uses dere join
together. Dere be four rooms in dis front one en three in de other
house. Woman go up north en leave her things here en tell me if she ain'
come back, I could have dem en she ain' come back yet. Been gone two
years."

"Yes, mam, I been married twice. First husband die en den another sick
man come along en ax de city for me. I work on him en make teas for him,
but he die in bout two years. I beg de town to let me go out to de poor
farm en stay, but dey say I done pay too much to move. Tell me stay on
here en keep de house up de best way I can.

"No'um, I ain' able to do no kind of work much. No more den choppin my
garden. Can' hardly see nothin on a sunny day. I raise my own seed all
right cause sometimes I can' see en find myself is cut up things en dat
make me has to plant over another time. City tell me do like I was raise
en so I been choppin here bout 20 years."

"Oh, now go way from here. My son born in de year of de earthquake en if
he had lived, I would been bless wid plenty grandchillun dese days. Yes,
mam, I remember all bout de shake. Dey tell me one man, Mr. Turner, give
way his dog two or three days fore de earthquake come en dat dog get
loose en come back de night of de shake. Come back wid chain tied round
his neck en Mr. Turner been scared most to death, so dey tell me. He
say, 'Oh, Mr. Devil, don' put de chain on me, I'll go wid you.' Dat was
his dog come back en he thought it was de devil come dere to put de
chain on him. Yes, mam, dere was such a cuttin up every which a way
cause de people thought it was de Jedgment comin. I went a runnin dere
to de white folks house en such a prayin en a hollerin, I ain' never see
de like fore den en ain' see it since den neither. Dere was stirrin
everywhe' dat night en de water in de well was just a slashin. I tried
to pray like de rest of de people. Some say dey was ready to get on de
old ship of Zion. I cut loose from de white folks en went in de woods to
pray en see a big snake en I ain' been back since. I know dat ain' been
nothin but a omen en I quit off cuttin up. I know it ain' been no need
in me gwine on like dat cause I ain' never do no harms dat I knows of."

"Yes, mam, white folks had to whip some of dey niggers in slavery time,
dey be so mean. Hear tell bout some of dem would run away en go in de
woods en perish to death dere fore dey would come out en take a whippin.
Some was mean cause dey tell stories on one another en been swear to i