The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1895-02-23
IN SLAVERY DAYS.
Pleasant Recouectione of Old.
Maun JiuoV; Ann.
The Aged Negress Tells Of the Good
Times Before the War and Conn
plains Of Her Conditiou -
Free Woman.

length Of arm, while her slimness IL
most conspicuous in those por tions OF
the female form usually full and
rounded. Her feet have an uncomfortr
able way of seeming to hit each other
when she walks. Maum Jincy Ann is
fond OF talking about herself. One
morning while chopping out the cotton
in the newly-cleared patch near her
cabin door, middle Georgia, she de-
ivered herself to me in this fashion,
writes correspondent Of the Philadel-
phia Times: "Yes, was born in Geor-
gle. Cindy and 'Nerva dey ant no true
'nuff sisters to me, kase Cindy, she
born when my mammie had she happy
up here on de True Blue plantation;
den 'Nerva she cum long, arter de
colonel done fotch my mammie back
into Souf Car'lina. You see! My daddie
he done b1ong cross de George line,
and he livin' dar right now if he amt
done dead, please God! My old mistis
yere on de ole state road she TEX . tack
(became attached to me when I was q
leetle gal an tex me away from my
mammie and l always staid right by
her--a fannin' OF her, when she'd TEX
her rest in de hot artern0on, . gittin'
her .. cool drink an sieh like. She
never could eat nuthin' tall lest stan
right behind her chair; al ssse .arc
me to piece de quilt patch! Look . here!
but dat was stirrla' oman! an she
larn dem gals to work, too; she not like
some oh de udder buckra.
"When dem two girls o hern gwine
marry, low dey had as much as TWEEN.
ty quilt apiece, an some ON 'em real
fine, same like bought quilt right de
sto'. l tell you dem was no half-cut
people; dey know what was what
When wuz done growed tok de keys.
same like mistis, when she's go Oft to
two an three days meetin'. An de
crowd O. people what would set round
dat big, table Sundays an big meetin
days! Look here! Sometimes mos de
whole settlement would come home
long o. my mistis, 'kase der knowed she
had sech a good hand wild ebery ting.
She and Miss Shooter, dey could mex
de best bread on dat road up an down,
an when dare was comp'ny l tell you
dere was movin' round an Rxin' things
ebery which-a-way, sho's as you bern.
We was feed in slave times better dan
any OBJ de colored people bout here.
Dey say de folks on dc mex place to US
usen to be sent to der peach tree for
der breakfas', but dat man what owned
dem people was one oh desc reg'lar old
mousers! {misers). He didn't bleeve in
spendin' no money tall, and when de
Yankees come he put all de money un-
derneath the ole woman cause she
was sick der save 1t ebery bit.
''ln de Christmas times we all had
'nouf. an more dan 'nouf to eat an
trow 'way. We war all lowed to raise
our own turkeys an tings, an cen de
time what fine to do we
had wild de cracklins an de chittlins
an all de trimmins! l tell you dem
was times. An we raise dem big Gala
bash gourd an sto' way de sausage
jist as sweet, wild de lard a-coolin' on
de top. Young mauser he always usen
to come to my house to eat de 'possum
serve up with de sweet tater all round,
in de gravy so rich like;
'nouf to make your mouf water right
now. Den a'ter all was done he usen
to drap a quarter cen my ham an say:
Tank you, maumer,' SO perlite an gem
tleman like. De slave time was good
nouf for me; but now hab for jump
In de cotton patch an hoe an chop
from TO day till de sun clean gone
down; and de -four bread cum scarce
AM high, an my leg ache till fair ft
TO fall down, ies' a-stirrin' an, n-stirrin'
till bout to git de spring halt. Use a
lookin' for the Lord to call me any
day, an Use glad Use born to die, an
Use Jet goin' to keep on a-watchin'
an a-prayin', for dere's no knowin'
when de Savior will repair. / low
not to be a-nappin' when He come,
,cusin' He come in de night time.
Here, limbo! to her youngest
cum mind de guinea an keep
lem young turkey from trailin' OF!
Ant you know dem young ting mighty
1uick to ketch der def? Dat boy is q
smart chile" she continued, ''scusin' he
70 love to play an fool Dey low he
lone lick out every boy what goes to
Mill. He done beat Uncle Jake's boy,
Boston; an dat Boston kin butt same
ike ram. ALI o. dat johnson fam'bly
Gin butt more'n any niggersI ebersee
lis side O. kingdom come!
.Weu, de sun mus be mos git to
;welve. Time to knock of and dx. de
,tirabout for dem chillunis dinner"