I
can jus' see myself drinkin' now. Hit was so good. There was so many
black fo'ks to cook fuh that the cookin was done outdoors. Greens was
cooked in a big black washpot jus' like yo' boils clothes in now. An'
sometime they would crumble bread in the potlicker an give us spoons an
we would stan' roun' the pot an' eat. When we et our regular meals the
table was set under a chinaberry tree wid a oil cloth table cloth on
when dey called us to th' table they would ring the bell. But we didn'
eat out'n plates. We et out of gourds an had ho'made wood spoons. An' we
had plenty t'eat. Whooo-eee! Jus' plenty t'eat. Ol' master's folks
raised plenty o' meat an dey raise dey sugar, rice, peas, chickens,
eggs, cows an' jus' ev'ything good t'eat.
Ev'y ev'nin' at three 'clock ol' mistress would call all us litsy bitsy
chillun in an we would lay down on pallets an have to go to sleep. I can
hear her now singin' to us piccaninnies:
"Hush-a-bye, bye-yo'-bye, mammy's piccaninnies
Way beneath the silver shining moon
Hush-a-bye, bye-yo'-bye, mammy's piccaninnies
Daddy's little Carolina coons
Now go to sleep yo' little piccaninnies."
When I got big 'nough I nursed my mistress's baby.
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