owed Marse Robert Clowney in politics, wore a red shirt, and
voted for him to go to de Legislature. Him was 'lected dat time but
never cared for it no more.

"Adeline b'long to de church. Always after me to jine but I can't
believe dere is anything to it, though I believes in de law and de Ten
Commandments. Preacher calls me a infidel. Can't help it. They is maybe
got me figured out wrong. I believes in a Great Spirit but, in my time,
I is seen so many good dogs and hosses and so many mean niggers and
white folks, dat I 'clare, I is confused on de subject. Then I can't
believe in a hell and everlastin' brimstone. I just think dat people is
lak grains of corn: dere is some good grains and some rotten grains. De
good grains is res'rected, de rotten grains never sprout again. Good
people come up again and flourish in de green fields of Eden. Bad people
no come up. Deir bodies and bones just make phosphate guano, 'round de
roots of de ever bloomin' tree of life. They lie so much in dis world,
maybe de Lord will just make 'lie' soap out of them. What you think else
they would be fit for?"

Project #1655
Martha S. Pinckney
Charleston, S. C.

FOLKLORE
Approx. 660 words

INTERVIEW WITH EX-SLAVE
Age 88-90

Mary Frances Brown is a typical product of the old school of trained
house servants, an unusual delicate type, somewhat of the Indian cast,
to which race she is related. She is always clean and neat, a refined
old soul, as individuals of that class often are. Her memory, sight and
hearing are good for her advanced age.

"Our home Marlboro. Mas Luke Turnage was my
master--Marlboro-Factory-Plantation name 'Beauty Spot'. My missis was
right particular about neat and clean. She raise me for a house girl. My
missis was good to me, teach me ebbery ting, and take the Bible and
learn me Christianified manners, charity, and behaviour and good
respect, and it with me still.

"We didn't have any hard times, our owners were good to us--no over
share (overseer) and no whippin'--he couldn't stan' that. I live there
'til two year after freedom; how I come to leave, my mother sister been
sick, and she ask mother to send one of us, an she send me. My mother
been Miss Nancy cook. Miss Nancy was Mas Luke's mother--it take me two
years learning to eat the grub they cook down here in Charleston. I had
to learn to eat these little piece of meat--we had a dish full of meat;
the big smoke house was lined from the top