e at my uncle's house, he took me back. We walked all
back--sixty-four miles. I was foundered. You know if'n a foundered
person will jump over a stick of burning lightwood, it will make um feel
better."

"Tell us, Auntie, more about the time when you and your mother and
brothers and sisters had just gone to Beaufort.

"Well mam. My mother say she didn't know a soul. All de time she'd be
prayin' to de Lord. She'd take us chillun to de woods to pick up
firewood, and we'd turn around to see her down on her knees behind a
stump, aprayin'. We'd see her wipin' her eyes wid de corner of her
apron, first one eye, den de other, as we come along back. Den, back in
de house, down on her knees, she'd be aprayin'. One night she say she
been down on her knees aprayin' and dat when she got up, she looked out
de door and dere she saw comin' down out de elements a man, pure white
and shining. He got right before her door, and come and stand right to
her feet, and say, "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah!"

"Yes, Sir."

"What is you frettin' bout so?"

"Sir. I'm a stranger here, parted from my husband, with five little
chillun and not a morsel of bread."

"You say you're parted from your husband? You're not parted from your
husband. You're jest over a little slash of water. Suppose you had to
undergo what I had to. I was nailed to the Cross of Mount Calvary. And
here I am today. Who do you put your trust in?

"My mother say after dat, everything just flow along, just as easy. Now
my mother was an unusually good washer and ironer. De white folks had
been sayin', 'Wonder who it is that's makin' de clothes look so good.'
Well, bout dis time, dey found out; and dey would come bringin' her
plenty of washin' to do. And when dey would come dey would bring her a
pan full of food for us chilluns. Soon de other white folks from round
about heard of her and she was gettin' all de washin' she needed. She
would wash for de Missus durin' de day, and for de other folks at night.
And dey all was good to her.

"One day de Missus call her to de house to read her something from a
letter she got. De letter say that my father had married another woman.
My mother was so upset she say, 'I hope he breaks dat woman's jawbone.
She know she aint his lawful wife.' And dey say her wish come true. Dat
was just what happened.

"But we all got together again and I thanks de good Lord. I gets down on
my knees and prays. I thanks de Lord for His mercy and His goodness to
me