st. Built on de same foundation; but face it
east, facing a little road dat had sprung up and wind 'round dat way
right in close to de church. But de white folks church was face west,
facing de Augusta road. Dat big space twixt de road and de church was a
grove.

"Ghosts? I used to 'em. I see 'em all de time. Good company! I live over
dere by myself, an' dey comes in my house all de time. Sometime I walk
along at night an' I see 'em. An' when you see 'em you see a sight. Dey
play. Dey dance 'round an' 'round. Dey happy all right. But dey'll devil
you, too. When dey find out dat you scary, dey'll devil you. Dey don't
do nothin' to me. Only talk to me. I'll be in my house an' dey'll come
talk to me. Or I'll be walkin' down de road, an' meet 'em. Dey'll pass
de time of day wid me, Like:

'Hey, Solbert! How far you goin', Solbert?'

'I'se jes' goin' down de road a little piece,' I'll say.

'Uh-huh'.

"Or sometime dey'll say, 'Mornin', Solbert. How you feeling?'

'I'se jes' so so'.

'Uh-huh'.

"Dey all favors. Dey all looks alike. You remembers when dat car come
down de road jes' now? Well, I see a bunch of 'em right den! Dey get out
de road for dat car to pass. Oh, you can't see 'em. No matter how much I
shows 'em to you--you can't see 'em. But me! Dey swell wid me. I see 'em
all de time. De big house up dere. It full of 'em. De white folks see
'em, too. Dat is some of de white folks. I see de other day a white man
dat has to work up here start toward de house when de ghosts was comin'
out thick. When I tell him you ought to see him turn an' run. One of 'em
push me over in de ditch one time. I say,

'Now what you done dat for?'

'Well, dat aint nothin''

'Aint nothin'. But don't you do dat no more.'

"I talks to 'em jes' de same as if dey was somebody. Some folks outgrows
'em. But not me. You have to be born to see 'em. If'n you be born
wrapped in de caul, you kin see 'em. But if you aint, you can't see
'em."

Source: Solbert Butler, 82 years, R. F. D. Scotia, S. C.

Project 1885-1
District #4
Spartanburg, S. C.
May 31, 1937

FOLKLORE: EX-SLAVES

"I was born on the other side of Maybinton, in Newberry County, South
Carolina. Old Squire Kenner was my master and his wife, Lucy, my
mistress. My pa was Joseph Gilliam, who was a slave of John Gilliam, and
my mamma was Lou Kenner, who was a slave of Squire Kenner. I stayed with
my mamma at Squire Kenner's and waited on m