ts of sorts of miseries. Some folkses
hung de left hind foot of a mole on a string 'round deir babies necks to
make 'em teethe easier. I never done nothin' lak dat to my babies 'cause
I never believed in no such foolishment. Some babies is jus' natchelly
gwine to teethe easier dan others anyhow.

"I 'members jus' as good as if it was yesterday what Mammy Mary said
when she told us de fust news of freedom. 'You all is free now,' she
said. 'You don't none of you belong to Mister Lordnorth nor Mister Alec
no more, but I does hope you will all stay on wid 'em, 'cause dey will
allus be jus' as good to you as dey has done been in de past.' Me, I
warn't even studyin' nothin' 'bout leavin' Marse Alec, but Sarah Ann and
Aunt Mary, dey threwed down deir hoes and jus' whooped and hollered
'cause dey was so glad. When dem Yankees come to our place Mammy Mary
axed 'em if dey warn't tired of war. 'What does you know 'bout no war?'
Dey axed her right back. 'No, us won't never git tired of doin' good.'

"I stayed on wid my two good Marsters 'til most 3 years atter de war,
and den went to wuk for Marse Tye Elder in Crawfordville. Atter dat I
wuked for Miss Puss King, and when she left Crawfordville I come on here
to Athens and wuked for Miss Tildy Upson on Prince Avenue. Den I went to
Atlanta to wuk for Miss Ruth Evage (probably Elliott). Miss Ruth was a
niece of Abraham Lincoln's. Her father was President Lincoln's brother
and he was a Methodist preacher what lived in Mailpack, New York. I went
evvywhar wid Miss Ruth. When me and Miss Ruth was in Philadelphia, I got
sick and she sont me home to Athens and I done been here wid my daughter
ever since.

"Lawdy, Miss! I ain't never been married, but I did live wid Major Baker
18 years and us had five chillun. Dey is all daid but two. Niggers
didn't pay so much 'tention to gittin' married dem days as dey does now.
I stays here wid my gal, Ida Baker. My son lives in Cleveland, Ohio. My
fust child was borned when I warn't but 14 years old. De war ended in
April and she was borned in November of dat year. Now, Miss! I ain't
never told but one white 'oman who her Pa was, so you needn't start
axin' me nothin' 'bout dat. She had done been walkin' evvywhar 'fore she
died when she was jus' 10 months old and I'm a-tellin' you de truth
when I say she had more sense dan a heap of white chillun has when dey
is lots older dan she was. Whilst I was off in New York wid Miss Ruth,
Major, he up and got ma