ey would be some niggers over in de corner ter play fer de dance, one
wid er fiddle an' one ter beat straws, an' one wid er banjo, an' one ter
beat bones, an' when de music 'ud start up (dey gener'ly played 'Billy
in de Low Grounds' or 'Turkey in de Straw') us 'ud git on de flo'. Den
de nigger whut called de set would say: 'All join hands an' circle to de
lef, back to de right, swing corners, swing partners, all run away!' An'
de way dem niggers feets would fly!"

"Bye an' bye de war come on, an' all de men folks had ter go an' fight
de Yankees, so us wimmen folks an' chillun had er hard time den caze us
all had ter look atter de stock an' wuk in de fiel's. Den us 'ud hear
all 'bout how de Yankees wuz goin' aroun' an' skeerin' de wimmen folks
mos' ter death goin' in dey houses an' making de folks cook 'em stuff
ter eat, den tearin' up an' messin' up dey houses an' den marchin' on
off."

"Den when ole Mistis 'ud hear de Yankees wuz comin' she'd call us
niggers en us 'ud take all de china, silver, and de joolry whut b'longed
ter ole Miss an' her family an' dig deep holes out b'hind de smoke-house
or under de big house, en bury h'it all 'tell de Yankees 'ud git by."

"Dem wuz dark days, but atter er long time de war wuz over an' dey tole
us us wuz free, I didn't want ter leave my white folks so I stayed on
fer sometime, but atter while de nigger come erlong whut I married. His
name wuz Tom Randolph an' befo' de war he b'longed ter Marse Joshua
Randolph, who lived at Jefferson, so den us moved ter Jefferson. Us had
thirteen chillun, but dey's all daid now an' my ole man is daid too, so
I'se here all by my se'f an' ef h'it warn't fer my two nieces here, who
lets me liv' wid 'em I doan know whut I'd do."

"I'se allus tried ter do de right thin' an' de good Lawd is takin' keer
uv me fer his prophet say in de Good Book, 'I'se been young and now am
ole, yet I'se nebber seed de righteous fersaken ner his seed beggin'
bread!' So I ain't worryin' 'bout sumpin' ter eat, but I doan want ter
stay here much longer onless h'its de good Lawds will."

Asked if she was superstitious, she said: "Well when I wuz young, I
reckin' I wuz, but now my pore ole mine is jes so tired and h'it doan
wuk lak h'it uster, so I never does think much 'bout superstition, but I
doan lak ter heer er "squinch owl" holler in de night, fer h'it sho is a
sign some uv yore folks is goin' ter die, en doan brin' er ax froo de
house onless yer take h'it back de s