their morning bite. Very often some young fellow ate his morning bite
the evening before at supper and would have nothing for the morning,
going without eating until noon. The stop for morning bite was very
short; then all would plunge into work until mid-day, when all hands
were summoned to their principal meal.

* * * * *

CARDING AND SPINNING.

Through the winter and on rainy days in summer, the women of the field
had to card the wool and spin it into yarn. They generally worked in
pairs, a spinning wheel and cards being assigned to each pair, and while
one carded the wool into rolls, the other spun it into yarn suitable for
weaving into cloth, or a coarse, heavy thread used in making bridles and
lines for the mules that were used in the fields. This work was done in
the cabins, and the women working together alternated in the carding and
spinning. Four cuts were considered a task or day's work, and if any one
failed to complete her task she received a whipping from the madam. At
night when the spinners brought their work to the big house I would have
it to reel. The reel was a contrivance consisting of a sort of wheel,
turned on an axis, used to transfer the yarn from the spools or
spindles of the spinning wheels into cuts or hunks. It was turned by
hand and when enough yarn had been reeled to make a cut the reel
signaled it with a snap. This process was continued until four cuts were
reeled which made a hunk, and this was taken off and was ready for use.
So the work went on until all was reeled. I often got very weary of this
work and would almost fall asleep at it, as it was generally done at
night after I had had a long day's toil at something else.