was gentle and didn‘t never hurt her. One day I was a standing by the window and I seen smoke blue smoke a rising over beyond a woods. I heerd cai~nons a-~booming and axed. her what was it • She say: “Run, Mittie ‚ and hide you~rse1f • t s the Yaxiks. Theys coming at last ‚ Oh 1ordy~“ I was all incited (excited) and told her I didn‘t want to hide, I wanted to see ‘ein. “No“ she say, right firm. “Ain‘t I always told you Yankees has horns on their heads? They‘ll get you. Go on now, do like I tells you.“ So I runs out the room and ;;ent down by the b1~ gate. A high wall was there and a tree put its branches right over the top. I dim up and hid under the leaves. They wa~ coming, all a march— ing. The captain opened our big sate and Liarched them in. A soldier seen. me and said “Come on down here; I ~vant to see you.“ I told him I would, i:e he would take off hishat s~d show i~ his horns.

	The day freedom cen~e, I was fishing with pappy. My remembrance is sure good. All a—suddent cannons coxmaence a—booming, it seem like everywhere. You know what that was, Miss? It was the fall of Richmond. Caflflofl8 was to roar every place when Richmond fell. Pappy jumps up, throws his pole and everything, and arabs m~ hand, and starts flying towards the house. “It‘s victory,“ he keep on saying. “It‘s freedom. Now we‘es gwine be free.“ I didn‘t know what it all meant.

	It seem like it tuck a long tini~ fer freedom to eom~. Zverythlng jest kept on like it was. We heard that iota of slaves was getting land and some mules to set up fer theirselves; I never knowed any what got land or mules nor nothing.

	We all stayed right on the place till the Yankees came through. They was looking for slaves what was staying on. Now we was free and had to git off the plantation. They packed us in their big amulance . .
3.	348