# 39

	.	“When de war broke out dat old Yankee Dutch overseer ‘ our‘n went back up North, where he b‘longed. Us was pow‘±~ul glad an‘ hoped he‘d git his neck broke.

	“Ater dat de Yenkees come ew‘ down on us . My own pappy took ofl wid ‚ em. He j ‚ med a c~np‘ny what *fj~ at Vicksburg. I was plenty big ‘nough to fight, but I dicin‘ hanker to tote no gun. I stay~ ed on de plantation an‘ put In a crop.

	~	“It was pow‘ful oneasy times after dat. But what T care t bout freedom? Folks what was free was in misery fi‘ one way an‘ den de other.

	“I was on de plantation closer to town, den. It was called ‚ Fish Pond Plantation.‘ De white folks come an‘ to]. ‚ us we ‘ burn all de cotton so de enemy couldn‘ git it.

	“Us piled it high in de fiel‘s lak great mountains. It made n~T innards hurt to see fire ‘tached to soinethin‘ dat had cost us Niggers so much labor an‘ hones‘ sweat • If I could a-hid s orne o ‚ it in de barn I‘d a~done it, but de boss searched ever‘where.

	“De little Niggers thought it was fun.. Dey laughed an‘ brimg out big armfuls from de cotton house. One little blaek gal clapped her han‘ S an‘ jumped in a big heap. She stink down an‘ down ‚ tu she was buried deep. Den de wind picked up de flame an‘ spread it lak lightenin‘. It spread so fas‘ dat ‘fore us could bat de eye, she was in a mountain o‘ flab. She struggled up all covered wid flames, a-screamln‘, ‘Law&y, he‘p meZ‘ Us snatched her out an‘ rolled her on de groun‘ ‚ but twant no use • She died In a few minutes.
ought
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