Old Aunt Kizzie Colquitt, about 75 years old, was busily washing in her
neat kitchen. She opened the door and window frequently to let out the
smoke, saying: "Dis old wore out stove don't draw so good." Her hands
and feet were badly swollen and she seemed to be suffering.
"I'll be glad to tell all I kin 'member 'bout dem old times," she said.
"I wuz borned durin' de war, but I don't 'member what year. My pa wuz
Mitchell Long. He b'longed to Marster Sam Long of Elbert County. Us
lived on Broad River. My ma wuz Sallie Long, and she b'longed to Marster
Billie Lattimore. Dey stayed on de other side of Broad River and my pa
and ma had to cross de river to see one another. Atter de war wuz over,
and dey wuz free, my pa went to Jefferson, Georgia, and dar he died.
"My ma married some nigger from way out in Indiana. He promised her he
would send money back for her chillun, but us never heered nothin' from
'im no mo'. I wuz wid' my w'ite folks, de Lattimores, when my ma died,
way out in Indiana.
"Atter Marse Bob died, I stayed wid my old Missus, and slep' by her bed
at night. She wuz good to me, and de hardes' wuk I done wuz pickin' up
acorns to fatten de hogs. I stayed dar wid her 'til she died. Us had
plenty t'eat, a smokehouse filled wid hams, and all de other things us
needed. Dey had a great big fireplace and a big old time oven whar dey
baked bread, and it sho' wuz good bread.
"My old Missus died when I wuz 'bout 6 years old, and I wus sont to
Lexin'ton, Georgia, to live wid my sister. Dere wuz jus' da two of us
chilluns. Den us wukked every day, and went to bed by dark; not lak de
young folks now, gallivantin' 'bout all night long.
"When I wuz 'bout 14 I married and come to live on Dr. Willingham's
place. It wuz a big plantation, and dey really lived. When de crops wuz
all in and all de wuk done, dey had big times 'round dar.
"Dere wuz de corn shuckin' wid one house for de corn and another house
for de shucks. Atter all de shuckin' wuz done, dere wuz eatin' and
dancin'. And it wuz eatin' too! Dey kilt hogs, barbecued 'em, and
roasted some wid apples in dey mouf's to give 'em a good flavor, and
course a little corn likker went wid it. Dey had big doin's at syrup
makin' time too, but dat wuz hard wuk den. Makin' syrup sho' wuz a heap
of trouble.
"Later us lived wid de Johnson fambly, and atter my old man died, I come
to dis town wid de Johnsons. Dere wuz three chilluns, Percy, Lewis, and
a gal. I stayed wid 'em 'til de chilluns wuz all growed up and
eddicated. All my other w'ite folks is gone; my sister done gone too,
and my son; all de chillun dat I had, deys done daid too.
"Now I has to wash so I kin live. I used to have plenty, but times is
changed and now sometimes I don't have nothin' but bread, and jus' bread
is hard to git, heap of de time.
"I put in for one of dem old age pensions, but dey ain't give me nothin'
yet, so I jus' wuk when I kin, and hope dat it won't be long 'fore I has
plenty again."