"Dey had a big back log in de fireplace and a forestick and we put de wood in between. It was my job to take care of de dog irons. Dey was kept shinin’ with grease. De missus would say, "Marilda, grease de dog irons!’ I had to grease dem all over, too. I taken care of de children. Mother done everything. Dey had two cooks but both of dem done all kinds of work. Mother was de regular cook for Mrs. Hayes.
"Old Miss sold de other four children end sent ’em south. Mother and me brought $1,200. When I was nine or ten years old I was put up on de block to be sold. I ’member dat just as well. Hit was just a piece cut out of a log and stood on end. Dey was offered $600 but my mistress cried so much dat master did not sell me. Freedom come soon after dat.
"I often wish dat some of de younger race had lived through dat time. Dey wouldn’t have been so sassy and impudent as dey is now. De older people’d have done something ’bout it, too." (Marilda’s tone and facial expression left no doubt as to what the older people would have done.)
"Dey was a battle on Freeman up on Grand Prairie. Dat’s northwest of Williamsburg, up where de Mattocks and Harrisons lived. It was right where de Ridgeways and de Jones’s lived. Dey was fightin’ in de evening and dey fit all night. I took de baby upstairs on de porch and listened to de fighting. ’Rally once again, boys, rally once again!’ Boom! Boom! Bang! Bang! Boom!" (Marilda was equal to at least one army.)
"Dey walked in blood for miles! Dey took de best horses dat old master had. ’Bout 500 soldiers come to de house and ordered supper. Dere was a tall log smokehouse and dey went right up to de tip-top and got de hams. De middlin’s and de shoulders was lower but dey got de hams. De women worked all night and dey got through cooking ’bout daylight. What did dey cook? Why, dey fried ham, made biscuits, and fried eggs. If de soldiers wanted a chicken dey just killed it and someone cooked it for dem. I ain’t never seen no one have so many chickens. De soldiers cussed de slaves like dogs. Dey was de Union soldiers, de blue coats.
"When de soldiers come de men folks just got up and flew. Dey taken to de woods. De soldiers come to get master’s money and dey hunted everywhere. Dey asked me, ’Whar is de money?’ I say, ’I don’t know.’ Dey say, ’You know d—well you do! I’ve a notion to cut your throat!’ I knowed where it was ’cause I seen master when he done hid it but he told me he would whip me to death if I told and I thought de soldiers was foolin’ but master meant it. De soldier said: (Here it is necessary to delete some of the most colorful words.) ’She is one of de ... stubbornest little black ... I ever seen! I’ve a notion to cut her throat!’ (Marilda evidently enjoyed her reputation for ... stubbornness.) Another man say, ’Maybe she don’t know. Children don’t know things like dat. I wouldn’t hurt her.’ So dey went away. Dat was de truth, de children didn’t know everything den like dey does now. Dey knows too much now!