.	II.	71


	“Oh Missy, dem was good old days. Us would be lucky to have ‘em back again, ‘specially when harvest time comes ‘round. You could hear Niggers a-singin‘ in de fields ‘cause dey d1d~‘t have no worries lak dey got now. When us got de corn up from de fields, Niggers come from far and nigh to Marster‘s corn~huCk1fl‘. Dat cornshuckin‘ wuk was easy wid evvybody singin‘ and havin‘ a good time together whilst dey made dein shucks fly. De cornshuckin‘ captain led all de singin‘ and he set right up on top of de highes‘ pile of corn. De chillun was kept busy a-passin‘ de liquor jug ‘round. Atter it started gittin‘ dark, Marster had big bonfires built up and plenty of torches set ‘round so as dere would be plenty of light . Atter dey et all dey wanted of dem good things what had dane been cooked up for de big supper, den de wrastlin‘matches started, and ~viarster allus give ~ Dere warn‘t no fussin‘ and fightin‘ ‘lowed on our place, and dein wrastlin‘ matches w~salI in good humor and was kept orderly. Marster wanted evvybody

~	to be friends on our plantation and to stay dat way, for says he:

~	‘De Blessed Saviour done said for us to love our neighbor as ourseifs, and to give and what us gives is gwine t.o come back to us.‘ Missy, de ~od Lord‘s word ~s always right.“

	The interviewer was preparing to leave when one of J~sDer‘s old friends approached the sheltering tree in the yard, where the interview was drawing to a close. “Brudder Paul,“ said Jasper, “I ~‘isht you had come sooner ‘cause Missy, here, and me is done had de bestes‘ time a-goin‘ back over dein old times when folks loved‘ one another better dan dey does now. Good-bye Missy, you done been mighty kj~d and patient wid old ~Tasper. Come backagain some time.“
. . . . I