i~xs1ave Stories	P~ße Two
(Texas)







	“Lemme see, now, deere was six of us chilluns. My mern‘ry ain‘t so good no taore ‚ b~t Charley was oldes ~ ‚ d~n Collie Dolly and Jennie arid Susie and. me md Laura. Law rae, I guess old Dr. Bass, what was doctor for M~rse John, use to be right busy with us ‘bo~it once a year for quite a spe1~1.

	“Dem times dey don‘t marry by t~o license. Dcv takes a slave man and w~nan from de same plantation and outs 1em together, or sometime a rr~an f‘orn ‘nother plantation, like my papa and mama. Mamma say Marse John give ‘em a big supper in de big house and. read out de Bible ‘but obe~rin‘ and workin‘ and. den dey axa married. Course, de nigger ~s‘ 9 slave and have to do what de white folks say, so dat way of marr~~in‘ ‘bout good ac any.

	~:But Marse John sho‘ was de good marse and we had plenty to eat and v~ear and no one ever ~ot whipped. Uarse John sa~r iffen h~ have a nigger what oughta be whipped, he‘d gît rid of hir~ quick, ‘cause a bad nigger jes‘ Ii~e a rotten ‘tatei‘ in a sack of good ()fl~5 ~ spoil de others.

	“Back d.ere in Virginny lt 51i0 gît cold in winter, but corne September dc wood gaig gît busy cuttin‘ wood and haulin‘ it to de yard. De~î raakes two piles, one for de bi~ house and de bgges‘ plie for dc slaves. Then dey~ git it al I haul ed I t I o ok li. Ice a bit woodyard . ~hi 1 e dey I s haulin ~ ‚ de women make quilts and dcv is wool quilts. Course, dey ain‘t gnade out of sh~Rrin‘ wool, but jest as good. Mar~e John have lots of sheep and when dey go through de briar patch de woo]. cotch on dem briars and in de tall de women folks goes out and picke de wool off de briers jest like you picks cotton. Law m~, I don‘t know nothint ‘bout malcint quilts out of cotten till ~ comes to Texas.

is fjf~~r~e. I saver done no work, tcause Marse John won‘t work no one till dey