"No'm, white folks didn' 'pear to be mad. My master dus' tole us we was
free. Us moved right off, but not so far I couldn' go backwards and
forwards to see 'um." (So it was evident that even if Nancy's life had
been hard, there was a bond between her and her former owners.) "I didn'
do no mo' work for 'um, I work for somebody else. Us rented land and
made what we could, so we could have little somethin' to eat. I scoured
and waited on white people in town, got little piece of money, and was
dus' as proud!"

Nancy savored the recollection of her first earned money a moment,
thinking back to the old days.

"I had a preacher for my second marriage," she continued, "Fo' chillun
died on me--one girl, de yuthers was babies. White doctor tended me."

Asked about midwifery, Nancy smiled.

"I was a midwife myself, to black and white, after freedom. De Thomson
doctors all liked me and tole people to 'git Nancy.' I used 'tansy
tea'--heap o' little root--made black pepper tea, fotch de pains on 'em.
When I would git to de place where I had a hard case, I would send for
de doctor, and he would help me out, yes, doctor help me out of all of
'em."

Asked about signs and superstitions, Nancy nodded.

"I have seed things. Day look dus' like a person, walkin' in de woods. I
would look off and look back to see it again and it be gone." Nancy
lowered her voice mysteriously, and looked back into the little room