sing right well dis
a'ternoon, yuh is take me on de surprise lak."

"I was jes uh chap in slavery time en I hadder stay dere home aw de time
whey dere didn't no harm come 'bout me. Dey le' we chillun play marbles
en ball aw we wanna den. Jes chunk de ball to one annuder o'er de house.
Dat how we play ball in dem times. My white folks didn't do nuthin but
stay home en go to chu'ch meetin's. Dey ne'er didn't punish none uv dey
colored peoples en didn' 'low no udder people to do it neither. I
couldn't tell yah how many slave dey own but dey hab more slave by de
increase uv dey families. Dey hab so many dat some uv de time dey'ud
hire some uv dem out to annuder plantation. Ne'er didn't see em sell
none uv dey colored peoples. I know dis much, dat wuz uh right good
place to lib."

"I heared tell uv trouble 'tween de whites en de colored peoples, but
dere wuzn't none uv dat 'round whey I stay. Dey say some uv de slave run
'way fa bad treatment en stay in de woods. Didn't hab no jails den en
when dey'd ketch em, dey'ud buff em en gag em en hoss whip em. Now, I
ne'er see none uv dat but I heared tell uv it."

"My Massa ne'er didn't work us hard lak. Coase uz de day' ud come, de
hands hadder go up to de big house en go 'bout dey business, but dey
al'ays knock offen early on uh Saturday evenin' en le' everbody do jes
wha' dey wanna dere on de plantation. Ne'er didn't use no horn to wake
dey colored peoples up en didn't wake em work en de big Christmus day en
New Years' neither. Ne'er hab no udder holidays but dem two. My Massa
gi'e aw his colored peoples uh big Christmus dinner to de white folks
house. Jes hab plenty uv fresh meat en rice en biscuit en cake fa
eve'ybody dat day."

"Dey hab funeral fa de colored peoples den jes lak dey hab dese days
'cept dey ne'er hab no preacher 'bout. Aw de slaves stop workin' fa de
funeral en dey'ud jes carry de body en permit it to de ground uz wuz de
usual t'ing dey do. Coase dey hab plenty singin' dere."

"Dem t'ing wha' people call ghostes, dey is evil walks. I know dis much,
de sperit uv de body travels en dat de truth sho' uz I libin' heah.
Coase I ain' ne'er see none uv dem t'ing en I ain' scared uv nuthin
neither. Don' ne'er pay no 'ttention to no black cat en t'ing lak dat.
Ain' bother wid none uv dem charm neither. De peoples use'er hab dey own
doc'or book en dey search dat en use wha' it say do. Dey ne'er use no
me'icine tall den but calomel en castor oil en turpentine."

"I