Porter, and Miles Porter. Did we dance? Square dance. Then if somebody
been wantin' to marry they step over the broom and it be nounced they
married. You can't get nobody--colored folks I mean--to step over a
broom; they say it bad luck. If it fall and they step over they step
back. They say if somebody sweep under your feet you won't marry that
year. Folks didn't visit round much. They had some place to go they went
but they had to work. They work together and done mighty little--idle
vistin'. Folks took the knitting long visting lest it be Sunday.

"White women wouldn't nurse their own babies cause it would make their
breast fall. They would bring a healthy woman and a clean woman up to
the house. They had a house close by. She would nurse her baby and the
white baby, too. They would feed her everything she wanted. She didn't
have to work cause the milk would be hot to give the babies. Dannie and
my brother Bradford, and Mary my sister and Miss Maggie nursed my mama.
Rich women didn't nurse their babies, never did, cause it would cause
their breast to be flat.

"My papa was the last slave to die. Mama died twelve months fore he
died. I was born after freedom but times changed mighty little mama and
papa said. Grandma learned me to cut doll dresses and Miss Cornelia
learned me to sew and learned Aunt Joe (a ex-slave Negro here in town)
to play Miss Betty's piano. She was their house girl. Yes ma'am, when I
was small girl she was bout grown. Aunt Joe is a fine cook. Miss
Cornelia learnt her how. I could learned to played too but I didn't want
to. I wanted to knit and crochet and sew. Miss Cornelia said that was my
talent. I made wrist warmers and lace. Sister Mary would spin. She spun
yarn and cotton thread. They made feather beds. Picked the geese and
sheared the sheep. I got my big feather bed now.