l away.
De reason I shakes lak I does, one day I was in de yard and somepin
cotch me. It helt fast to my footses, den I started to shake all over,
and I been shakin' ever since. A white 'oman gimme some white soap, and
evvy mornin' I washes myself good wid dat soap 'fore I puts on my
clothes."

Leaving the kitchen, Addie entered the front room which serves as a
bedroom. "Lawdy, Missy!" she exclaimed, "Does you smell dat funny scent?
Oh, Good Lawd! Jus' look at dem white powders on my doorstep! Let me git
some hot water and wash 'em out quick! Now Missy, see how dese Niggers
'round here is allus up to deir meanness? Dere's a man in de udder room
bilin' his pizen right now. I has to keep a eye on him all de time or
dis here old Nigger would be in her grave. I has to keep somepin hot all
de time to keep off dem conjure spells. I got three pids of pepper most
ready to pick, and I'se gwine to tie 'em 'round my neck, den dese here
spells folkses is all de time tryin' to put on me won't do me no harm."

Addie now lowered her voice to a stage whisper. "I found a folded up
piece of white paper under our back doorstep dis very mornin'. Bless
your life, I got a stick from de kitchen quick and poked it in a crack
in de steps and got it out 'fore I put my foots down on dem steps. I sho
did."

Here Addie reverted to her story of the plantation. "Old Marster was
mighty good to his Niggers," she said. When any of 'em got sick Old Miss
sont to town for him, and he allus come right out and fetched a doctor.
Old Miss done her very best for Pappy when he was tuk sick, but he died
out jus' de same. Pappy used to drive a oxcart and, when he was bad off
sick and out of his haid, he hollered out: 'Scotch dat wheel! Scotch dat
wheel!' In his mind, he was deep in de bad place den, and didn't know
how to pray. Old Miss, she would say: 'Pray, Pete, Pray.' Old Miss made
a heap of teas from diff'unt things lak pennyroyal, algaroba wood,
sassafras, flat tobacco, and mullein. Us wore rabbits foots, little bags
of asfiddy (asafetida), and garlic tabs 'round our necks to keep off
mis'ries. I wishes I had a garlic tab to wear 'round my neck now.

"One day Old Miss called us togedder and told us dat us was free as jay
birds. De Niggers started hollerin': 'Thank de Lawd, us is free as de
jay birds.' 'Bout dat time a white man come along and told dem Niggers
if he heared 'em say dat again he would kill de last one of 'em. Old
Miss axed us to stay on wid