might want to call dat place whar Marse Alec had our veg’tables raised a gyarden, but it looked more lak a big field to me, it was so big.  You jus’ ought to have seed dat dere fireplace whar dey cooked all us had to eat.  It was one sho ’nough big somepin, all full of pots, skillets, and ovens.  Dey warn’t never ’lowed to git full of smut neither.  Dey had to be cleant and shined up atter evvy meal, and dey sho was pretty hangin’ dar in dat big old fireplace.

“George and Mack was de hunters.  When dey went huntin’ dey brought back jus’ evvything:  possums, rabbits, coons, squirrels, birds, and wild turkeys.  Yessum, wild turkeys is some sort of birds I reckon, but when us talked about birds to eat us meant part’idges.  Some folkses calls ’em quails.  De fishes us had in summertime was a sight to see.  Us sho et good dem days.  Now us jus’ eats what-some-ever us can git.

“Summertime us jus’ wore what us wanted to.  Dresses was made wid full skirts gathered on to tight fittin’ waisties.  Winter clothes was good and warm; dresses made of yarn cloth made up jus’ lak dem summertime clothes, and petticoats and draw’s made out of osnaburg.  Chillun what was big enough done de spinnin’ and Aunt Betsey and Aunt Tinny, dey wove most evvy night ’til dey rung de bell at 10:00 o’clock for us to go to bed.  Us made bolts and bolts of cloth evvy year.

“Us went bar’foots in summer, but bless your sweet life us had good shoes in winter and wore good stockin’s too.  It tuk three shoemakers for our plantation.  Dey was Uncle Isom, Uncle Jim, and Uncle Stafford.  Dey made up hole-stock shoes for de ’omans and gals and brass-toed brogans for de mens and boys.

“Us had pretty white dresses for Sunday.  Marse Alec wanted evvybody on his place dressed up dat day.  He sont his houseboy, Uncle Harris, down to de cabins evvy Sunday mornin’ to tell evvy slave to clean hisself up.  Dey warn’t never give no chance to forgit.  Dere was a big old room sot aside for a wash-room.  Folkses laughs at me now ’cause I ain’t never stopped takin’ a bath evvy Sunday mornin’.

“Marse Lordnorth Stephens was de boss on Marse Alec’s plantation.  Course Marse Alec owned us and he was our sho ’nough Marster.  Neither one of ’em ever married.  Marse Lordnorth was a good man, but he didn’t have no use for ’omans—­he was a sissy.  Dere warn’t no Marster no whar no better dan our Marse Alec Stephens, but he never stayed home enough to tend to things hisself much ’cause he was all de time too busy on de outside.  He was de President or somepin of our side durin’ de war.

“Uncle Pierce went wid Marse Alec evvy whar he went.  His dog, Rio, had more sense dan most folkses.  Marse Alec, he was all de time havin’ big mens visit him up at de big house.  One time, out in de yard, him and one of dem ’portant mens got in a argyment ’bout somepin.  Us chillun snuck up close to hear what dey was makin’ such a rukus ’bout.  I heared Marse Alec say:  ’I got more sense in my big toe dan you is got in your whole body.’  And he was right—­he did have more sense dan most folkses.  Ain’t I been a-tellin’ you he was de President or somepin lak dat, dem days?