nvinced him and he let me fix the medicine for him. I put him ter bed
and made the poultice, then I put it ter his side. Now this 'oman said
no one was ter take it off the next morning but me. I was suppose ter
fix three, one each night, and after taking each one off ter bury it lak
dead folks is buried, east and west, and ter make a real grave out of
each one. Well, when I told him not ter move it the next morning, but
let me move it, he got funny again and wanted to know why. Do you know I
had ter play lak I could move it without messing up my bed clothes and
if he moved it he might waste it all. Finally he said he could call me
the next morning. Sho nuff, the next morning he called me, ma! ma! come
take it off. I went in the room and he wuz smiling. I slept all night
long he said, and I feel so much better. I'm so glad, I said, and do you
know he could reach down and fasten up his shoe and it had been a long
time since he could do that. Later that day I slipped out and made my
first grave under the fig bush in the garden. I even put up head boards,
too. That night Albert said, 'Mama, fix another one. I feel so much
better.' I sho will, I said. Thank God you're better; so for three
nights I fixed poultices and put ter his side and each morning he would
tell me how much better he felt. Then the last morning I was fixing
breakfast and he sat in the next room. After while Albert jumped up and
hollered, 'Ma! Ma!' What is it, I said. 'Mama, that knot is gone. It
dropped down in my pants.' What! I cried. Where is it? Chile, we looked
but we didn't find anything, but the knot had sho gone. Der 'oman had
told me ter come back when the knot moved and she would tell me what
else ter do. That same day I went ter see her and when I told her she
just shouted, 'I fixed 'em the devils!' Now, says she, do you where you
can get a few leaves off a yellow peachtree. It must be a yellow peach
tree, though. Yes, mam, I says to her. I have a yellow peachtree right
there in my yard. Well, she says, get a handful of leaves, then take a
knife and scrape the bark up, then make a tea and give him so it will
heal up the poison from that knot in his side, also mix a few jimson
weeds with it. I came home and told him I wanted ter give him a tea. He
got scared and said, what fer, Ma? I had ter tell him I wuz still
carrying out the doctor's orders. Well, he let me give him the tea and
that boy got well. I went back to Mrs. Hirshpath and told her my son