Whatever she wanted, she went and got
it, and they didn't have no times for issuing out.
Social Affairs--Corn Shuckings, Quiltings and Dances
The biggest time I remember on the plantations was corn shucking time.
Plenty of corn was brought in from the cribs and strowed along where
everybody could get to it freely. Then they would all get corn and shuck
it until near time to quit. The corn shucking was always at night, and
only as much corn as they thought would be shucked was brought from the
cribs. Just before they got through, they would begin to sing. Some of
the songs were pitiful and sad. I can't remember any of them, but I can
remember that they were sad. One of them began like this:
"The speculator bought my wife and child
And carried her clear away."
When they got through shucking, they would hunt up the boss. He would
run away and hide just before. If they found him, two big men would take
him up on their shoulders and carry him all around the grounds while
they sang. My mother told me that they used to do it that way in slave
time.
Dances
They didn't dance then like they do now all hugged up and indecent. In
them days, they danced what you call square dances. They don't do those
dances now, they're too decent. There were eight on a set.
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