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rather he ta1ked~ ~re freely about thent. ~ Re said that the

corn ~s piled high in the barn and the arnen and boys ‚ after a bi g supper of “fresh meat and aU kinds ot good~ things ~ and
~ ~ ~
	~ ‚~ (that pound cake he	‘ t seeza

to forget) ~ would gather aronnC~and to the tuas ~ of an old ‚ fiddle in the hands of a plantation musician, they would sing and shuck corn until the whole pile was finished. Many races ~e entered into and the winnere proclaimed aid much aho~ting and laughter. ~iia merriitent and work laated into t~1~e itight.

Wheeler was quick to say that the happiest tias of his life

was those days of slavery and the first years inediately after. U_e was happy, had ail that anyone needed, was well. taken care of in

every way • H spoke of their family as being a happy Oflf ‚ of how they worked hard all day, and at night were gathered around their cabin fire where the little folks played and his mother BpUn away on her “task of yarn~. His Miateas made all his clothes, “good warm ones ‚ too . „ £11 the little negroes played together and there “vuz a old colored lady“ that looked after theit “an‘ kept ‘ein straight.“

	There was little talk of the war, in ‚ fact soas of the slaves didn‘t know what “de wI~ite folks wuz er ~IgbtLn‘ ‘bout.“ Wheeler‘s two Booker ~astera ‚ “Marse 3im~nis ant Marse Jable ‚ went to de war, Mar5e J~abie wuz kilt dar.“ Very little difference was noticed in the plantation lite ~ of course times were harder and theré was a sachte s a arun, but work went on as usu!~When the war was over and the slaves called up and told they wars free : “Sua wuz