hter kept writing ter me ter come
home cause Jack wuz acting funny and she thought maybe he wuz losing his
mind. They wuz living in Thomasville then and every day he would go sit
round the store and laugh and talk, but jest as soon as night would come
and he would eat his supper them fits would come on him. He would squeal
jest lak a pig and he would get down on his knees and bark jest lak a
dog. Well, I come home and went ter see a old conjure doctor. He says
ter me, 'that boy is hurt and when you go home you look in the corner of
the mattress and you will find it. 'Sho nuff I went home and looked in
the corner of the mattress and there the package wuz. It wuz a mixture
of his hair and bluestone wrapped up in red flannel with new needles
running all through it. When I went back he says ter me, 'Emmaline, have
you got 8 dimes?' No, I said, but I got a dollar. 'Well, get that dollar
changed into 10 dimes and take 8 of 'em and give 'em ter me. Then he
took Jack in a room, took off his clothes and started ter rubbin him
down with medicine; all at the same time he wuz saying a ceremony over
him; then he took them 8 dimes, put 'em in a bag and tied them around
Jack's chest somewhere so that they would hang over his heart. 'Now,
wear them always,' says he ter Jack. Jack wore them dimes a long time
but he finally drunk 'em up anyway, that doctor cured him cause he sho
would a died."

The following aroma [HW: is a] few facts as related by Mrs. Heard
concerning an old conjure doctor known as Aunt Barkas [TR: Darkas
throughout rest of story].

"Aunt Darkas lived in McDonough, Ga. until a few years ago. She died
when she wuz 128 years old; but, chile, lemme tell you that 'oman knowed
just what ter do fer you. She wuz blind but she could go ter the woods
and pick out any kind of root or herb she wanted. She always said the
Lord told her what roots to get and always fore sun-up you would see her
in the woods with a short handled pick. She said she had ter pick 'em
for sun-up; I don't know why. If you wuz sick all you had ter do wuz go
ter see Aunt Darkas and tell her. She had a well and after listening to
your complaint she would go out there and draw a bucket of water and set
it on the floor, and then she would wave her hand over it and say
something. She called this healing the water. After this she would give
you a drink of water. As she hand it ter you, she would say, 'now drink,
take this and drink.' Honey, I had some of tha