ine or
whatever dey has, and we does dis on Christmas, too.

"We had a song we'd sing when we's thinkin' of comin' to Texas:

"'We'll put for de South, for seven-up and loo,
Chime in, niggers, won't you come 'long, too?
No use talkin' when de nigger wants to go,
Where de corn top blossoms and canebrakes grow.
Come 'long, Cuba, and dance de polka juba,
Way down South, where de corn tops grow.'

"I'd like to be in old Alabama to die, but Old Marse and Missus gone,
and it ain't no use goin' dere no more.

420014

[Illustration: Donaville Broussard]

DONAVILLE BROUSSARD, a polished gentleman of his race, was the son
of a mulatto slave of Emilier Caramouche. He was born in 1850, but
appears vigorous. Light skinned, with blue eyes and a genial
expression, he gave the story of his life in the French patois
spoken by Louisiana French Negroes, which has been translated into
English.

"My mama was daughter of one of the Carmouche boys. One of M'sieur
Francois' sons. She call herself Armance Carmouche. She was house
servant for the family and I worked around the house. I remember my
Madame brought me the little basket and it had a strap on it. I put the
strap over the shoulder and went round with the sharp stick and picked
up the leaves on the ground with the stick.

"It was a great house with trees and flowers. Madame liked all clean and
pretty. I never worked hard. The ladies and my mama, too, petted me as
if I was the white child.

"M'sieur had a widow sister. She made us learn the prayers. We were glad
to go where she was for she always had something good in her bag for us.
I never saw the baptizing. In those days all the slaves had the religion
of the master and the Catholics didn't have no baptizing. They didn't
have to half-drown when they got their religion. The church was 15 or 20
miles off. The priest came and held Mass for the white folks sometimes.

"I remember one wedding. My aunt got married. M'sieur Caramouche killed
a big pig. The white folks ate in the house. The slaves sat under the
trees and ate in the yard. At four o'clock the justice of the peace
came. He was the friend of M'sieur Caramouche. He made my aunt and the
man hold hands and jump over the broom handle. When the priest came he
made M'sieur sign some papers.

"A slave always had to ask M'sieur to marry. He always let the women
slaves marry who they wanted. He didn't loose by that. He wa