out? Yes, Lawd! Sing like dis:

"'Mourner, fare you well,
Gawd 'Mighty bless you,
Till we meets again.'

"Us sings 'nother song:

"'Sinner blind,
Johnnie, can't you ride no more?
Sinner blind.
Your feets may be slippin'
Your soul git lost.
Johnnie, can't you ride no more?
Yes, Lawd,
Day by day you can't see,
Johnnie, can't you ride no more?
Yes, Lawd.'"

420136

ROSANNA FRAZIER was born a slave on the Frazier plantation in
Mississippi. She does not remember her masters given name, nor does
she know her age, although from her memories of various events
during the Civil War, she believes she is close to ninety, at
least. Rosanna is blind and bedridden, and is cared for by friends
in a little house in Pear Orchard Negro Settlement, in Beaumont,
Texas.

"My mammy was a freeborn woman named Viny Frazier and she come from a
free country. She was on her way to school when dey stoled her, when she
de young gal. De spec'lator gang stoled her and brung her and sold her
in Red River, in Mississippi. Missy Mary, she buy her. Missy Mary
married den to one man named Pool and she have two boys call Josh and
Bill. After dat man die, she marry Marse Frazier.

"My daddy name Jerry Durden and after I's born they brings us all to
Texas, but my daddy belong to de Neylands, so we loses him. My white
folks moves to a big plantation close to Woodville, in Tyler County, and
Marse Frazier have de store and plenty of stock. He come first from
Georgia.

"All us little chillen, black and white, play togedder and Marse
Frazier, he raise us. His chillen call Sis and Texana and Robert and
John. Marse Frazier he treat us nice and de other white folks calls us
'free niggers', and wouldn't 'low us on dere places. Dey 'fraid dere
niggers git dissatisfy with dey own treatment. Sho's you born, iffen one
of us git round dem plantations, dey jus' cut us to pieces with de whip.
Some of dem white folks sho' was mean, and dey work de niggers all day
in de sun and cut dem with de whip, and sho' done 'em up bad. Dat on
other places, not on ours.

"Marse Frazier, he didn't work us too hard and give Saturday and Sunday
off. He's all right and give good food. People sho' would rare off from
him, 'cause he too good. He was de Methodist preacher and furnish us
church. Sometimes he has camp meeting and dey cook out doors with de
skillicks. Sometimes he has corn shucking time and we