en dollars. I
pick cotton some last year. I pick twenty or thirty pounds and it got
to raining and so cold my granddaughter said it would make me sick.

"I was born durin' slavery. I was born 'bout twenty-five miles from
Nolan, Tennessee. They call me Ab Jenkins for my old master. He was A.
B. Jenkins. I don't know if his name was Absolom or not. Mother was
name Liddy Strum. They was both sold on the block. They both come to
Tennessee from Virginia in a drove and was sold to men lived less than
ten miles apart. Then they got consent and got married. I don't know
how they struck up together.

"They had three families of us. We lived up close to A. B. Jenkins'
house. He had been married. He was old man when I knowed him. His
daughter lived with him. She was married. Her husband was brought home
from the war dead. I don't know if he got sick and died or shot. The
only little children on the place was me and Jake Jenkins. We was no
kin but jus' like twins. Master would call us up and stick his finger
in biscuits and pour molasses in the hole. That was sure good eating.
The 'lasses wouldn't spill till we done et it up. He'd fix us up
another one. He give us biscuits oftener than the grown folks got
them. We had plenty wheat bread till the old war come on. My mother
beat biscuits with a paddle. She cooked over at Strum's. I lived over
at Jenkins. Grandma Kizzy done my cooking. Master's girl cooked us
biscuits. Master Jenkins loose his hat, his stick, his specks, and
call us to find 'em. He could see. He called us to keep us outer
badness. We had a big business of throwing at things. He threatened to
whoop us. We slacked up on it. I never heard them say but I believe
from what I seen it was agreed to divide the children. Pa would take
me over to see mama every Sunday morning. We leave soon as I could get
my clean long shirt and a little to eat. We walked four miles. He'd
tote me. She had a girl with her. I never stayed over there much and
the girl never come to my place 'cepting when mama come. They let her
stand on the surrey and Eloweise stand inside when they went to
preaching. She'd ride Master Jenkins' mare home and turn her loose to
come home. Me and papa always walked.

"When freedom come on, the country was tore to pieces. Folks don't
know what hard times is now. Some folks said do one thing for the
best, somebody said do another way. Folks roved around for five or six
years trying to do as well as they had done in