Rebs go by
an' dat de Yankees chase 'em. (I is on Mr. Morings' place den clost ter
Morrisville.)

"De Yankees am so busy chasin' de Rebs dat dey doan stop ter bodder us
much, 'cept ter kill de chickens an' so on.

"Dar's a place out from Morrisville whar de Yankees an' de Rebels had
er little skirmish on dat trip. We could hyar de guns go boomin', an'
atter hit wus ober we chilluns went dar an' pick up de balls an' boxes
of dese hardtacks whar de soldiers had fit.

"I fergit ter tell you 'bout de fust gang o' Yankees what come by. Dey
wus lookin' fer food an' when dey got ter our place dey comes in an'
he'ps dereselbes ter marster's stuff. Dey kilt all de live things, took
all de hams an' sich, an' dey foun' 'bout a bushel o' aigs. Dey put 'em
in de big wash pot an' biled 'em an' dey goes ter de spring house an'
gits seben er eight poun's o' butter. When de aigs am biled dey splits
'em open an' puts de butter on 'em an' eats 'em dat way. Dat's de fust
aigs dat eber I tasted, an' dey shore give me all I wants.

"We went back ter Mr. Clemmons' 'fore de surrender, case when dat
happen Mis' Jane Clemmons tells us'n herself dat we am free. All o' we
chilluns, Duncan, Candice, Mariah, Len, Willis, William, Sidney, Lindy,
Mary, Rilda, an' me, all of mammy's chilluns was dar at de en' of de
war.

"We stayed on at Mr. Clemmons fer seberal years, in fac' till de ole
folks died. My young Missus Mis' Katy Ellis lives on Hillsboro Street,
an' I often goes ter see her an' she sometimes gives me money, so you
sees de feelin' dat 'zists twixt me an' my white folkses.

"I'll tell you de story 'bout de witch at de mill iffen you wants ter
hyar hit, I hyard my grandmammy tell hit when I wus a little feller."

THE WITCH AT THE MILL

"Onct dar wus a free nigger what ownes a mill an' he am makin' a heap
o' money. He married a han'some nigger wench an' hit 'peared lak his
luck all went bad. De folkses quit bringin' dere co'n ter be groun' an'
he 'gan ter git pore.

"'Long in dem times de slaves sometimes runned away from deir cruel
marsters an' dey'd go ter dis nigger at de mill. He'ud put 'em ter
sleep in de mill, but dey can't sleep on de 'count of fusses an'
scratchin'.

"'Last one night a nigger what has runned away comed ter spen' de
night, an' he sez dat he am not skeerd o' nothin' De owner can put him
ter sleep in de house if he wants ter, case his wife am spendin' de
night wid a friend of hern, but he 'sides ter put hi