ne in de reading books. Young'uns
saying 'yes' and 'no' is jest plain ugly. It suits me to meet nice
folks, and when I finds dat dey ain't got mannerableness about dem, den
I concludes dat dey jest ain't nice.

"I gwine to dress up tonight and go to preaching at Mt. Zion. Dey done
already started running meeting dar. I used to preach amongst dem at de
big meetings, but I is retracting now.

"My old marse low to us, 'You is free now, yes sir, you is sho free
niggers now. You is gwine out into de world on your own. Let me tell you
dis: If you be's mannerable you will allus come out more dan conqueror.'
I was young den, and I did not know what 'more dan conqueror' meant
den. I is larn't now what it means. Thank God, I does, fer his telling
me dat. I lays to de fact dat de reason I is never been in jail is dat I
allus had manners. Young'uns acts biggety and den dey lands right
straight in de first jail dar is.

"I sho never went to no war, but I worked at de house in de corn field
a-raising corn fer de war hosses. I been in only two states, North and
South Carolina. I travels jest according to common sense: lets other
folks be my guide. I met up wid Indians; dey wanted to claim kin wid me,
but I wouldn't claim kin wid dem. He tell me bout my high cheeks or
something; den he low something 'bout my nose being long. Dey close
thinking people, dem Indians is. Dey don't fergit nothing. He say he see
I is mixed-up, but I never is knowed jest what he was driving at. I told
him I was teached from de old generation, but dat dar wasn't narry drop
of Indian blood in me. Cherokee Creek whar dat old Indian place is. Dey
has all kinds of things to sell dat dey makes. I ain't no Indian and I
does not feel dat way, no sir, not narry bit does I feel like I is a
Indian.

"My mother died when I was a wee baby. Never is had no brothers or
sisters. She left me wid her marster dat owned her mother, Kissy Sims.
Marse Starke helped my granny to raise me. Kissy come from Virginia. Her
Pa let a man buy her and three other chilluns. Marse Starke raised dem
all up and dats how dey got his name.

"Dis here man standing here by me is Zack Herndon. We is de oldest
niggers in Cherokee County dat I knows of. De other old ones is all dead
now. Oh, you knows him, does you Zack?

"Never did so awful much work when I was coming up. Dey was priming me
and training me. When dey call my name, I allus come. Often I hid myself
to see de bad niggers whipped.