"My mammy come from Virginny. Her name was Harriet Brewer. My daddy was
my young Marster. His name was Marster George Brewer an' my mammy always
tol' me dat I was his'n. I knew dat dere was some dif'ence 'tween me an'
de res' o' her chillun, 'cause dey was all coal black, an' I was even
lighter dan I is now. Lawd, it's bean to my sorrow many a time, 'cause
de chillun used to chase me 'round an' holler at me, 'Old yallow
Nigger.' Dey didn' treat me good, neither.

"I stayed in de house mos' o' de time wid Miss Emmaline. Miss
Emmaline's hair was _dat_ white, den. I loved her' cause she was so good
to me. She taught me how to weave an' spin. 'Fore I was bigger'n a
minute I could do things dat lots o' de old han's couldn' come nigh
doin'. She an' Marse Bill had 'bout eight chillun, but mos' of 'em was
grown when I come 'long. Dey was all mighty good to me an' wouldn' 'low
nobody to hurt me.

"I 'members one time when dey all went off an' lef' me wid a old black
woman call Aunt Ca'line what done de cookin' 'round de place some o' de
time. When dey lef' de house I went in de kitchen an' asked her for a
piece o' white bread lak de white folks eat. She haul off an' slap me
down an' call me all kin' o' names dat I didn' know what dey meant. My
nose bled an' ruint de nice clean dress I had on. When de Mistis come
back Marse George was wid 'er. She asked me what on earth happen to me
an' I tol' 'er. Dey call Ca'line in de room an' asked her if what I say
was de truf. She tell 'em it was, an' dey sent 'er away. I hear tell dat
dey whup her so hard dat she couldn' walk no mo'.

"Us never had no big fun'als or weddin's on de place. Didn' have no
marryin' o' any kin'. Folks in dem days jus' sorter hitched up together
an' call deyse'ves man an' wife. All de cullud folks was buried on what