to Smith's Ford
on de Pacolet. Steers pulled 'slides', wid de white folk belongings on
de slides. We niggers went to meeting on de slides. De ends of de slides
was curved upward. When we got to meeting, we went under de brush
arbors. Fresh brush was kept cut so dat de sun would not shine through.
Under de arbors we sat on slabs and de preacher stood on de ground. We
had better meetings den dan dey have now. Everybody had better religion
den dan dey does now. In dem days religion went further dan it does now.
Yes sir, religion meant something den, and went somewhars. My pappy rode
a ginny to preaching.

"Dere was not as much devilment as dere is now. Times was better fer
niggers. One day last week I went to meeting and took dinner. We eat on
a slab table and had ice tea to drink. Meas was dere drinking on de
side, and all other devilment dey could carry on in sight of de church.
De preacher eat wid us. Some eat out of dere buckets and would not come
and be wid de crowd. Long time ago, nobody didn't act greedy like dat.
Girls cut up like boys now, and nobody don't look down on dem.

"When I was a boy, girls acted like de old folks and dey did not carry
on. Nobody ever heard of a girl drinking and smoking den. If a girl made
a mistake in de old days she was throwed overboard. Why when I was
little, us boys went in a-washing wid de girls and never thought nothing
'bout it. We was most grown befo' we know'd a thing 'bout man and woman.
I was fifteen years old when I got my first shoes and dey had brass
toes. We played ball wid de girls in de house, and sung songs like:
'Goosey, Goosey Gander'."

"We had wheat bread only once a week," said Jesse Stevenson who came up
and entered the conversation, "and dat was on Sunday. I had a good time
at Green's wedding. Green married Carrie Phillips who lived two miles
above me. We boys talked to de girls in school. We was around twenty
years old befo' we went to school. Of course dat was atter Freedom. De
teacher would light on both of us fer talking across de books. Carrie
was about a year younger dan Green. Green, tell de gentleman
(interviewer) what you said when you ax'd uncle Ben fer Carrie."

"I say," said Green, "come out into de cool of de yard, please sir, if
you will uncle Ben; I has a question of de utmost concern to us both to
lay at your feet'. Uncle Ben say, 'Look here, young nigger, don't you
know dat I ain't got no business gwine out in no night dew--what ails
you no