hite folks 'fore de war had w'at dey called "Muster" en I would
go down wid dem. I would dance en de folks would gib me money er gib
me candy en durin' de war de soldiers wuz de prettiest things."

"Got nuthin' at freedum en wuz not lookin' fuh nuthin'. Ef marster had
lived he might hab gib us sump'in. He wuz a good man en good ter us.
Eber since mah freedum, I'se wuk'd as a laundress. Wuk'd fer one
fam'ly ober 21 y'ars. 'Bout two y'ars ago I lefted a tub, en hurt
mahself. I'se not able ter wuk now. I hab bin ma'ied twice en I'se
voted three times."

"I went ter schul at Fisk, a short time, w'en hit wuz on 12th Avenue,
but I diden' git ter go long 'nuff ter git en edj'cation."

"Jis 'fore de Civil War I members de comet. Hit wuz lak a big sta'r
wid a long tail. Eve'body said hit wuz a sign ob Judgement Day."

"Bad luck signs: Ef'n a picture falls, hit's a sign ob de'th--bad luck
ter step ovuh a broom--ef a clock stop runnin' en later hit strike,
dat means de'th."

"Sum ob de young peeple terday ez good but sum ob dem don't wan'ter be
nuthin'. De last war ruined mos' ob de white en de black."

"I b'leeves in de Baptist 'ligion en 'longs ter de Baptist Church, 9th
Avenue N. on Cedar Street. De white 'oman I wuk'd fuh wan'ed me ter
join de Christian (colored) chuch. Only song I now members ez "On
Jordans Banks I Stand." "Don't think dis marrin' ob whites wid blacks
should be 'lowed en think eve'y culor should stay ter hits-sef."

"I don't member now 'bout any stories tole back in ole times. Our
white folks wuz Christians en tried ter teach us right en dey diden'
tek up much time tellin' stories."

INTERVIEW
PATSY HYDE
504 9th Avenue N.
Nashville, Tennessee

"Dunno how ole I ez. I wuz bawn in slavery en b'longs ter de Brown
family. Mah Missis wuz Missis Jean R. Brown en she wuz kin ter Abraham
Lincoln en I useter y'ar dem talkin' 'bout 'im livin' in a log cabin
en w'en he d'ed she had her house draped in black. Marster Brown wuz
also good ter his slaves. De Missis promus Marster Brown on his de'th
bed nebber ter let us be whup'd en she kep her wud. Sum ob de
oberseers on urthur plantations would tie de slaves ter a stake en gib
dem a good whup'in fer sump'in dey ought not ter done."

"All cul'ed people wore cotton goods en de younger boys run 'round in
der shurt tails. Mah Missis nit all de white chilluns stockin' en she
made me sum. I had ter hold de yarn on mah hans w'en she wuz nittin'.
I members on