?~ 80

	“Nobody worked after dinner on Satu‘d‘y. Us took dat time to scrub up an‘ clean de houses so as to be ready for ‘spection Sund‘y morilin‘. Some Satu‘d‘y nights us had dances. De same old fiddler played for us dat played for de white fo1k~. An‘ he sho‘ could play. When he got dat old fiddle out you coiildn‘ keep yo‘ foots still.

	“Christ‘mus was de time o‘ all times on dat old plantation. Dey don‘t have no Buch as dat now. ever‘ chu‘ brought a stockin‘ up to de Big House to be filled. Dey all wanted one o‘ de ~nistis‘ stockin‘s, ‘Cause now she weig~hed nigh on to three hund‘ed pounds. Candy an‘ presents was put in piles for ever‘ one. When dey names was called dey walked up an‘ got it • Us didn ‚ work on New Year ‚ s Day. Us C oui d go to own or anywhere us wanted to.

	“De moe ‚ fun was de c am	‘ • Dey was two e aptains an‘ eaŕh one picked ~de ~ ones he wanted on his side • Den de shuckin ‚ started. You can‘t make mention o‘ nothin good dat us didn‘ bAve t‘e~t after de shuokin‘. i: still studies ‘bout dem deys now.

	.	“Dey was big parties at de white fOi~ks‘ house, me, all dressed up wid*taller on n~ face to make it shine, a~~servin‘ de*gue&eS.

	“One time, jus‘ when ever‘thing was a-‘goin‘ fine, a sad thing happened. My young mistis, de one named for her ma, ups an‘ runs off wid de son o‘ de Irish ditch digger an‘ marries ‘im. She wouldn~ a—done it if de1y‘d a-let ‘er marry de man she wanted. Dey dldn‘ think he was good ‘nough for her. So jus‘ to spite ‘em, she married de ditch digger‘s son.

	“Old Mie‘ WOUIŮI‘ have nothin‘ more to do wid ‘er, same as it she warnt her own chu ‚ . But I ‚ a go over to see ‚ er an‘ carry milk an‘


*gue$te
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