is jes' what I heard. Folks hears lots and dey
tells it, and dat's jes' what I is doing now--jes' telling what dey told
me when I got big. If folks didn't never tell nothing no worse, it
wouldn't make no difference, but often dey takes devilish notions and
tells dat what injures, if anybody believes dem.

"Aunt Phyllis Jeter 'low when dem Yankees got to Santuc, she was a
weaving jes' as hard as she could for her white folks. She say dat she
started to run, but dem Yankees come in de house and throw'd away her
yarn and took her and tied her to a tree. When she hollered, dey whipped
her. She say dat dey was drunk, but dey never burn't up nothing in de
house. Dey went on singing, and she got me to playing and got up de yarn
from de dirt in de yard and cleaned it. De Yankees never bothered us no
mo', and dey never stayed in Santuc long.

"Once when I was a big boy I got drunk and pa whipped me so hard I never
got drunk no mo' till I was married, and den I jumped on my old lady for
fun and she hit me wid a bed slat. Dat knocked me sober and I 'cided de
best thing for me to do was let liquor go to de devil. When I was young
I allus walked to Union. Dat ain't but ten miles down de railroad. Den I
used to walk all over Santuc and down to Herbert in Fish Dam. Now I is
drapped most all my walking. De chilluns travels fast in automobiles,
but I jes' as lieve walk to Union as to ride in dem things. Wrecks kills
you off so quick dat you does not have time to repent.

"Walking never has hurt nobody, and I buys leather and tacks it on my
own shoes, and in dat way it don't cost me nothing much. Folks goes so
fast in dem automobiles, and half de time dey ain't in no hurry kaise
dey ain't gwine to nothing no way. I gits on my shoe in de winter and I
walks. When I wants to drap in for a chaw at some friend's house, I
does. I sets dar till I gits rested and warm and I goes on. If dey eats,
I does too, and when I gits to Union my chillun is done out and gone.
Jes' de same, I reaches home at night befo' dem.

"Dey has tales to tell about gitting out of gas, and when I axes whar
dey been, dey jes' as apt to say Spartanburg as any whars. As long as
dey has a quarter dey is allus gwine to ride and come home broke. If you
fools wid automobiles, you is gwine to spend lots of time in jail. I
ain't never been in jail and I thinks it is a disgrace. My chillun says
dat I is 'old timey' and don't know nothing 'bout living. Jes' de same,
I likes sl