"I waren't nothin' but chillun when freedom come. In slavery-time
chilluns waren't 'lowed to do no wuk kazen the marsters wanted they
niggers to grow up big and strong and didn' want 'em stunted none. Tha's
howcome I didn' git no mo' beatin's than I did! My employer--I means, my
marster, never did give me but one lickin'. He had done told me to watch
the cows and keep 'em in the pastur'. I cotch lots of grasshoppers and
started fishin' in the crick runnin' through the pastur' and fust thing
I knowed, the overseer was roundin' up all the other niggers to git the
cows outen the cornfields! I knowed then my time had done come!"

James was enjoying the spotlight now, and his audience did not have to
prompt him. Plantation recollections crowded together in his old mind.

"We had one overseer at a time," he said, "and he allus lived at the big
'ouse. The overseers warn't quality white folkses like our marster and
mistess but we never heard nuffin' 'bout no poor white trash in them
days, and effen we had heard sumpin' like that we'd have knowed better'n
to let Marster hear us make such talk! Marster made us call his overseer
'Mister.' We had one overseer named Mr. Andrew Smith and another time
we had a overseer named Mr. Pope Short. Overseers was jus' there on the
business of gettin' the work done--they seed atter everybody doin' his
wuk 'cordin' to order.

"My employer--I means, my marster, never 'lowed no overseer to whup none
of his niggers! Marster done all the whuppin' on our plantation hisself.
He never did make no big bruises and he never drawed no blood, but he
sho' could burn 'em up with that lash! Niggers on our plantation was
whupped for laziness mostly. Next to that, whuppings was for stealin'
eggs and chickens. They fed us good and plenty but a nigger is jus'