2.	45
	‘When they wou]4 be at picnics and big corn shellings or shuckings either, efl Gatee‘ black folks was called ‘Heavy Gatea‘ ; they was fed and

treated so well. I viaited back at home in Mississippi. Went to the quarters and all nineteen ysara ago. I heard them still talking about the ‘Heavy Gatea‘ • I was one the off apring4.

	“Ma cooked for her old mietresa years and yeare, ~a. Rogers In South Carolina give ma to Mise Rebecca, her daughter, and aaid ‚ ‚ Take good care of her, you might need her.‘ They come in ox wagons to Misaisaippi. Ma waa a little girl then when Mies Rebecca married Dr. Bowen. Ma hated to leave Misa Rebecca Bowen ‘caua• in the first place she was her half~ieter. ~e said Master Rogers was her own pa. Her nia was a cook and house girl ahead of her.

Ma was a fine cook. Heap better than I ever was ‘cause she never lacked th•

stuff to fix and I come short there.

	nI heard ma tell this. Wherever she lived and worked, at Dr. Bowen‘ a, I reckon. The soldiers coins one day and took their sharp swords frcm out their belts and cut off heads of turkeys, chickens, geese, ducks, gt~ineas, and took a load off and left some on the ground, They picked up the heads and what was left and made a big washpot full of dumplings. She said the soldiers wasted so miich~

	“When I was young I seen a ‚ style block‘ at Holly Springs ‚ Misai asippi. I was going to Tucker Lou School, ten miles from ~Tackaon. That was way back in the seventies. A platform was up in the air under a tree and two stumps stood on ends for the steps. It was higher than three steps but that is the way they got up on the plattorm they tole ~.

	“I think times are a little better, I gits a little ironing and six dollars and coimnoditiea. The young generation is taking on funny ways. I think they do very well morally ‚ cepting their liquor drinking habits,