The aged Negress leaned heavily on her cane as she shuffled about her tiny porch in the waning sunlight of a cold January day.  An airplane writing an advertising slogan in letters of smoke high in the sky was receiving but indifferent attention from Aunt Martha.  Sha shivered and occasionally leaned against a post until a paroxysm of coughing subsided.  “What would you have thought of that if it had suddenly appeared in the sky when you were a child?” she was asked.  “It would have scared me plum to death,” was the response.  “I didn’t come out here just to see dat,” she continued, “I didn’t have nothin’ to make no fire wid, and I had to git out in de sunshine ’cause it wuz too cold to stay in de house.  It sho’ is mighty bad to have to go to bed wid cold feet and cough all night long.”

Her visitor could not resist the impulse to say, “Let’s make a trade, Aunt Martha!  If I give you a little money will you buy wood; then while you enjoy the fire will you think back over your life and tell me about your experiences when I come back tomorrow?” “Bless de Lord!  I sho’ will be glad to tell you de truf ’bout anything I can ’member,” was her quick reply as she reached for the money.

[TR:  Return Visit]

The next day Aunt Martha was in bed, slowly eating a bowl of potlicker and turnip greens into which cornbread had been crumbled.

“My ches’ hurt so bad I couldn’t git up today,” was her greeting, “but set right dar by my bed and I can talk all right, long as I don’t have to walk ‘bout none.  Walkin’ makes me cough.”

Soon the bowl was empty and when she had wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her nightgown, Aunt Martha began: 

“When I wuz born, my ma b’longed to Marse Billie Glenn and us lived on his big plantation way down below Lexin’ton.  My pa wuz Anderson Mitchell.  He come from Milledgeville and b’longed to Mr. D. Smith.  The Smithies lived close by Marse Billie’s place.  My ma wuz Healon Mitchell.  I don’t know what her last name wuz ’fore she married.  She wuz born in Virginny, and her and my grandma wuz sold and brought to Georgia when ma wuz a baby.  Grandma never did see none of her other chillun or her husband no more, and us never did hear nothin’ ’bout ’em.

“Ma had four chillun.  Lucy wuz my onlies’ sister.  Mr. Davenport bought her and she growed up at his place, what wuz called ‘De Glade.’  It wuz a big fine place at Point Peter, Georgia.  Lucy married a Taylor.

“My brother, Isaac, wuz raised at Mr. Hamilton’s place at Point Peter.  After he growed up, he worked in Atlanta and bought him a home dar.  He got in a fight wid a man what had done stobbed his mule, and de man hurt Isaac so bad he went crazy and died in de ’sylum at Milledgeville, but dey took him back and buried him in Atlanta.

“My other brother wuz Anderson Mitchell, and after freedom come he got work in Athens at de compress.  His boss man moved to Augusta and took Anderson wid him to work in de compress dar.  One day somethin’ blowed up and he wuz scalded so bad it paralyzed him.  Dey brought him back here, but he soon died.