2.

O‘~)




staves drove in de ground ‘round de crowd, to give 1î~‘ht. Thera was sho‘ happy times.

	“Marster would give all de grown slaves a drain or two of pure apple bran(Iy~ On thorn corn shuckin‘ nights, and take several smiles (drinks) hisseif. I ‘members so well, one of them nights, dat zuarster come to de barnyard, where us was all lit up, ~. Siflgifl~ fit to kill hisseif. Us was s‘prised to see marster settin‘ down wi.d us niggers and shuckin‘ corn as Tas‘ as us was. After a spell, him StOOd U~ and took ‘nother smile, then say: ‘Pass de jug ‘round and let‘s all take a drink.‘ Wid dat, one of de niggers grab de jug of liquor and passed it ‘round to all de shuckers. Then marster say: ‘EVerybody sing. ‚ Some of de niggers ‘quire: ‘What you gwine to sing?‘ Ho say: ~ ‘Sing dis song: Pass ‘round de bottle and we‘ll all take a drink.‘ Some of them in de crowd ‘jected to dat song, ‘cause they had ‘nough liquor in them to ‘ject to anything. !~ars.‘ ter kinda scratch he head and say: ‘Well, let me git a pole and you all is gwine to sing.‘ And singin‘ dere was, as sho‘ as you‘s born. Them niggers ‘round de corn piles dat night h‘isted dat song right now; dere was no waitin‘ for dé pole or nothin‘ else. They wanted to sing, bad.

	“De next ioornin‘ ‚ after di~ night I ‚ s talkin‘ ‚ bout, Miss Martha, our good missus come ‘round to de slave houses and ‘quire how they all felt. She say: ‘You all canrest today and do what you want to do, ‘cause Marster Jim ain‘t feelin‘ so well dis mornin‘.‘ She knowed what was gwine on at de corn

shuckin‘ de night befo‘ but she ain‘t said nothin‘ ‘bout it. Maimity said many dat
times dat de IniSSUS didn‘t lak/whiskey drinkin‘ business in nobody. She was

a pure and ‘ligious woman if dere ever was one in dis world. Dere ain‘t no wonder dat de marster was foolish ‘bout her. Mammy say de onliest way for both white and black to keep from lOvin‘ Miss Martha, was to gît away from her and