to Charleston, cryin, 'Shrimps, more
shrimps.' But, my Lord, I can' half remember nothin dese days. If I had
de sense I used to have, I would give de Lord de praise. Honey, he said
a lot of stuff bout de war. Told a whole chance of somethin. Tell us
bout de parade en everything, but I is forgetful now en I just can'
think. De Bible say dat in de course of your life, you will be forgetful
in dat how I is. Just can' think like I used to. You see, I gwine in 70
now.

"Oh, I was born dere to Mullins in January on de old man Evans Lewis'
plantation. Den we moved dere to de Mark Smith place after freedom
settle here. Dat long high man, dat who been us boss. His wife was name
Sallie en de place was chock full of hands. No, mam, my white folks
didn' care bout no quarter on dey plantation. Colored people just
throwed 'bout all over de place. Oh, I tell you, it was a time cause de
niggers was dere, plenty of dem. Some of dey house was settin side de
road, some over in dat corner, some next de big house en so on like dat
all over de place. Oh, dey lived all right, I reckon. Never didn' hear
dem say dey got back none. Hear dey live den better den de people lives
now. Oh, yes'um, I hear my parents say de white folks was good to de
colored people in slavery time. Didn' hear tell of nobody gettin nothin
back on one another neither. No, child, didn' never hear tell of nothin
like dat. Seems like de people don' work dese days like dey used to
nohow. Well, dey done somethin of everything in dat day en time en work
bout all de time. Ain' nobody workin much to speak bout dese days cause
dey walks bout too much, I say. I tell you, when I been a child gwine to
school, soon as I been get home in de evenin en hit dat door-step, I had
to strip en put on my everyday clothes en get to work. Had to pick up
wood en potatoes in de fall or pick cotton. Had to do somethin another
all de time, but never didn' nobody be obliged to break dey neck en
hurry en get done in dem days. Chillun just rushes en plays too much
dese days, I say. No, Lord, I don' want to rush no time. I tellin you,
when I starts to Heaven, I want to take my time gettin dere.

"Lord, child, I sho hope I gwine to Heaven some of dese days cause old
Satan been ridin me so tough in dis here world, I ain' see no rest since
I been know bout I had two feet. My husband, he treat me so mean, if he
ain' in Heaven, he in de other place, I say. Den all dem chillun, Lord a
mercy, dey will kill