Small and forlorn looking as she lies in huge old-fashioned wooden backed bed, Mandy Hadnot of Woodville, Texas, appears very black in contrast to the clean white sheets, and a thick mop of snowy wool on her head. She has a wistful smile and seems eager to talk from sheer loneliness. Mandy's early years as slave and servant in the Slade home near Cold Springs, Texas, are recalled in detail by the invalid. The scar from a terrible burn in childhood seems to have become infected and Mandy's leg is now utterly useless. Her simple wants are tended to by her husband, Josh , to whom she has been married 13 years.

I's too small t' 'member my father cause he die w'en I jus' a baby. Dey was my mudder 'n' me 'n' d' ol' mistus 'n' marster on d' plantation. It w'ere mo' jus' a farm but dey raise all us need t' eat 'n' feed d' cows 'n' hosses. D' earlies' 'membrance I hab is w'en d' ol' marster drive in t' d' town fo' supplies ev'ry two weeks. Us place was right near Col' Springs. He was a good man. He treat dis little darky jus' like he own chile, cause he neber hab any chillen 'r' his own. I know 'bout d' time he comin' home w'en he go t' town 'n' I wait down by d' big gate. Purty soon I see d' big ox comin' 'n' see d' smoke from d' road dus' flyin'. Den I know he almos' home. Den I holler 'n' wave my han' 'n' he holler 'n' wave he han' right back. He alays brung me sumthin' jus' like I he own little gal. Sometime he brung me a whistle 'r' some candy 'r' doll 'r' sumpthin. One Easter he brung me d' purties' little hat I eber did see. It was straw wid little bitty flowers 'n' a big ribbon down d' back. I sho' was proud 'r' dat little hat specially w'en d' ol' mistus tuk me t' Sunday school wid her 'n' I spruce up in dat hat. Ev'ry Crissmus fo' ol' marster die he fix me up a Crissmus tree outn' d' woods. Dey put pop co'n on it t' trim it. Dey gib me sometime a purty dress 'r' shoes 'n' plenty candy 'n' maybe a big red apple. Dey hab a big san' pile fo' me t' play in but I neber git t' play wid any uder chillen. My mammy, Em'ly Budlo , she cook 'n' wash 'n' clean up d' mistus log cabin house. Atter d' ol' marster die dey bofe wuk in d' fiel' 'n' raise plenty veg'tabbles t' can 'n' eat. My tas' (task) was t' shell peas 'n' watch 'n' stir d' big cookin' pots on d' fireplace. My mistus hab lots 'r' com'ny (company). W'en she come in 'n' say, 'Mandy , shine up d' knife 'n' fo'k, 'n' put d' polish on d' pianny,' I alays happy cause I lub t' see folks come. Us hab chicken 'n' all kin's 'r' good t'ings. D' preacher man, he was a big jolly man, he come t' d' house 'bout one Sunday in ev'ry mont'. Sometime dey brung little w'ite chillen t' dinner. Den us play. 'Rabbit, rabbit, Jump fru' d' crack. 'n', 'Kitty, Kitty In d' corner, Meow, meow, Run, kitty, run. D' ol' marster pick me out a little gentle hoss name' Julie. Dat was my very own hoss. I ride it all 'roun' d' place. It was jus' a common little hoss. I uster sneak sugar outn' d' bah'rl t' feed Julie. Dey had a big smoke house on d' farm w'ere dey kep' all kin's 'r' good t'ings like sugar 'n' sich. Dey had fruits 'r' all kin's put up. Ev'ry mornin' d' ol' mistus tek out her big Bible 'n' put on her specktickles 'n' hab prayer meetin' jus fo' us t'ree. Us neber learn t' read much tho' she did try teach me some. She was a good ol' Baptis' lady. W'en I's 'bout nine year ol' she buy me a purty w'ite dress 'n' tek me t' jine d' chu'ch. I 'member she stan' up wid me. She was a little white hair' woman, fine, w'at neber los' her temper 'bout nuthin. She uster let me bump on her pianny 'n' didn' say nuthin'. She couldn' play d' pianny but she kinder hope maybe I could but I neber did learn how. I like music but I ain' got any in me. I uster sing real purty in d' chu'ch. W'en freedom come my mudder 'n' me pay no tenshion t' it. Us stay right on d' place. Purty soon my mudder die 'n' I jus' tek up her shoes. One day I's mekkin' a bonfire in d' yard 'n' kotch my dress on fire. D' whole side 'r' my lef' leg 'mos' bu'n off. Mistus was so little she couldn' lif' me but she fin'ly git me t' bed. Dere I stay fo' long, long time 'n' she wait on me han' 'n' feet. She mek linseed pollis' (poultice) 'n' kep' d' bu'n grease good. Mos' time she leabe all 'r' wuk stan' in d' middle 'r' d' flo' (floor) 'n' read d' Bible 'n' pray fo' me t' git heal up 'n' not suffer. She cry right 'long wid me w'en I cry cause I hurt so. W'en I's 16 year ol' I want t' hab cou'tin' (courting). Mistus 'low me t' hab d' boy come right t' d' big house t' see me. He come 2 mile' eb'ry Sunday 'n' us go t' Lugene Baptis' chu'ch. Den she hab nice Sunday dinner fo' bofe us. She let me go t' ice cream supper too. Dey didn' hab no freezer den, jus' a big pan in some ice. D' boys 'n' gals tek tu'ns 'bout stirrin' d' cream. It neber git real hard but stay kinder slushy. Dey serb (serve) cake at d' ice cream supper. Den us hab pie supper too. Whoeber buy d' gal's pie git t' eat it wid her. My ol' mistus she pay me money right 'long atter freedom but I too clos' t' spen' any.

Den w'en I 'cide t' marry Bob Thomas , she he'p me fix me a hope ches'. I buy goods fo' sheets 'n' slips 'n' table kivers 'n' one nice Sunday set dishes. Us marry right in d' parlor 'r' d' mistus house. D' w'ite man preacher marry us 'n' mistus she gib me 'way. Us fix d' room so purty wid yard flowers. Ol' mistus help me mek my weddin' dress outn' white lawn. I hab purty long black hair 'n' a veil wid a ribbon roun' d' front. D' weddin' feas' was strawberry ice cream 'n' yaller cake. Ol' mistus gib me my bedstead, one 'r' her purties' ones, 'n' d' set dishes 'n' glasses us eat d' weddin dinner outn'. My husban' gib me my trabblin' dress. I neber use dat dress fo' t'ree weeks tho' cause ol' mistus cry so w'en I hafter leabe dat I stay fo' t'ree weeks atter I marry. She all 'lone in d' big house 'n' I t'ink it bre'k her heart. Cause I ain' been gone t' d' sawmill town wid my husban' very long w'en she sen' fo' me. I go t' see her 'n' tek her a peach pie cause I lub her 'n' I know dat's w'at she like bettern' anyt'ing. She was sick den 'n' she say, 'Mandy , dis d' las' time us gwinter see each uder, cause I ain' gwinter git well. You be a good girl 'n' try t' git tr'oo d' worl' dat way.' Den she mek me say d' Lord Prayer fo' her jus' like she alays mek me say it fo' a night prayer w'en I little gal. I neber see her no mo. Me 'n' Bob Thomas 'n' dis husban' Josh , w'at I marry thu'teen year ago, hab 'bout ten chillen all togedder. Us been libe yere many a year. I don' care so much 'bout leabin' dis yearthly home cause I know I gwinter see d' ol' mistus up dere, 'n' I tell her I alays 'member w'at she tell me 'n' try libe dat way all time.

Mandy Hadnot, small and forlorn looking, as she lies in a huge, old-fashioned wooden bed, appears very black in contrast to the clean white sheets and a thick mop of snowy wool on her head. She does not know her ago, but from her appearance and the details she remembers of her years as slave in the Slade home, near Cold Springs, Texas, she must be very old. She lives in Woodville, Texas, with her husband, Josh, to whom she has been married 13 years.

I's too small to 'member my father, 'cause he die when I jus' a baby. Day was my mudder and me and de ole mistus and marster on de plantation. It were mo' jus' a fare, but dey raise us all we need to eat and feed de cows and hosses. De earlies' 'membrance I hab is when de ole marster drive into de town for supplies every two weeks. Us place was right near Col' Springs. He was a good man. He treat dis lil' darky jus' like he own chile, 'cause he never hab any chillen of his own. I know 'bout de time he comin' home when he go to town and I wait down by de big gate. Purty soon I see de big or coain' and see de smoke from de road dust flyin'. Den I know he almos' home and I holler and wave my han' and he holler and wave he han' right back. He allus brung me somethin', jus' like I he own little gal. Sometime he brung me a whistle or some candy or doll or somethin'. One Easter he brung me de purties' lil' hat I ever did see. My ole mistus took me to Sunday school with her and I spruce up in dat hat. Every Christmas 'fore ole marster die he fix me up a tree out de woods. Dey put popco'n on it to trim it and dey gimme sometime a purty dress or shoes and plenty candy and maybe a big, red apple. Dey hab a big san' pile for me to play in, but I never play with any other chillen. My mammy, Emily Budle, she cook and clean up mistus log house cabin. After de ole marster die dey both work in de fiel' and raise plenty vegetables to can and eat. My task was to shall peas and watch and stir de big cookin' pots on de fireplace. My mistus have lots of company. When she come in and say. 'Mandy, shine up de knife and fork and put de polish on de pianny, I allus happy, 'cause I lub to see folks come. Us hab chicken and all kinds of good things. De preacher, he was big, jolly man, he come to de house 'bout one Sunday in every month. Sometime dey brung lil' white chillen to dinner. Den us play 'Rabbit, rabbit, Jump fru' de crack and 'Kitty, kitty. In de corner. Moow, moow, Run, kitty, run. De ole marster pick me out a lil', gentle hoss named Julie and dat was my very own hoss. It was jus' a common lil' hoss. I uster sneak sugar out de barrel to reed Julie. Dey had a big smokehouse on de farm where dey kep' all kin's of good things like sugar and sich. Dey had fruits of all kin's put up. Every mornin' de ole mistus took out de big Bible and had prayer meetin' for jus' us three. Us never learn read much, tho' she try teach me some. When I's 'bout nine year ole she buy me a purty white dress and took me to jine de church. She was a little, white -hair' woman, what never los' her temper 'bout nothin'. She use' to let me bump on her planny and didn' say nothin'. She couldn' play de planny but she kinder hope maybe I could, out I never did learn now. When freedom come my mudder and me pay no 'tention to it. Us stay right on de place. Purty soon my mudder die and I jus' took up her shoes. One day I's makin' a bonfire in de yard and ketch my dress on fire. De whole side of my lef' leg nos' bu'n off. Mistus was so lil' she couldn' lif' me but the fin'ly git me to bed. Dere I stay for long, long time, and she wait on me han' and feet. She make linseed poultice and kep' de bu'n grease good. Mos' tine she leave all de wo'k stan' in de middle of de floor and read de Bible and pray for me to git heal up and not suffer. She cry right 'long with me when I cry, 'cause I hurt so. When I's 16 year ole I want to hab courtin'. Mistus 'low me to hab de boy come right to de big house to see me. He come two mile every Sunday and us go to Lugene Baptist church. Den she hav nice Sunday dinner for both us. She let me go to ice cream supper, too. Dey didn' hab no freezer den, jus' a big pan in some ice. De boys and girls took tu'ns stirrin' de cream. It never git real ha'd but stay kinder slushy. Dey serve cake. Us hav pie supper, too. Whoever git de girl's pie eat it with her. My ole mistus she pay me money right 'long after freedom but I too close to spen' any. Den when I 'cide to marry Bob Thomas , she he'p me fix a hope ches'. I buys goods for sheets and table kivers and one nice Sunday set dishes. Us marry right in de parlor of de mistus house. De white man preacher marry us and mistus she give me 'way. Ole mistus he'p me make my weddin' dress outta white lawn. I hab purty long, black hair and a veil with a ribbon 'round de fron'. De weddin' feas' was strawberry ice cream and yaller cake. Ole mistus giv me my bedstead, one of her purtiest ones, and do set dishes and glasses us eat de weddin' dinner outta. My husban' gib me de trabblin' dress, but I never use dat dress for tree weeks, though, 'cause ole mistus cry so when I hafter leave dat I stay for three weeks after I marry. She all 'lone in de big house and I think it break her heart. I ain' been gone to de sawmill town very long when she sen' for me. I go to see her and took a peach pie, 'cause I lub her and I know dat's what she like better'n anything. She was sick and she say, 'Mandy, dis de las' time us gwineter see each other, 'cause I ain' gwineter git well. You be a good girl and try to git through de worl' dat way.' Den she make me say de Lord Prayer for her jus' like she allus make me say it for a night prayer when I lil' gal. I never see her no mo'. Me and Bob Thomas and dis husban', Joah, what I marry thirteen year ago, hab 'bout 10 chillen all togedder. Us been lib here many a year. I don' care so much 'bout leavin' dis earthly hone, 'cause I knows I gwinster see de ole mistus up dere and I tell her I allus 'member what she tell me and try lib dat way all time.