a year after we was free.

"I married durin' the war and my husband went to war with my uncle. He
didn't come back and I waited three years and then I married again.

"You know they used to give the soldiers furloughs. One time one young
man come home and he wouldn't go back, just hid out in the cane brake.
Then the men come that was lookin' for them that 'exerted' durin' the
war and they waited till he come out for somethin' to eat and they
caught him and took him out in the bayou and shot him. That was the
onliest dead man I ever seen. I seen a heap of live ones.

"The war was gettin' hot then and old master was in debt. Old mistress
had a brother named Big Marse Lewis. He wanted to take all us folks
and sell us in New Orleans and said he'd get 'em out of debt. But old
master wouldn't do it. I know Marse Lewis got us in the jail house in
Bastrop and Mars John come to get us out and Marse Lewis shot him
down. I went to my master's burial--yes'm, I did! Old mistress didn't
let us go to New Orleans either. Oh Lordy, I was young them days and I
wasn't afraid of nothin'.

"Oh ho! What you talkin' 'bout? Ku Klux? They come out here just like
blackbirds. They tried to scare the people and some of 'em they
killed.

"Yes Lord, I seen a heap. I been through a lot and I seen a heap, but
I'm here yet. But I hope I never live to see another war.

"When peace was declared, old mistress say 'You goin' to miss me' and
I sho did. They's good to us. I ain't got nothin' to do now but sit
here and praise the Lord cause I gwine to go home some day."

Interviewer: Mrs. Carol Graham
Person interviewed: Marion Johnson

"Howdy, Missy, glad to see you again. As you sees I'm 'bout wound up
on my cotton baskets and now I got these chairs to put bottoms in but
I can talk while I does this work cause it's not zacting like making
baskets.

"'Pears like you got a cold. Now let me tell you what to do for it.
Make a tea out of pine straw and mullein leaves an' when you gets
ready for bed tonight take a big drink of it an' take some tallow and
mix snuff with it an' grease the bottom of your feets and under your
arms an' behind your ears and you'll be well in the mornin'.

"Yes'm hits right in the middle of cotton picking time now. Always
makes me think of when I was a boy. I picked cotton some but I got
lots of whippins 'cause I played too much. They was some chinquapin
trees in the fiel' and I jest natchally couldn' help stopping t