s rather a gentle refined type, seemingly untouched by the
squalor in which she lives. She willingly gives freely of her small
store of strength to those around her.

Her happiest days seem to have been those of her early youth, for when
she was questioned about the present times, and even about those closely
associated with her today she bowed her head and said: "Deir way is deir
way. O! let me tell you now, de world is in a haad (hard) time, wust
(worse) den it eber (ever) been, but religion! It eberywhere in Hebben
an' in de ert (earth) too, if you want em. De trouble is you ain't want
em; 'e right dere jes de same but de time done pass when dis generation
hold wid anyt'ing but de debbul. When I a gal, grown up, I had a tight
missus dat raise me, you hab to keep clean round her, she good an' kind
an' I lub her yet, but don't you forgit to mind what she say.

"My massa, he 'low no whipping on de plantation, he talk heap an' he
scold plenty, but den he hab to. Dere was haad time for two year after
de war was ober (over) but after dat it better den it is now. Dis is de
wust time eber. I ain't eber git use to de wittle (victual) you hab down
here. I lib ober Mount Pleasant twenty five year after I come from de
old place up Marlboro, den I come to Charleston.

"Dey were happy time back dere. My massa, he run round ebery way, spend
plenty money on horse race, he gib good time to eberybody an' tell us we
mus' tek good care of de missus when he ain't dere. An de wittles we hab
I ain't nebber see de lak no time. Dem were de times to lib. I old now
but I ain't forgit what my missus larn (learn) me. It right here in me."

Mary Frances was asked if she could sing spirituals. The following is
one that she sang in a very high pitched wavering voice and then she
complained of shortness of breath on account of her heart.

"We got a home ober dere,
Come an' let us go,
Come an' let us go,
Where pleasure neber (never) die.

Chorus:

"Oh! let us go where pleasure neber die,
Neber die,
Come and let us go,
Where pleasure neber die, neber die.

"Mother is gone ober dere,
Mother is gone ober dere,
Where pleasure neber die,
Where pleasure neber die.

Chorus:

"Father is gone ober dere,
Father is gone ober dere,
Where pleasure neber die,
Where pleasure neber die.

Chorus:

"Sister is gone ober dere,
Sister is gone ober dere,
Where pleasure neber die,
Where pleasure neber di