there as waiter. At the end of the season we both came home, and
rented a lodging-house, and lost money on it.




REMINISCENCES


The times changed from slavery days to freedom's days. As young as I
was, my thoughts were mystified to see such wonderful changes; yet I
did not know the meaning of these changing days. But days glided by,
and in my mystified way I could see and hear many strange things. I
would see my master and mistress in close conversation and they seemed
anxious about something that I, a child, could not know the meaning
of.

But as weeks went by, I began to understand. I saw all the slaves one
by one disappearing from the plantation (for night and day they kept
going) until there was not one to be seen.

All around the plantation was left barren. Day after day I could run
down to the gate and see down the road troops and troops of Garrison's
Brigade, and in the midst of them gangs and gangs of negro slaves who
joined with the soldiers, shouting, dancing and clapping their hands.
The war was ended, and from Mobile Bay to Clayton, Ala., all along
the road, on all the plantations, the slaves thought that if they
joined the Yankee soldiers they would be perfectly safe.

As I looked on these I did not know what it meant, for I had never