we
wuz standin' in de fiel's leanin' on our hoes waitin' fer daylite en
waitin' fer de horn ter blow so we would start ter wuk. Ef'n we
wan'ed ter go ter any place we had ter hab a pass wid our Marster's
name on hit en ef you didn' hab hit, you got tore ter pieces en den
you Marster tore you up w'en you got home."

"One story mah daddy useter tell us wuz 'bout a slave named Pommpy. He
wuz allus prayin' fer de good Lawd ter tek 'im 'way. One nite he wuz
down on his 'nees prayin', "Good Lawd, kum en tek po Pommpy out ob his
misery." De Marster ob Pommpy 'year'd 'm en de Marster made a leetle
noise en Pommpy seze, "Who ez dat?" En his Marster seze, "Hits de Lawd
kum ter tek po Pommpy out ob his misery." Pommpy crawl under de bed en
seze, "Pommpy has bin gon' two er three days."

"'Nurther story: A partridge en a fox 'greed ter kil' a beef. Dey kilt
en skinned hit. B'fo dey divide hit de fox said, "Mah wife seze sen'
her sum beef fer soup," so he tuck a piece ob hit en carried hit down
de hill, den kum back en said mah wife wants mo' beef fer soup. He kep
dis up 'til all de beef wuz gon' 'cept de libber. De fox kum back en
de partridge seze now lets cook dis libber en both ob us eat hit. De
partridge cooked de libber, et hits part rite quick, en den fell ovuh
lak hit wuz sick; de fox got skeered en said dat beef ez pizen en he
ran down de hill en started bringin' de beef back en w'en he brought
hit all back, he lef' en de partridge had all de beef."

"Don't member much now 'bout de Klu Klux Klan en nothin' 'bout slave
'risings at any place. I don' member 'bout de sta'rs fallin', but I
did see de comet, en hit looked lak a sta'r wid a long tail; atter
freedum, I nebber year'd ob no slave gettin' land er money en I dunno
nothin' 'bout de slave mart 'yer fer I didn' git ter kum ter town."

"Since freed, I hab nussed, cooked en don' diff'unt things. I wuk'ed
fer one family fifteen y'ars en didn' miss a day. I has stayed at dis
place fer de las' five y'ars. I had a stroke en wuz in de hospit'l a
long time. I cain' git out; en 'roun' 'yer in de house, I has ter walk
wid a stick."

"I ain' nebber voted. One day sum men kum 'yer ter tek me ter vote. I
tole dem w'en I got ready ter be a man, I would put on overalls."

"I'se a member ob de Missionary Baptist Chuch. I ain' bin fer a long
time kaze I ain' able ter go. De ole song I members ez "Dixie Land,"
en "Run Nigger Run, de Pat-a rollers Will Git You."

"Oh Lawdy! I think