fust child was borned when I warn't but 14 years old. De war ended in
April and she was borned in November of dat year. Now, Miss! I ain't
never told but one white 'oman who her Pa was, so you needn't start
axin' me nothin' 'bout dat. She had done been walkin' evvywhar 'fore she
died when she was jus' 10 months old and I'm a-tellin' you de truth
when I say she had more sense dan a heap of white chillun has when dey
is lots older dan she was. Whilst I was off in New York wid Miss Ruth,
Major, he up and got married. I reckon he's daid by now. I don't keer
nohow, atter de way he done me. I made a good livin' for Major 'til he
married again. I seed de 'oman he married once.

"Yes Mam," there was strong emphasis in this reply. "I sho would ruther
have slavery days back if I could have my same good Marsters 'cause I
never had no hard times den lak I went through atter dey give us
freedom. I ain't never got over not bein' able to see Marse Alec no
more. I was livin' at Marse Tye Elder's when de gate fell on Marse Alec,
and he was crippled and lamed up from dat time on 'til he died. He got
to be Governor of Georgia whilst he was crippled. When he got hurt by
dat gate, smallpox was evvywhar and dey wouldn't let me go to see 'bout
him. Dat most killed me 'cause I did want to go see if dere was somepin'
I could do for him.

"Lordy Mussy, Miss! I had a time jinin' up wid de church. I was in
Mailpack, New York, wid Miss Ruth when I had de urge to jine up. I told
Miss Ruth 'bout it and she said: 'Dere ain't no Baptist church in 10
miles of here.' 'Lord, have mussy!' I said. 'Miss Ruth, what I gwine do?
Dese is all Methodist churches up here and I jus' can't jine up wid no
Methodists.' 'Yes you can,' she snapped at me, 'cause my own Pa's
a-holdin a 'vival in dis very town and de Methodist church is de best
anyhow.' Well, I went on and jined de Reverend Lincoln's Methodist