breakin her neither. Cose I don' know nothin bout it, but
Miss Betty say we bout one age."

"I reckon Miss Betty got plenty pecans dis year cause she does rake dem
up by de tubfuls bout dis time of de year. I got my share of dem last
year, but I ain' got no mind dat I gwine get any dis year less I go up
dere. Yes, mam, I got my share last year cause when I went to carry
Miss Betty washin home, I could pick up all I wanted while I come
through under de trees. My Lord, Miss Betty, she had a quantity of dem
last year, but I ain' hear what de crop doin dis year. I don' care
though cause I wouldn' eat dem nohow widout I beat dem up en I ain' in
no shape to go to all dat trouble. I loves peanuts good as anybody, but
I couldn' never chew dem widout dey was beat up."

"Honey, my child en her daughter comin from de northern states dis
Christmas to see me. Her name Evelyn, but dey call her Missie. She write
here dat she want to come en I tell my Sammie to send word dey is
welcome. Cose dey gwine stay wid my son, Sammie, cause dey got more room
den I is en dey got a cookin stove, too, but she gwine be in en out here
wid her old mammy off en on. Yes'um, I wants to see her mighty bad since
it be dat she been gone from here so long. When she first went up dere,
she worked for a white family dere to Hartford, Connecticut, but it won'
long fore she got in a fidget to marry en she moved dere to
Philadelphia. Dat whe' she livin now, so my Sammie tell me."

"Den dere another one of my chillun dat I say, I don' never 'spect to
see no more on dis side of de world. Evelina, she get married en go way
out west to live. She de one what used to nurse Lala up dere to Miss
Owens' house. My God, honey, she been crazy bout Lala. Don' care what
she been buy on a Saturday evenin, she would save some of it till
Monday to carry to dat child. My Evelina, she always would eat en she
used to bring Lala here wid her a heap of times to get somethin to eat.
She would come in en fetch her dat tin plate up dere full of corn bread
en molasses en den she would go to puttin dem ration way. Would put her
own mouth full en den she would cram some of it down Lala's mouth in de
child's belly. You see, I always would keep a nice kind of syrup in de
safe cause I don' like none dese kind of syrup much, but dis here ribbon
cane syrup. My Lord, dat child would stand up dere en eat just as long
as Evelina poke it down her. Oh, Lala been just a little thing plunderin
bout