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ROBERT HEARD                 0669-GEO/#229
     COURSE I 'MEMBERS ALL 'BOUT MARSTER AND MISTIS.  I WUZ GROWN AN' BIG NUFF T
O PICK OUT A 'OMAN FOR MYSE'F IN DE FUST YEAR OV DE WAR.  DEY WUZ 120 NIGGERS ON
DE PLACE WHAR I WUZ BORNED.  HIT BELONGED TO OLE GEN'L HEARD AN' HIT WUZ CLOST T
O WASHIN'TON.
     MY MAMMY DIED WHEN I WARN'T NOTHIN' BUT A LITTLE TROT ABOUT.  SHE WUZ NAME'
 SUSAN, AN' MY PA WUZ NAME' JOHN.  DE GEN'L WENT TO VIRGINNY AN' BOUGHT 'EM AN'
HAD 'EM SONT HOME IN BOXES WID CRACKS BIG  NUFF TO FEED 'EM THROUGH.  MISTIS GIV
E US OUR FUST NAMES AN' US TUCK DEY LAS' UN.
     US DIDN'T HAVE NO OVERSEER ON OUR PLANTATION.  GEN'L HEARD ALLUS LOOKED ART
ER HIS NIGGERS HISSEF TIL HE GOT TOO OLD AN' DEN HIS SON, MARS TOM, SEED ARTER '
EM.  I AIN'T NEVER SEED 'EM BEAT BUT ONE SLAVE AN' DAT WUZ CAZE HE GOT ROWDY DRU
NK.  DEY ALLUS GIVE US A NOTE TO DE PATTYROLLERS WHEN US WANTED TO GO SOMEWHERE.
     US WENT TO WORK 'BOUT A HALF HOUR BY SUN AN' QUIT AT DUSTY DARK.  DE MENS D
ONE FIEL' WUK AND DE WIMMINS MOSTLY HEPPED MISTIS 'BOUT DE HOUSE.  DEY WASHED, M
ILKED, MADE CANDLES, AN' WORKED IN DE SPINNIN' ROOM.  US DIDN'T HAVE TO BUY NOTH
IN' CAZE DEY WUZ EVATHING US NEEDED ON THE PLANTATION.
     ON SOME PLACES DE BOSSES KEP' NIGGER MENS AT STUD BUT GEN'L HEjRD jN'-MjS
TOM DIDN'T LOW NOBODY TO LIVE IN SIN ON DEY PLANTATION.  US WUZ ALL MARRIED BY A
 WHITE PREACHER, JUST LAK WHITE FOLKS.  US 'TENDED DE WHITE FOLKS' CHuRCH EVnR2S
UNDAY AN' SOT IN DE GAL'RY.  DEY WARN'T NO DANCIN' OR CYARD PLAYIN' IN GEN'L HEA
RD'S HOUSE.  HE SAID:  IF YOU SERVE THE LORD YOU HAVE NO TIME TO FIDDLE AND DANC
E.
     OLD MARSTER WUZ TOO OLD TO GO TO DE WAR BUT MARS TOM WENT AN' I HYEARD MIST
IS SAY HE GOT KILT AT DE SECOND MANASSAS.  MY UNCLE CHRIS WENT TO DE WAR WID MAR
S TOM AN' HE COME BACK WID ONLY ONE ARM.  HE SAY DE BLOOD ON SOME UV DEM BATTLE
FIEL'S COME UP TO DE TOP OF HIS BOOTS.
     GEN'L HEARD DIED WHILES DE WAR WUZ RAGIN' AN' OLE MISTIS COME OUT ON DE PO'
CH AN' TOLT US WE WUZ ALL FREE.  MOST ALL DE NIGGERS STAYED ON WID MISTIS ARTER
DE WAR AN' WORKED FOR FO'THS.  US USED HER MULES AN' TOOLS AN' SHE GIVE US RATIO
NS JUST LAK MARSTER HAD BEEN ADOIN' AFORE DEY WUZ AT WAR.  SHE WOULD UV BEEN POW
ERFUL RICH EF CONFEDERACY MONEY HADN'T UV BEEN SO WUTHLESS.  SHE HAD FOUR LOADS
UV IT HAULED OUTEN DE HOUSE AN' DUMPED IN A DITCH.
     AT CHRISTMAS TIME, US ALLUS HAD A BIG FROLIC WID MUSIC AN' DANCIN'.  US DAN
CED DE COTILLON AN' BEAT ON BUCKETS WID GOURDS FER MUSIC.  MARSTER GIVE US A LIT
TLE TODDY NOW AN' DEN AN' US HAD PLENTY UV IT AT CHRISTMAS.  DE FROLIC ALLUS HAD
 TO BUST UP AT MIDNIGHT CAZE MARSTER WOULD GIT OUT HIS HORSE PISTOLS AN' START S
HOOTIN' EF IT DIDN'T.  SOMETIMES US UD HAVE A SATIDY OFF AN' US UD ALL GO FISHIN
 OR HAVE A FROLIC.  CANDY PULLIN'S WUZ ALLUS DE BESTES KIND OF FUN.
     I AIN'T LAK MOS' OB DESE FLIBBET GIBBET NIGGERS.  I DON'T BELIEVE IN
HANTS AN' GHOSTES, BUT THEY'S SOME THINGS WHICH I DOES THINK IS SIGNS OF DEATH.
 EF SOMEBODY BRINGS A AXE IN DE HOUSE HITS A SHO SIGN.  YER BETTER WATCH WHEN A
COW LOWS ARTER DARK, OR A DOG BARKS AT DE MOON IN FRONT UV YER DO' OR EF YER SNE
EZES WHILES EATIN' CAZE HIT MOUT MEAN DAT DE DEATH ANGEL IS HANGIN' ROUN'.  EF S
OMEBODY IN DE HOUSE DIES YER BETTER STOP DE TICKIN' UV DE CLOCK AN' KIVER ALL DE
 LOOKIN' GLASSES WID WHITE CLOTH OR ELSE DEY'S LIABLE TO BE ANOTHER DEATH IN DE
FAM'LY.
     YER CAN TAKE DIS OR LEAVE IT, BUT WHUTEVER YER DOES, DON' NEVER TAKE ASHES
OUT DOORS ARTER DARK, CAZE HITS SHO TO BRING YER BAD LUCK.  NOW I DONE TOL' YER
ALL I KNOWS SO LET ME FINISH COOKIN' DIS YERE MESS OF VITTALS SO I KIN GIT BACK
TO DE COTTON PATCH.