en I tell Evelina dat she ought not to feed dat child dem coarse
ration, but she say, 'Lala want some en I gwine give it to her cause I
loves her.' No, child, Miss Owens never didn' worry her mind bout whe'
Evelina been carry dat child. You see, she been put trust in Evelina."

"I don' know what to tell you, honey. I bout like Miss Betty now. My
'membrance short dese days. Oh, I hear talk bout all kind of signs de
people used to worry over en some of dem still frets bout dem, too. Hear
talk dat you mustn't wash none on de New Years' Day. It bad luck, so a
heap of dem say. Den some folks say it a sign of death to hear a owl
holler at night. Some people can' bear to hear dem, but don' no owls
worry me, I say. Lord, Maggie, dis child ax me how a owl holler when it
a sign of death. Well, dey does holler a right good space apart. Don'
holler right regular. I ain' hear one holler now in a long time, but I
used to hear dem be hollerin plenty times out dere somewhe' another in
dem trees. Say, when some people been hear dem holler on a night, dey
would stick a fire iron in de fire en dat would make de owl quit off. I
hear talk bout a lot of people would do dat. Den dere another sign de
people does have bout de New Years' Day. Reckon dat what dey call it, I
don' know. No, mam, I don' understand nothin bout it, but I does hear
people speak bout dey craves to get a cup of peas en a hunk of hog jowl
on de first day of de year. Say, dem what put faith in dem kind of
victuals on de New Years' Day, dey won' suffer for nothin no time all de
next year. Cose I don' know, but I say dat I eats it cause I loves it."

"Well, child, dat bout all I know to speak bout dis evenin. It gettin so
cold, I don' know whe' I can manage here much longer or no. Cose my
Sammie, he want me to go stay dere wid him, but I can' stand no chillun
fuss round me no more. I tell him dese people bout here be in en out to
ax bout me right smart en I think bout I better stay here whe' dere ain'
nobody to mind what I do. You see, honey, old people is troublesome en I
don' want to be noways burdensome to nobody. Yes, mam, I gwine be right
here waitin, if de Lord say so, de next time I see you makin up dat
path."

_Source_: Mom Jessie Sparrow, age 83, colored, Marion, S.C.
Personal interview by Annie R. Davis, Dec., 1937.

=Code No.=
=Project, 1885-(1)=
=Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis=
=Place, Marion, S.C.=
=Date, October 11, 1937=

=MOM JESSIE SPAR