to freedom.

420292

HARRIET COLLINS was born in Houston, Texas, in 1870. Her family had
been slaves of Richard Coke, and remained with him many years after
they were freed. Harriet recalls some incidents of Reconstruction
days, and believes in the superstitions handed down to her from
slave days.

"My birthday done come in January, on de tenth. I's birthed in Houston,
in 1870, and Gov. Richard Coke allus had owned my daddy and mammy, and
dey stayed with him after freedom. Mammy, what was Julia Collins, didn't
die till 1910, and she was most a hundred year old.

"She done told me many a time 'bout how folkses git all worked up over
Marse Coke's 'lection. Mammy took lunch to de Capitol House to Marse
Richard, and dere he am on de top floor with all he congressmen and dat
Davis man and he men on de bottom floor, tryin' to say Marse Richard
ain't got no right to be governor dis here State. Old Miss and de
folkses didn't sleep a wink dat night, 'cause dey thunk it sho' be a
fight. Dat in 1873, Mammy allus say.

"De old place at Houston was like most all old places. Dere was little,
small dormer windows, dey call 'em, in upstairs, and big porches
everywhere. Dere was 'hogany furniture and rosewood bedsteads, and big,
black walnut dressers with big mirrors and little ones down de side. Old
Miss allus have us keep de drapes white as drifted snow, and polish de
furniture till it shine. Dere was sofies with dem claw foots, and lots
of purty chiny and silver.

"On de farm out from town dere was de log house, with quarters and de
smokehouse and washhouse and big barns and carriage house. De quarters
was little, whitewashed, log houses, one for de family, and a fence of
de split palin's round most of dem.

"De white and cullud chillen played together, all over de place. Dey
went fishin' and rode de plough hosses and run de calves and colts and
sech devilment. De little white gals all had to wear sunbonnets, and Old
Miss, she sew dem bonnets on every day, so dey not git sunburnt. Us
niggers weared de long, duckin' shirts till us git 'bout growed, and den
us weared long, dark blue dresses. Dey had spinnin' and weavin' rooms,
where de cullud women makes de clothes.

"Old Miss, she sho' a powerful manager. She knowed jes' how much meal
and meat and sorghum it gwine take to run de plantation a year. She know
jes' how much thread it take for spinnin', and she bossed de settin'
hens and turkeys