My ole man said ifn hit had been him he'd a throwd them chillun down and
run but not ole Bill. Marster and Mistess trusted Bill to take keer of
them chillun and ole Bill sho did take keer of em. But mah foot nigh
bout kilt me and thet foot is whut is the mattah wid me terday.

"You ask haint ah got no folks? No'm. Ah nevah had but one youngun and
hit died wid the croup. The man next doo' owns this heah house and lets
ole Bill live heah. The guvment lady send me a check ever' month
(pension) and Joe Lyons gits hit and fetches hit out ter me.

"You ask does ah know erbout any hainted houses? No'm when ah fin's a
house is hainted ah aint gwian in. No'm not ole Bill. But sumpin
happened not long ergo that give me a big fright. Hit waz long bout dusk
ah seed two women, white as anybody gwian down de road and when they got
along thar they quit the road and come aroun the path. Ah said: 'Howdy'
and they never even speak jus kep' a goin'. Ah say: 'Whar is you all a
goin' and they nevah say a word. Then ah say to em: 'Won't you
all come by and set with ole Bill a while.' An still they nevah say
nothin. Jus kep' on a goin' roun' that house and down the road. Then ah
got skeered and went in the house an ah doan set out late no moah. Efn
them ghost had uh come in th house ah would a gone undah the house.

"You all chillun ain goin is you? Come back ter see ole Bill. Ah sholey
hates to have mah white folks sit on the floor but mebby ole Bill's foot
will be bettuh next time an she can git her white fokes some cheers."

Aunt _Sally Fields_ said to be 106 years old lived in Mack Quarters about
two and a half or three miles south of El Dorado. She is blind and
lives with Hattie Moseley. During slavery days she belonged to the
Patterson family and came with them from Alabama to Louisiana and later
to Caledonia where she was living at the close of the Civil War. Her
mind was wandering to such an extent that we could not get very much
from her and when asked about slavery times she said:

"Slavery time is gone. The stars are passed. The white folks that raised
me said: 'I want you all to get up in the morning and tell me about the
stars.' Oh Lordy! The stars fell. Ole Missus would come say: 'Ah want to
be standing up behind the door. Ah don' want to be buried.' My ole
missus was good to all the niggers.

"There was a big spring on marsters plantation. When we would start to
the spring mistress would say: 'Don't go on the left hand sid