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(Mildred Scott Taylor, Georgiana, AL)
"Yas, chillun, I 'members de wah; 'caze I was here when de Yankees come t'rough an' I was about fourteen year ole. Ole mister he went off to de wah wid a whole passel of sojers, en' he been gone a long time, en' nobody to home to look atter de plantation, 'cep sistis en' Unker Jude, what was Ole Marster's fust slave he ebber had. Ole Marster en' Unker Jude was borned de same day, en' Ole Marster's pappy gin Unker Jude to him, whenst dey was leetle bitsy ones. When Ole Marster mai'ed Ole Mistis, dey was young folks, en' dey move to he own plantation. He tuk Unker Jude wid him, en' Unker has de ca'i'ge driver. When Ole Marster went off ter de wah, he have Jude ter look atter Ole Mistis en' evy'ting on de place till he come back. Whilst Ole Marster gone to de wah, Unker Jude was overseer for Ole Mistis, en' he made de niggers wuk harder dan Ole Marse did, to make co'n, en' oats, en' fodder, en' meat fer de sojers.
"Ole Mistis made de womens cyard bats, en' spin en' weabe on de loom. What er loom look lak? It look lak er loom, dat what it look lak, what you spec it look lak? All de womens, white en' black, wuk hard makin' jeans fer de sojers clos' en' makin' linsey fer de women's clos'. Us didn't hab no udder clos' 'cep dem linsey, but dey sho was nice en' las' er long time, iffen yer didn't stan' too close ter de fire en' scorch 'em.
"Us kep' hearin' of de Yankees comin', en' one mawnin' Ole Miss say: 'Jane, you go down ter de front gate en' stay dar en' make en' see iffen de Yankees comin' down de big road, en' when you seed 'em, you run tell me quick.'
"Bimeby, I seed de Yankees comin' about a mile down de road, en'
I run tell Ole Mistis, en' she call de womens en' dey run down t'rough de orchard to de big woods, en' I run tell Unker Jude en' he onhitch de mules en' lead 'em down ter de big gully behin' de fiel'.
"Ole Mistis tole me to run back to de house, quick, fo' de Yankees get dar, en' git her gole watch en' chain outen de bureau drawer; but de Yankees come in whilst I was gitten de watch en' chain, en' one 'em grabbed it outen my han' en' put it in his pocket en' tole another Yankee: 'I'se gwine tek dis honester my gal.'
"De house en' de yard was plum full of Yankees en' dey rid dey hosses en' tore up ev'yting, lookin' for money en' jewelry. Dey ax me whar it was hid, en' I tole em' I didn't know en' dey said I was lyin', en' iffen I didn't tell 'en, dey would kill ne 'lak er dam Rebel en' I sho was skairt.
"'Dey et up all de sump'n' to eat in de kitchen en' tuk all de meat en' meal outen de smokehouse en' didn't lef' us nuddin', en' dey went to de crib en' tuk ev'y year co'n en' all de fodder en' put it in der packs en' tuk 'em off.
"De Yankees ax me don't I wanner be free en' I say: 'No, suh', an dey say ev'body gwine be free en' I won't hab ter wuk fer Ole Marse mo'. Den dey ax me whar Ole -arster at, en' I say: 'He gone to war, en' dey ax me whar Ole Mistis, en' I say: 'I dunno whar she he done gone off summuz.' Dey ax me whar de guns, en' I tole 'em we didn't hab no guns.
"Den Yankees mighter been dar till yit, iffen one ob 'em hadn't rid his hoss ober a bee gum en' Man! dem bees en' dem Yankees sho did gallup! In about a minute dere wan't no Yankees nowhar 'cep down de road whar de dus' jes' foggin' up! 'Bout a week some mo' Yankees come, dey muster heared 'bout de bees, 'caze dey lef' dey hosses tethered to de big gate en' walked up to de house, but dey didn't stay long 'caze dey wan't nuffin' lef' atter de fu'st Yankees done to' up ev'ything. An' when dey ready to go dey tuk dey guns en' stood way off en' shoot de bee ums all to pieces, en' dey flewed aroun' en' us hed to stay 'way in de night. Unker Jude, he wuk all night long, makin' bee guns outen a hollow log, en' nex' day he hive ebery one ob dem bees en' put 'em in de gums, en' de bees dey tote all de honey en' put it in de new fis' as dey could make comp fer it. Dem bees sho' was smart.
"When de wah done gone, Ole Marster he come, wid one he arms shooing em off, en' Ole Mistis she cry, she so glad to see him en' Unker Jude she run en' hug Ole Marster, en' us all cry en' tek on, we so glad Ole marster come back en' so sorry he arm shot off. Ole Marster tell all us niggers dey free now en' don't hatter wuk fer him no mo', en' some of de young niggers went off atter de Yankees, en' neber did come back, de res' ob us jes' stayed right whar we is. Us had a mighty hard wuk a long time, but de white folks had de same hard time en' us made no diffunce. I mai'ed Rufus en' us raise a big fambly right marster's plantation, en' outen us's twelve chilluns, ain't neber seen de inside ob de jailhouse. I raise my chilluns jes' mistis raise her'n en' dats de way to raise 'e., to wuk en' raise debilment. Ole Marster dead en' gone en' Ole Mistis too, but niggers 'em jes' lak dey was, when dey looked atter us whenst we belonged to 'em or dey belonged ter us, I dunno which it was. De times after fo' de wah. Us had good things to eat en' plenty of it, en' us had clos' en' clean cloths fer Sunday. Dat's mo'n some triflin' what we got now.
"I goes to church en' sings en' prays, en' when de good Lord says I'se ready to go, en' I specs to see Jesus en' Ole Mistis en' marster when I gits to de He'benly Lan'."
