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Carrie had plenty to cat in slavery days. "I'd be a heap better off if it was dem times now," she said. "My folks didn't mistreat de slaves. When freedom come, de niggers come 'long wid dere babies on dey backs and say I was free. I tell 'em I already free! Didn't mek no diffrunce to me, freedom!"
Malinda would gladly exchange all her worldly possessions and freedom to have plantation days back again. She owns her home and has a garden of old-fashioned flowers, due to her magic "growing hand."
"I belonged to a preacher in Ca'lina," said Malinda. "A Baptis' preacher. My fambly wasn't fiel' han's, dey was all house servants. Marster wouldn't sell none o' his slaves. When he wanted to buy one, he'd buy de whole fambly to keep fum having 'em separated."
Malinda and her sister belonged to the young girls. "whar'ever de young Mistises visited, we went right erlong. My own mammy tuk long trips wid ole Mistis to de Blue Ridge Mountings and sometimes over de big water." Malinda said the slaves danced to "quills," a home-made reed instrument. "My mammy was de bes' dancer on de plantashun," asserted the old woman. "She could dance so sturdy, she could balance a glass of water on her head and never spill a drap!""
