t to make of it. Auntie en Mr.
Rowell never know what to make of it neither. I remember, I run out to
help my sister dat been out to de paddlin block en, honey, you ain'
never live to see no black cloud like dat been. I washed a piece through
en den I left off en went back in de house en set down by de fire to dry
my feet. I set dere awhile en seems like somethin just speak right out
de fire, bout dat time, en tell me to move my feet dat I was in bad
shape. En, child, it de truth of mercy, dere come a big clog of dirt out
dat chimney en drap (drop) right down in de spot whe' my foot was. I run
to Auntie en Mr. Rowell to see could dey tell what dat was, but dey been
in just as much darkness as I been. I look up en seems like de loft had
lowered itself en could hear a roarin for miles en miles bout dere en
could hear de people hollerin every which a way. Yes, mam, could hear
dem hollerin miles en on top of miles bout dere. My God, dem people was
scared to lie down dat night en such a prayin en a shoutin as everybody
do dat night, I ain' never see de like fore den. Ain' see de like since
den neither. Next mornin, I go to work for de white folks en dey all go
off dat mornin en I tell you, I was scared bout to death in dat big
house by myself. I remember, I left out de house en been out in de
'tatoe patch grabblin 'tatoes right along en when I raise up, dat thing
was comin down dat 'tatoe row just a whirlin en a makin right for me.
Yes, mam, I been so scared. I ain' see whe' I is grow a bit since de
shake. I tell you, I thought it was de Jedgment. Den we hear dere was
gwine be another earthquake, but de people get on dey knees en dey stay
on dey knees en it never come here dat time. Dat one was in another
state, so dey tell me. I hear talk dat all de earth caved in en you
could see de people down dere, but couldn' nobody get dem. Some people
say dat been de devil do dat, but I tell dem de devil ain' had no such
power. De Lord been de power dat bring dat shake here, I say."

"Oh, Lord, de people sho fared better in dat day en time den dey do dese
days. Cose dey didn' have a heap of different kind of trashy things like
dey have dese days, but dey had a plenty to eat en a plenty to wear all
de time en den everything was better in dem times, too. Now, I speak
bout what I know bout. De rations eat better en de cloth wear better,
too, in dem days den dey do now. You see, mostly, de people would make
dey own provisions at home. Whit