much 'bout my ma, but her name was Martha an' pa's name was Jordan
Bostwick, I don't know whar dey come from. When I knowed nothin' I wuz
dar on de plantation. I had three brothers; George, John an' Reeje, an'
dey's all dead. I dis'members my sister's name. Dar warn't but one gal
an' she died when she wuz little.

"Ain't much to tell 'bout what wuz done in de quarters. Slaves wuz
gyarded all de time jus' lak Niggers on de chain gang now. De overseer
always sot by wid a gun.

"'Bout de beds, Nigger boys didn't pay no 'tention to sich as dat 'cause
all dey keered 'bout wuz a place to sleep but 'peers lak to me dey wuz
corded beds, made wid four high posties, put together wid iron pegs, an'
holes what you run de cords thoo', bored in de sides. De cords wuz made
out of b'ar grass woun' tight together. Dey put straw an' old quilts on
'em, an' called 'em beds.

"Gran'pa Berry wuz too old to wuk in de field so he stayed 'roun' de
house an' piddled. He cut up wood, tended to de gyarden an' yard, an'
bottomed chairs. Gran'ma Liza done de cookin' an' nussed de white
folkses chilluns.

"I wukked in de field 'long side da rest of de Niggers, totin' water an'
sich lak, wid de overseer dar all de time wid dat gun.

"What you talkin' 'bout Miss? Us didn't have no money. Sho' us didn't.
Dey had to feed us an' plenty of it, 'cause us couldn't wuk if dey
didn't feed us good.

"Us et cornbread, sweet 'tatoes, peas, home-made syrup an' sich lak. De