I WAS A SLAVE: Book 3: The Lives of Slave Women

 
CHENEY CROSS: “I was brung up right in de house wid my white folks. Yessum, I slep’ on de little trundler bed what pushed up under de big bed, in durinst de day. I watched over dem chillun day an’ night. I washed ’em an’ fed ’em an’ played wid ’em. Gran’mammy an’ Mammy wove de cloth for de hands’ [field hands = field slaves] clothes. ... I was allus [always] dressed in white clothes all frill’ up wid starch an’ ribbon an’ sich [such]. Us had our shoes store bought... Field hands gone barefoot, ’ceptin’ in de winter, an’ den dey had to prepare dey own shoes. Dat was de way it went. You had to prepare for youself an’ if you ain’t hab de head to do dat, den you went widout. Dey had a hard time. I don’t see how dey manage, but I allus say de Lawd [Lord] was wid ’em.”