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"Honey, I don' know wha' to tell yuh 'bout dem times back dere. Yuh see I was joe uh young child when de free war close on I ain' know much to tell yuh. I born o'er de river dere to Massa Jim Wilkerson plantation. Don' know wha' 'come uv my ole Massa chillun a'tor dey head been gone. Yuh see, honey, Massa Jim Wilkerson hab uh heap uv slave on he hire my mudder out to Colonel Durant place right down de road dere whey Miss Darant lib now. Cease I been back o'er de river to visit 'mongest de peoples dere a'ter freedom was 'clare, but I sin' ne'er lib dere no more."
"Gawd been good to me, honey. I been heah uh long ole time on I can' see mucha dese days, but I gettin' 'long sorta so - so. I was train up to be uh nu'se 'oman on I betohs I got chillun more den any 60 year ole 'bout heah now dat I nu'se when dey was fust come heah. No, honey, ain' got no chillun uv me own. Aw my chillun white lak yuh."
"Ho, no'mam, dey wear long ole frock den on uh girl comin' on dere when dey ge' to be any kind uv uh girl, dey put dat frock down. Oh, my child, dey can' go' em short 'nough dose days. Ain' hab nuthin but uh string on dose day on time. Dey use'er wear dem big ole hoop skirt dat sit out broad lak from de ankle on den dey wear little panty dst show down twixt dey skirt on dey ankle. Jos tie em 'round dey knees wid some sorta string on le' em show dat way 'bout dey ankle. I 'member we black chillun'ud go in de woods on ge' wild grape vine en bend em round en put em under us skirt en make it stand out big lak. Hadder hab uh big ole ring fa de bottom uv de skirt on den one uh little bit smaller eve'y time dey ge' closer to de waist. Ne'er hab none tall in de waist cause dat was s'ppose to be little bitty t'ing."
"Day weave aw de cloth day use den right dere on de plantation. Wear cotton en woolens aw de time den. Coase de Madam, she could go en ge' de finest kind uv silk cause mos' uv her t'ing come from 'broad. Child, I o'n see my ole mammy how she look workin' dat spinning wheel jes uz good uz ef dat day was dis day right heah. She set dere at dat ole spinning wheel on take one shettle en t'row it one way en den anmder de udder way en pull dat t'ing on make it tighter en tighter. Sumptin say sum, sum, sum, en den yuh hadder work yuh feet dere too. Dat was de way dey make dey cloth dat day en time."
"Honey, peoples hadder work dey hand fa eve'yt'ing dey hab mos' den. Dey grow dey own rice right dere on de plantation in dem days. Hadder plant it on some uv de land wha' was water den de udder land wus. Dey hadder le' de rice ge' good en ripe on den dey'ud out it on hab one uv dem big rice whipping days. Heap uv people come from plantation aw 'bout on help whip dat rice. Dey jes take de rice on beat it 'cross some hoss dat dey hab fix up somewhey dere on de plantation. Honey, dey hab hoss jes lak dose hoss yuh see carpenter use 'bout heah dese days. Dey'ud hab hundreds uv bushels uv dat rice dere. Den when dey ge' t'rough, dey hab big supper dere fa aw dem wha' whip rice. Gide em aw de rice on hog head dey is e'er wan'. Man, dey'ud hab de nicest kind uv music dere. Knock dem bones togedder en slap en pat dey hands to aw kind uv pretty tune."
"Dem dey hab rice mortars right dere on de plantation wha' dey fix de rice in jes uz nice. Now dey hab to take it to de mill. Yuh see dey hab uh big block cuter in de yard wid uh big hole in it dat dey put de rice in en take dese t'ing call pestles en beat down on it en dat wha' knock de shaft offen it. Coase dey ne'er hab no nice pretty rice lak yuh see dose days cause it wasn't us white uz de rice dat dey hab 'bout heah dis day en time, but it was mighty sweet rice, honey, mighty sweet rice."
"No'mam, didn't hab no schools tall den. Ne'er gi'e de colored peoples no l'arnin' no whey 'fore freedom 'clare. Wha' little l'arnin' come my way was wha' I ge' when I stay wid Miss Martha Leggett down dere to Leggett's Mill Pond. A'ter freedom 'clare, uh lady from de north come dere en Miss Leggett send we chillun to school to dat lady up on de hill dere in de woods, No, honey, yuh ain' ne'er see no bresh tent 'bout heah dis day en time. Dis jes de way it was make. Dey dig four big holes en put postes in aw four corner 'bout lak uh room. Den dey lay log 'cross de top uv dat on kiver it aw o'er wid bresh (brush) dat dey break outer de woods. Ne'er hab none uv de side shet up. En dey haul log dere on roll em under dat bresh tent fa we chillun to set on. Oh, de teacher'ud hab uh big box fa her stand jes lak uh preacher. Eve'ybody dat go to school dere hab one uv dem t'ing call slate dat yuh ne'er hadder do nuthin but jes wash it offon. En dey hab dese ole l'arnin' book wha' yuh call Websters."
"My white folks al'ays wus good to me, honey. Ne'er didn't hab to do no field work in aw me life. When I stay dere wid Miss Leggott, I hadder pick up little chip 'bout de yard when I fust come home from school on den I hadder go 'way up in de big field on drib de turkeysup. We didn't find dat no hard t'ing to do lak de peoples talk lak it sumptin hard to do dose days. We was l'arnt to work en didn't mind it neither. Al'ays minded to us own business."
"Oh, gourds was de t'ing in dem days. Dey was wha' de peoples hab to drink outer en wash dey hominy en rice in aw de time. Dey was de bestest kind uv bowl fa we chillun to eat corn bread en clabber outer. Peoples dis day en time don' hab no sech crockery lak de people use'er hab. Honey, dey hab de prettiest little clay bowls den."
"Annuder t'ing de peoples do den dat yuh ain' ne'er hear 'beat nobody doing dese days, dey al'ays boil sumptin fa dey cows to eat lak peas en corn in uh big ole black pot somewhey dere in de back lot. Coase it was jes half cocked, but dey she' done dat. Nobody ne'er t'ought 'bout not cockin' fa dey cow den."
"Dat was sho' uh different day from dis, honey. De little chillun was jes uz foolish den cause de peoples ne'er tell dem 'bout muthin tall in dat day en time. Aw dese little chillun 'beat heah dese days don' hab no shame 'bout em no whey. Dey hab head full uv eve'yt'ing, honey, aw sorta grown people knowings."
