“I remember we used to go to revivals sometimes, down near Horse ave.  Everybody got religion and we shore had some times.  We don’t have them kind of times any more.  I remember I went back down to one of those revivals years afterwards.  Most of the folks I used to know was dead or gone.  The preacher made me set up front with him, and he asked me to preach to the folks.  But I sez that “no, God hadn’t made me that away and I wouldn’t do it.”

I’ve saw Abraham Lincoln’s cabin many a time, when I was young.  It set up on a high hill, and I’ve been to the spring under the hill lots of times.  The house was on the Old National Road then.  I hear they’ve fixed it all up now.  I haven’t been there for years.

After the war when I grewed up I married, and settled on the old place.  I remember the only time I got beat in a horse trade.  A sneakin’ nigger from down near Horse Cave sold me a mule.  That mule was jest natcherly no count.  He would lay right down in the plow.  One day after I had worked with him and tried to get him to work right, I got mad.  I says to my wife, Belle, I’m goin’ to get rid of that mule if I have to trade him for a cat.  An’ I led him off.  When I came back I had another mule and $15 to boot.  This mule she wuz shore skinny but when I fattened her up you wouldn’t have known her.”

“Finally I left the old place and we come north to Indiana.  We settled here and I’ve been here for 50 years abourt.  I worked in the old Rolling Mill.  And I’ve been an officer in the Baptist Church at 3rd and Main for 41 years.”

“Do I believe in ghosts” (Here his second wife gave a sniff) Well ma’am I don’t believe in ghosts but I do in spirits. (another disgusted sniff from the second wife) I remember one time jest after my first wife died I was a sittin right in that chair your sittin in now.  The front door opened and in come a big old grey mule, and I didn’t have no grey mule.  In she come just as easy like, put one foot down slow, and then the other, and then the other I says ’Mule git out here, you is goin through that floor, sure as youre born.  Get out that door.’  Mule looked at me sad-like and then just disappeared.  And in its place was my first wife, in the clothes she was buried in.  She come up to me and I put my arms around her, but I couldn’t feel nothin’ (another sniff from the second wife) and I says, “Babe, what you want?”

Then she started to git littler and littler and lower and finally went right away through the floor.  It was her spirit thats what it was.  ("Rats” says the second wife.)

“Another time she came to me by three knocks and made me git up and sleep on another bed where it was better sleepin’.”

“I like to go back down in Kentucky on visits as the folks there wont take a thing for bed and vittles.  Here they are so selfish wont even gave a drink of water away.”

“Yes’m the flood got us.  Me and my wife here, we whet away and stayed two months.  Was 5 feet in this house, and if it ever gets in here agin, we’re goin down in Kentucky and never comin’ back no more.”