturb de white
folks, and dey would gather 'roun' dat fire and pray. Sometimes slaves
would just go off by deirselfs in de woods to pray. One night when Ma
was out in de woods a prayin' her heared a loud fuss back of her lak
somebody was tearin' down de woods, and hit skeered her so her quit
prayin' and run to de big house. Marster told her, hit was de debbil
atter her."

"Pa got mad again at Old Marster 'cause still he wouldn't have no
settlement wid 'im, so us left E'berton again and went back to South
Callina to de old Allen place where Pa had come f'um. Den Pa bought me a
doll what would dance when you wound it up, and I sho' did love dat
little dancin' doll. Soon Miss Laura come to see her pa, Marse Duncan
Allen, and her brung me a little doll too. Her said I needed somebody to
play wid 'cause I couldn't go to school on account of my eyes. Dey was
bad and I warn't 'lowed to read nothin', but Ma larnt me to do a little
sewin'. I felt moughty big and grown up soon as I could make my own
dresses and chemise. Dey warn't hard to make, but I was moughty proud
'cause I had done made 'em my own self."

"Marse Duncan Allen didn't have no little chillun of his own den, but he
sho' seed atter us. For supper us had bread and milk, wid butter and
'lasses sirup. Dey says dats 'nough for chillun at night. Us was still
dar on Marse Allen's place when me and Isaac McCollie got married. De
white folks said I was too young 'cause I was just 15 den, but my Ma
told me I could go ahead and git married if I wanted too. Isaac's two
brudders was married at de same time. Whilst de boys was gone atter
licenses and de preacher, us three gals was a-waitin' up at Marse Tom
Young's house whar de weddin' was to take place. Dem other two gals was
so skeered dat Marse Tom's housekeeper give each one of us a glass of
gin to quiet our nerves, but I warn't skeered a bit, not me, when I had
a chanst to be all dressed up lak dat, in a satin striped white weddin'
dress wid a long train a-trailin' off de back of it. All de ten ruffles
'roun' dat dress was aidged wid pink and de big puffed sleeves had pink
cuffs. Hit did seem an awful long time 'fore dem boys got back wid
Preacher Lockhart. Us was married dar at Marse Tom's and den us went
back to Marse Duncan Allen's place whar de bigges'