de
wedding and de feast de white folks danced all night and us cullud
folks ate all night.

When one of de cullud folks die we would allers hold a "wake." We
would set up with de corpse and sing and pray and at midnight we'd all
eat and den we'd sing and pray some more.

In de evening after work was done we'd sit round and de older folks
would sing songs. One of de favorites was:

"Miss Ca'line gal,
Yes Ma'am
Did you see dem buzzards?
Yes Ma'am,
Did you see dem floppin',
How did ye' like 'em?
Mighty well.

"Miss Ca'line gal,
Yes Ma'am,
Did you see dem buzzards?
Yes Ma'am,
Did you see dem sailin',
Yes Ma'am.
How did you like 'em?
Mighty well."

I've heered folks talk about conjures and hoodoo charms. I have a hoss
shoe over de door dat will bring good luck. I sho' do believe certain
things bring bad luck. I hate to hear a scrinch (screech) owl holler
at night. Whenever a scrinch owl git in dat tree at night and start to
holler I gits me a stick and I say, "Confound you, I'll make yet set
up dar and say 'Umph huh'," so I goes out and time I gits dar he is
gone. If you tie a knot in de corner of de bed sheet he will leave, or
turn your hat wrong side out too. Dey's all good and will make a
scrinch owl leave every time.

I believes in dreams and visions too. I dreamed one night dat I had
tall palings all 'round my house and I went out in de yard and dere
was a big black hoss and I say, "How come you is in my yard? I'll jest
put you out jest lak you got in." I opened de gate but he wouldn't go
out and finally he run in de door and through the house and went
towards de East. Right after dat my son died. I saw dat hoss again de
other night. A black hoss allus means death. Seeing it de other night
might mean I'se gwineter die.

I know one time a woman named May Runnels wanted to go to church about
a mile away and her old man wouldn't go with her. It made her mad and
she say, "I'll be dammed if I don't go." She had to go through a grave
yard and when she was about half way across it a icy hand jest slap
her and her mouth was twisted way 'round fer about three months. Dat
was a lesson to her fer cussing.

One time there was a nigger what belonged on a adjoining farm to
Master John Bookers and dey told us dis story:

"Dis nigger went down to de spring and found a terrapin and he say,
'What brung you here?' Jest imagine how he felt when it say to him,