“Here t’is Sunday mornin’ and what wid my back, de dog, and de rheumatics in my feets, its [TR:  ‘done’ crossed out] too late to go to church, so come in honey I’se glad to hab somebody to talk to.  Dere is sho’ goin’ to be a corpse close ’round here.  One night a long time ago two dogs howled all night long and on de nex’ Sunday dere wuz two corpses in de church at de same time.  Dat’s one sign dat neber fails, when a dog howls dat certain way somebody is sho’ goin’ to be daid.”

When asked what her full name was, she said:  “My whole name is Alice Bradley now.  I used to be a Hill, but when I married dat th’owed me out of bein’ a Hill, so I’se jus’ a Bradley now.  I wuz born on January 14th but I don’t ‘member what year.  My ma had three chillun durin’ de war and one jus’ atter de war.  I think dat las’ one wuz me, but I ain’t sho’.  My pa’s name wuz Jim Hill, and ma’s name wuz Ca’line Hill.  Both of ’em is daid now.  Pa died October 12, 1896 and wuz 88 years old.  Ma died November 20, 1900; she wuz 80 years old.  I knows dem years is right ’cause I got ’em from dat old fambly Bible so I kin git ’em jus’ right.  One of my sisters, older dan I is, stays in Atlanta wid her son.  Since she los’ one of her sons, her mind’s done gone.  My other sister ain’t as old as I is but her mind is all right and she is well.”

“I wuz raised in Washin’ton, Wilkes County, and de fust I ’members was stayin’ wid Miss Alice Rayle.  She had three chillun and I nussed ’em.  One of de boys is a doctor now, and has a fambly of his own, and de las’ I heared of ‘im, he wuz stayin’ in Atlanta.

“I’se been married’ two times.  I runned away wid Will Grisham, when I wuz ’bout 14 years old.  Mr. Carter, a Justice of de Peace, met us under a ’simmon tree and tied de knot right dar.  My folks ketched us, but us wuz already married and so it didn’t make no diffunce.

“I lived on a farm wid my fust husband, and us had three chillun, but dey is all gone now.  I ‘members when my oldes’ gal wuz ’bout 2 years old, dey wuz playin’ out on de porch wid dey little dog, when a mad dog come by and bit my chillun’s dog.  Folks kilt our dog, and jus’ ’bout one week atterwards my little gal wuz daid too.  She did love dat little dog, and he sho’ did mind ‘er.  She jus’ grieved herself to death ’bout dat dog.

“Atter my fust husband died, I married Rich Bradley.  Rich wuz a railroad man, and he went off to Washin’ton, D.C., to wuk.  He sont me money all de time den, but when he went from dar to Shecargo to wuk I didn’t hear from ’im long, and I don’t know what’s happened to ’im ’til now, for it’s been a long time since I heared from ’im.