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din' a horse. De graveyard was 100 yards from de road I wuz passin'. De moon was shinin' bright as day. I saw somethin' comin' out of dat graveyard. It come across de road, right befo' me. His tail were draggin' on de ground--a long tail. He had hair on both sides of him, layin' down on de road. He crep' up. I pull de horse dis way. He move too. I yell out: 'What in de name o' God is dat?' And it turn right straight around and went back to de graveyard. I went on to de lady's house and done my shoppin'. I tell you I wuz skeered, 'cause I was sho' I would see it going back, but I never saw it. De horse was turrible skeered of it. It looked like a Maryno sheep and it had a long, swishy tail." Uncle Willis was asked if he had ever seen a person "conjured" and he answered: "Dey is people in de worl' got sense enough to kill out de conjur in anybuddy, but nobuddy ever conjur me. I year 'um say, if a person conjur you, you'll git somethin' in you dat would kill you." Asked to what he attributed his long, healthy life, Willis raised his head with a preaching look and replied: "I tell you, Missis, 'zactly what I believe, I bin tryin' to serve God ever since I come to be a man of family. I bin tryin' to serve de Lawd 79 years, and I live by precept of de word. Until today nobuddy can turn me away from God business. I am a man studying my gospel, I ain't able to go to church, but I still keep serving God." [TR: Return visit] A week later Uncle Willis was found standing in his cabin door. "Do you want to ride to the old plantation to-day?" he was asked. His vitality was almost too low for him to grasp the invitation. "I'se mighty weak to-day," he said in a feeble voice. "I don't feel good for much." "Where is Aunt Rena?" he was asked. "Do you think she would mind your taking an automobile trip?" "She gone to town on de bus, to see de Fambly Welfare." "Have you had breakfast?" "I had some coffee, but I ain't eat none." "Well, come on, Uncle Willis. We'll get you some breakfast and then we'll take you to the plantation and take your picture in the place where you were born, 101 years ago." Uncle Willis appeared to be somewhat in a daze as he padlocked the cabin door, put on his "sundown" hat, took up his stout stick and tottered down the steps. He wore a frayed sweater with several layers of shirts showing at the cuffs. On the way he recalled the first railroad train that passed through Burke County
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