iers. One day me en mah young
missis, en sum chilluns went up ter de road en we se'ed sum Yankee
soldiers kumin', I clum'ed on de fence, de urthurs run 'way en hid.
One ob de soldiers sezs ter me, 'Lettle girl who wuz dat wid you,' en
I sezs, 'Hit wuz Miss Puss en sum chilluns.' He laughed en sezs, 'You
ez brave ain' you?'"

"Our missis let us go ter chuch. I 'long ter de chuch ob Christ."

"I dunno ob but one slave dat got lan' er nothin' w'en freedum wuz
'clared. We didn't git nuthin at freedum. Mah daddy went back in de
woods en built us a saplin house en dobbed hit wid mud. Atter freedum
mah daddy went 'way, en we chilluns staid in dat house in de woods by
oursel's. Dere wuz two weeks we didn't see a bit ob bre'd. I went up
w'at ez called de nine mile cut neah Tullahoma, en axed a 'oman ef she
would let us hab sum bre'd. She gib me sum meat en bre'd, en tole me
ter kum back. I went back home en we et sump'in, en I went back ter de
'oman's house, she gib me a sack ob flour en a big piece ob midlin'
meat. We wuz skeered, bein' dere 'lone so I would set up wile mah
br'ers slep', den I'd sleep in de daytime. One nite sumbody knocked at
de do'er en hit wuz mah daddy en he had two sacks ob food, en de
urthur chilluns got up en we et a big meal."

"I useter 'yer de folks talk 'bout de sta'rs fallin', but dat happen'
'fore I wuz bawn."

"I didn't go ter schul, mah daddy wouldin' let me. Said he needed me
in de fiel wors den I needed schul. I wuz allus sassy en stubbun. I
run 'way fum mah daddy en kum ter Nashville. I stayed at a schul on
Franklin Pike, run by Mrs. McGathey. I wuz de only cul'ed person dere.
Dey wuz good ter me en eve'y Chrismus I would git a big box ob clothes
en things."

"In Manchester de Klu Klux Klan wore big high hats, red handkerchiefs
on dere faces en red covers on dere hosses. Dey tuk two niggers out ob
jail en hung dem ter a chestnut tree."

"One nite w'en I wuz gwine wid mah daddy fum de fiel' home, we met sum
ob de K.K.K. en dey said, 'Ain't you out late Henry? En who ez dat gal
wid you?' Mah daddy said, 'We ez gwine home fum wuk, en dis ez mah
daughter.' Dey said, 'Whar has she bin, we ain't nebber se'ed her.' He
told dem, 'I'd bin in Nashville.' Dey said dey'd be back dat nite but
we didn't see dem."

"W'en I wuz in Manchester I promus de Lawd I wouldin' dance. But one
nite I wuz on de ball floor, dancin' fum one end ob de room ter de
urthur en sump'in sezs go ter de do'er. I didn't go