urt room
wuz jammed wid peeple. De Jedge tole me ter hold my right hand up, I
wuz so skeered I stuck both hands up. Jedge sezs, "Frankie ez dat yo
mammy?" I sezs, "I dunno, she sezs she ez." (W'at did I know ob a
mammy dat wuz tuk fum me at six weeks ole). He sezs, "Wuz yo Marster
good ter you?" I sezs, "Mah Missis wuz, but mah Marster wasn't--he
whup'd me." De Jedge said, "Whar did he whup you?" I tole him on mah
back. He sezs, "Frankie, ez you laughin'?" I sezs, "No, sir." He said
ter mah mammy, "Lucindia tek dis chile en be good ter her fer she has
b'en mistreated. Sum day she can mek a livin' fer you." (En thank de
Lawd I did keep her in her ole days en wuz able ter bury her.) At dat
time money wuz called chin plaster en w'en I lef' out ob de court room
diff'ent peeple gib me money en I had mah hat almos' full. Dat was de
only money I had gib ter me.

I nussed Miss Sadie Pope Fall; she ma'ried Mat Gardner. I also nussed
Miss Sue Porter Houston. I den wuk'd at de Bline Schul.

De fust pa'r ob shoes I eber had wuz atter I kum ter Nashville. Dey
had high tops en wuz called bootees. I had sum red striped socks wid
dem.

De ole songs I member:

"De Ole Time 'ligion."
"I'm Goin' ter Join de Ban."

W'en dey would sing deze songs hit would almos' mek you ha'r stand up
on yo haid, de way dem peeples would jump en shout!

I member w'en sum ob de slaves run 'way durin' slavery.

I dunno any tales; mah mammy wasn't a 'oman ter talk much. Maybe ef
she had bin I would hab had an easier time. As far as I know de
ex-slaves hab had diff'ent kinds ob wuk since dere freedum. No, I ain'
nebber se'd any ghos'. I'se bin in de woods en dark places, but didn't
see nothin', en I'se not goin' ter say I did kaze I might git
par'lized.

I went ter schul one y'ar at Fisk in de y'ar 1869.

De last man I wuk'd fer wuz at de Link Hotel. Den I started keepin'
boarders. Hab fed all deze Nashville police. De police ez de ones dat
hep'ed git deze relief orders fer me. I hab lived on dis street fer 60
years. I lived 22 y'ars whar de Hermitage Laundry ez. Dat ez whar I
got de name "Mammie." W'iles livin' dere I raised eighteen chilluns
white en black, en sum ob dem iz good ter me now.

I had sum papah's 'bout mah age en diff'ent things, but w'en de back
waters got up, dey got lost. I didn't hab ter move but I kep prayin'
en talkin' ter de Lawd en I b'leeve he 'Yeard me fer de water didn't
git in mah house.

I member w'en de yellow fever