country breakdowns
(dances), one night when I wuz young, I danced down seben big strong
mens, dey thought dey wuz sumpin'! Huh, I danced eb'ry one down!

"I uster play dolls wid de overseer's chillun, an' look fuh aigs, an'
tote in wood an' pick up chips. Us had good times togeder, all us little
niggers an' de little white chilluns. Us had two days at Chris'mus, an'
no work wuz done on de place of a Sunday. Everybody white an' black had
ter go ter Chu'ch. De overseer piled us all in de waggin an' took us
whether us wanted ter go or no. Us niggers set up in de loft (gallery),
an' de white folks wuz down in de Chu'ch too.

"Atter er while dey s'lected me out to be a housegirl an' den I slep' in
de big house. All de little niggers et in de white folks' kitchen out'n
er big tray whut wuz lak a trough. De cook put our victuals in de tray
an' gib us a spoon an' pone er bread a piece an' made us set 'roun' dat
tray an' eat all us wanted. 'Hit wuz good eatin', too.

"All durin' of de War my Marster wuz off fightin' an' de overseer wuz
hard on us. We wuz glad when Marster cum home er gin. De Yankees wuz
a-comin' an' Daddy Charles, he wuz a ole black man on de place, knowed
'bout Marster's money, an' he took hit all an' put it in er big box an'
went out in de night time an' buried hit 'way down deep in some thick
woods an' put leaves all over de place an' dem Yankees couldn't fin' hit
nowhar, an' dey went on off an' let us 'lone.

"My Ma wuz a 'spert spinner an' weaver, an' she spun an' wove things ter
be sont ter de Soldiers in de War. I 'members dat, her er spinnin' an'
dey say hit wuz fer de soldiers.

"Atter we wuz free I went ter school er mont'. I fit so wid all de
chillun I quit. Dey said I mustn't fight an' I knowed I couldn't git er
long widout fightin' so I jes' quit an' ain't never been ter no mo'
schools. My Marster said he wuz goin' ter have a school on de place fer
all his niggers, but freedom cum an' he didn't do hit.

"I mari'ed in my white folks' kitchen, mari'ed de fust time when I wuz
19 years ole. I been mari'ed two times an' had good husban's. Dey wuz
good ter me.

"Doctors? Doctors? I don't know nothin' 'bout no doctors! I ain't never
been sickly. Dis year (1936) I done had to have mo' ter do wid doctors
dan ever in my life. I'se gittin' now to whar I kain't walk lak I uster,
all crippled up in my laigs wid sumpin'.

"Ain't nobody lef' now but me an' one o' my six chillun. He lives up in
dat Phille