7.	362

they was sent over to the big hou8e. Everybody called it that. The house you lived in with your family was small. lt had a fire place and wae only big enough to hold two beds and a bench and maybe a chair. Sometimes, if‘ you had chillurt fast enough, five and six had to sleep in that other bed together. Mothers didn‘ t stay in after their chilluri was born then like they do now. Whenever a child was born the mother come out in three days afterwards if she was healthy, but nobody stayed in over a week. They never stayed in bed but one day.

	‘When they called you to breakfast it would be dark as night. They did this so you could begin workint at daybreak. At twelve otolock they b].owed the horn for dinner, but they didn‘t have to ‘cause everybody lcnowed when it was dinner time. Us could tell time by the sun. Whenever the sun was over us so us could almost step in our shadow it was time to eat. When us went in to eat all the victuals ~as on the table and the plates was stacked on the table. You got your plate and fork, then got your dinner. Soins would sit on the floor, some in chairs, and some would sit on the steps, but mos‘ everybody held their plates in their laps. Whenever any of the slaves had company for dinner, us was allowed to set the table and you and your company would eat at the table. In our dinin‘-room, we called it mess house, us only had one long table, one small table, a stove, some benches, a few chairs, and stools. Whenever us got out of forks the men would make some out of wood to be use d ‚ tu some more could be bought. The food we got on Saturday would be turned over to the C O ok.