back from refugin' wid de white folks, her feet were
jes' ready to buss open, and dat wuz all. You couldn't travel unless de
boss give you a pass. De Ku Klan had "patrol" all about in de bushes by
de side of de road at night. And when dey caught you dey'd whip you
almost to death! Dey'd horsewhip you. Dey didn't run away nowhere 'cause
dey knowed dey couldn't.

"If'n you wanted to send any news to anybody on another plantation, de
overseer'd write de message for you and send it by a boy to de overseer
of de other plantation, and he'd read it to de one you wrote to.

"When de war wuz over, ole man Jones cone over frum Georgia and sell
t'ings to de colored folks. He'd sell 'em everyt'ing. He took all de
colored folks' money!

"I learned to read when I wuz goin' to school when I wuz about fifteen
years old, but I learned most I know after I wuz married, at night
school, over on de Morrison place. De colored folks had de school, but
'course Mr. Morrison was delighted to know dey wuz havin' it. As for
church, in de olden times, people used to, more or less, attend under de
bush-arbor. In 1875 when I jined de church, ole man John Butler wuz de
preacher.

"Ghosts? I'se met plenty of um! When I wuz courtin' I met many a
one--One got me in de water, once. And another time when I wuz crossing
a stream, I wuz on de butt end of de log, an' dey wuz on de blossom end,
an' we meet jes' as close as I is to you now. I say to him, same as to
anybody, 'I sure ain't goin' to turn back, and fall off dis log. Now de
best t'ing for you to do is to turn 'round and let me come atter (after)
you. You jes' got to talk to 'em same as to anybody. It don't pay to be
'fraid of 'em. So he wheel 'round. (Spirits can wheel, you know.) And
when he get to de end of de log, I say, 'Now you off and I off. You kin
go on 'cross now.' Dey sure is a t'ing, all right! Dey look jes' like
anybody else, 'cept'n it's jes' cloudy and misty like it goin' to pour
down rain. But it don't do to be 'fraid of 'em. I ain't 'fraid of
nuttin', myself. I never see 'em no more. Guess I jes' sorta out-growed
'em. But dere sure is sech a t'ing, all right! De white folks'd see 'em,
too. I 'member hearin' ole Joe Bostick, de preacher, say to a man, by de
name of Tinlin, 'Did you hear dat hog barkin' last night? Well, de
spirit come right in de house. Come right up over de mantlepiece.' I wuz
in de field workin' same as I allus done, and I hear'd ole Joe horse a
snortin'. Ole Jo