dat ain' never got no whipping, you can' do nothin wid dem dese
days."

"I got Miss Hatchel horn bout here now dat been through nearly 100 head
of people. If you talk on it, dere de 100 head of automobiles to see
what it is. I sold old Massa's sword last week for ten cents, but I ain'
gwine do away wid his old horn. (4 ft. long, 15 in. cross big end 1 in.
from top end. Mouth piece is gone. Catch about 15 in. from top). Can
talk to anybody 15 to 16 miles away en dat how-come I don' want to sell
it cause if anything happen, I can call people to come. Dis horn ain' no
tin, it silver. It de old time phone. Got old Massa maul too en dis here
Grandpa oxen bit dat was made at home."

"De white folks didn' never help none of we black people to read en
write no time. Dey learn de yellow chillun, but if dey catch we black
chillun wid a book, dey nearly bout kill us. Dey was sho better to dem
yellow chillun den de black chillun dat be on de plantation. Northern
women come dere after de war, but dey didn' let em teach nobody nothin."

"I go to church wid my white folks, but dey never have no church like
dey have dese days. De bush was dey shelter en when it rain, dey meet
round from one house to another. Ride to church in de ox cart cause I
had to carry de baby everywhe' I go. White folks didn' have no horse
den. De peoples sho been blessed wid more religion in dem days den dese
days. Didn' never have to lock up nothin den en if you tell a story, you
get a whippin. Now de peoples tell me to tell a story. I been cleanin up
a lady porch en she tell me to tell anybody what come dere dat she ain'
home. A lady come en ax fer her en I tell her she say anybody come here,
tell em I ain' home. If you don' believe she here, look in de bedroom.
Miss Willcox come out dere en beat me in de back. I tell her don' read
de Bible en tell me to tell a story. I ain' gwine tell no story cause my
white folks learnt me not to do dat. I knows people was better in dem
times den dey is now. Dey teach you how you ought to treat your neighbor
en never hear no bad stories nowhe'. Massa en Missus taught me to say a
prayer dat go like dis:

"De angels in Heaven love us,
Bless mamma en bless papa,
Bless our Missus,
Bless de man dat feedin us,
For Christ sake."

"De peoples use herb medicines for dey cures in dem days dat dey get out
de woods. I make a herb medicine dat good for anything out de roots of
three herbs mix together. Couldn' tell you