Storieg )‘romEL.~SIaves (Gus Feaster)	Page 4	51


	“We had Sadday afternoonsto do ourwork and to wash. ~e had ai]. de hollidays off and a bi.~ time Christmas and July Fourth.

	“Going to funerals we used all Marse‘s wagons. c~uiok as de funeral start, de preacher give out a funeral hyxnrt~ ~Lll in de procession tuck up detune and as de wagons move along wid de mules at a slow walk, everybody sing deJ~ hymn. When lt done, another was lined out ‚ and dat kept up ‚ ‘t ill we reach de graveyard. Den de preacher pray arid we sing some nio‘.. In dein days funerals was slow fer both de white arid de black folks. Now dey is so fast, you is home again befo‘ you gits dar good.

	“On de way home from de funeral, de mules would perk up a little in dey walk arid a faster hymn was suns on de way ~ home. When we got home, we was in a good mood from singing de faster hymns and de funeral soon be forgot.

fll~s a child everybody in dem days played marbles. tiMa sung some o:e de oldest hymns dat I is ever heard:

(He sang) ‘OZlon, O Zion, O Zion, wanta git home at last‘. (Another) ‘Is you over, Is you over, Is you over‘ and the basa come back, ‘Yes thank God, Yes thank God,. Yes thank God, I la over. How did you cross? .Lt de ~ferry, at de ferry, at de ferry, Yes, thank God I i8 over. ‚ If I sing dem nöw folks laughs at me, but ma sho“teached dein to‘ her chilluris.

	“When bôys and gals gits u~ some size dey feels dey.~ selves. At dat age, we went bird thrashing in de moon light. Den we sing dis vulgar song, ‘I‘Ll give you halt.dollar if you come out t onight ; I ‘11 g ive you half.. dollar If you come out tonight.