“If twont foh de white folks I sho would hev a hard time.  My man he jes wen erway en I haint neber seed him ergin en I’se had five chilluns en de white folks hev heped me all dese years.  Dese trifling niggers dey wont hepe dey own kind of folks.  If youse got de tooth ache I makes a poultice of scrape irish pertatoes en puts hit on de jaw on de side de tooth is aching en dat sho takes de fever out of de tooth.  I’se blows terbacco smoke in de ear en dat stops de ear ache.

“Wen I goes on er baby case I jest let nature hev hits way.  I’se alays teas de baby de first thing I does is ter blow my breath in de baby’s muff en I spanks it jes a little so hit will cry den I gives hit warm catnip tea so if hit is gwine ter hev de hives dey will break out on hit.  I alays hev my own catnip en sheep balls foh sum cases need one kind of tea en sum ernother.  I give sink field tea ter foh de colic.  Hit is jes good fuh young baby’s stomach.  I’se been granning foh nigh unter forty year en I’se only lost two babies, dat war born erlive.  One of dese war de white man’s fault, dis baby war born wid de jaundice en I tolds dis white man ter go ter de store en git me sum calomel en he says, “whoeber heard of givin a baby sech truck”, an so dat baby died.

“Of course youse can tell wheder the baby is gwine ter be a boy er girl fore tis born.  If de mother carries dat child more on de left en high up dat baby will be a boy en if she carries hit more ter de middle dat will be a girl.  Mothers oughter be more careful while carrying dar chilluns not ter git scared of enthing foh dey will sho mark dar babies wid turrible ugly things.  I knows once a young wooman war expecting en she goes black-berry hunting en er bull cow wid long horns got after her en she was so scairt dat she threw her hands ober her head en wen dat baby boy war born he hed to nubs on his head jes like horns beginning ter grow so I’se hed her call her doctor en dey cuts dem off.  One white wooman I’se waited on like hot choclate en she alays wanted more she neber hed nuff of dat stuff en one day she spills sum on her laig en it jes splotched en burned her en wen dat gal war born she hed a big brown spot on her laig jes like her Mammy’s scar frum de burn.  Now you see I noes yer ken mark de babies.

“Dar war a colored wooman once I’se waited on dat hed to help de white folks kill hogs en she neber did like hog liver but de white folks told her ter take one home en fix hit foh her supper.  Well she picked dat thing up en started off wid hit en hit made her feel creepy all ober en dat night her baby war born a gal child en de print of er big hog-liver war standing out all ober one side of her face.  Dat side of her face is all blue er purplish en jes the shape of a liver.  En hits still dar.

“I’se grannied ober three hundred chilluns en I noes wat I’se talking about.