“I recollec’ a tale ray mammy tol’ me ’bout my gran’pa.  When he took up wid my gran’mammy de white man what owned her say, ’If you want to stay wid her I’ll give you a home if you’ll work for me lak de Niggers do.’  He ’greed, ‘cause he thought a heap o’ his Black Woman. (Dat’s what he called her.) Ever’thing was all right ’til one o’ dem uppity overseers tried to act smart.  He say he gwine a-beat him.  My gran’pappy went home dat night an’ barred de door.  When de overseer an’ some o’ his frien’s come after him, he say he aint gwine a-open dat door.  Dey say if he don’t dey gwine a-break it in.  He tell’ em to go ’head.

“Whilst dey was a-breakin’ in he filled a shovel full o’ red hot coals an’ when dey come in he th’owed it at ’em.  Den whilst dey was a-hollerin’ he run away.  He aint never been seen again to dis good day.  I’se hear’d since den dat white folks learnt dat if dey started to whip a Injun dey’d better kill him right den or else he might git dem.

“My mammy’s name was Harriet Clemens.  When I was too little to know anything ‘bout it she run off an’ lef’ us.  I don’t ’member much ’bout her ‘fore she run off, I reckon I was mos’ too little.

“She tol’ me when she come after us, after de war was over, all ’bout why she had to run away:  It was on ’count of de Nigger overseers. (Dey had Niggers over de hoers an’ white mens over de plow han’s.) Dey kep’ a-tryin’ to mess ‘roun’ wid her an’ she wouldn’ have nothin’ to do wid ‘em.  One time while she was in de fiel’ de overseer asked her to go over to de woods wid him an’ she said, ’All right, I’ll go find a nice place an’ wait.’  She jus’ kep’a-goin.  She swum de river an’ run away.  She slipped back onct or twict at night to see us, but dat was all.  She hired out to some folks dat warnt rich’ nough to have no’ slaves o’ dey own.  Dey was good to her, too. (She never lacked for work to do.)

“When my ma went off a old woman called Aunt Emmaline kep’ me. (She kep’ all de orphunt chillun an’ dem who’s mammas had been sent off to de breedin’ quarters.  When dem women had chillun dey brung ’em an’ let somebody lak Aunt Emmaline raise em.) She was sho’ mean to me.  I think it was ‘cause de marster laked me an’ was always a-pettin’ me.  She was jealous.

“She was always a-tryin’ to whip me for somethin’ or nother.  One time she hit me wid a iron miggin. (You uses it in churnin’.) It made a bad place on my head.  She done it ’cause I let some meal dat she was parchin’ burn up.  After she done it she got sort a scared an’ doctored me up.  She put soot on de cut to make it stop bleedin’.  Nex’ day she made me promise to tell de marster dat I hurt my head when I fell out o’ de door dat night he whip Uncle Sim for stealin’ a hog.  Now I was asleep dat night, but when he asked me I said, ’Aunt Emmaline say tell you I hurt my head fallin’ out de door de night you whip Uncle Sim.’  Den he say, ‘Is dat de truf?’ I say, ‘Naw sir.’  He took Aunt Emmaline down to de gear house an’ wore her out.  He wouldn’ tell off on me.  He jus’ tol’ her dat she had no bus’ness a-lettin’ me stay up so late dat I seen him do de whippin’.