t de sky, a
big howlin' noise, loud like singin'--a regular tune. De other kind goes
'hummmmmmm' like somebody moanin'. I was settin' down and de bull bat
come in de house. Me and de chillun done all we could to git him out de
house. A woman nex' door was name Rachel. I say: 'Rachel! Dere's a bull
bat in here and we can't get him out.' You know what she done? She turn
her pocket inside out and dat bat went out de door jus' like it come in!
Dat a simple thing to do, ain' it? But it done de work. Dat was on
Thursday night. Saturday morning I got de news that my babiest sister
was dead. One of my boys was wid her. I was settin' down wid my head
bowed, prayin', and a white man dressed in a white robe come in de house
and stood before me and say: 'Oh, yeah! I gwine take your sister! Den
what your child gwine do?' I sot down and studied and I said: 'Lord,
I'll do de bes' I kin.' And Miss you know I had to take dat child back!

"Before I los' my husband ev'y time he go out to work I couldn' hear
nuttin' but knockin'--ever he step out de house somebody come to de door
and knock four slow knocks. If he go off in de night it wouldn' stop
till he git back. I wouldn' tell him 'cause I knowed twould worry him. I
say: 'Sam, les' us move.' He say: 'Honey, we ain' long bin move here.'
But us 'cided to move anyway. Twas a big show in town. I let all de
chillun go to de show. Time I got my things fix up to move and went to
cook my dinner come de knockin' four times. I knowed he'd be took sick
pretty soon. He didn' 'low me to work. Dat was a good husband! I had six
chillun. He say: 'Honey, no! I workin' makin' enough to support you. All
I want you to do is keep dis house clean and me and my chillun, and I
will pay you de five dollars every week de white lady would pay you.'
And he done dat, gimme five dollars every week for myself.

"A white lady was crazy about my work, jus' her and her husband. I got
up soon one morning, time he left, and runned up dere and washed her
clothes and ironed dem. Den I started back home 'bout noon. I heared
somethin' walkin' behind me. 'Bip! Bip!' I look round and didn' see
nuttin'. I kep' a lookin' back and den I heard a voice moanin' and kind
of singing: 'Oh, yeah! I bin here and done took your mother. I bin here
and done took your sister! Now I'm a-comin' to take your husband!'
Talking to me like-dat in de broad open daytime! I say: 'No, you won't!
No, you won't!' I commence a runnin', cryin' inside. When