Amy Domino

Amy Domino is a queer little shiny, black-skinned negro woman, living with friends in northeast Jasper, in a crowded shack. She seems to have some delusions of grandeur, 'bosses' the other negroes around, and wears a black silk dress, black hat, high-topped shoes and five heavy rings. Possibly the fact that she has a steady income (her small pension) accounts for her lordly attitude. However, when entering the house she unceremoniously takes the only good chair available, leaving a topless nail keg or the bed for other visitors to sit upon. Alabama was Amy's birthplace, and Alex Domino , her master. Most of her life has been spent near Rockland, and she has only lived in Jasper for about two years.

I don' know jes' how ol' I is. I's up d' eighties sho' do' (though). Durin' d' war I's jes' big 'nuf t' min' d' babies 'n' keep dem from fallin' out d' do's (doors). D' marster house was a ol' log house buil' high up 'n' d' step lead down. Iffen d' li'l w'ite babies fall outn' d' do' dey crack dey head 'n' den I git scol'. D' marster neber whip me. I's bo'n somew'er in Alabama. My fadder was a ol', ol' man, I dunno he name right now. He too ol' to trabble in d' big ox cart. W'en d' marster who name was Alex Domino , 'cide t' mek a bre'k from d' ol' country, 'n' come t' Texas, he brung my mudder 'n' me but he lef' my fadder back home. Dat all d' slaves he hab. Us trabble a long, long time t' git t' Texas. Dey was wil' country t'roo dem part 'n' not much civilize' w'en us git near t' Rockland. Dats w'ere d' ol' marster hab he li'l farm. He was a hard wukin' ol' man, 'n' mighty good t' his niggers. He plant co'n 'n' 'taters 'n' sich like but not much cotton. D' place 's too small 'n' he didn' hab 'nuf niggers t' d' fiel' wuk. Us was far from a settlement. Dat mean mos' d' supplies hatter be git 'n' brung by ox cart fo' long 'way t' d' Place. D' ol' marster he ride a big gray hoss w'at look big's house t' me 'n' he hab a nice ol' dog w'at foller him eb'ry w'er he go. D' li'l w'ite chillen 'n' me would go wid d' marster t' d' fiel' 'n' he'p him wid d' rows but dat wasn' wuk, dat jes' play. He put up a big stick wid a hat 'n' a ol' to' (torn) coat 'n' dat was t' scare 'way d' hawk 'n' d' crow'. Us chillen uster play dat ol' scarecrow 's a 'boogy man' 'n' run home 'n' hide under d' step. Dem ol' crow outn' d' fiel' atter d' co'n say, 'caw, caw, caw,' 'n' dat mek us t'ink dey say, 'haw, haw, haw,' 'n' dat scare us mo' dan eber. Dey's 'fraid t' 'low us down near d' fiel' atter dark on 'count 'r' d' catamount 'n' pan'ters 'n' eben d' alligators w'at come upstream in d' Neches Riber. D' ol' marster was sho' a good ol' man. He neber mistreat' he slaves 'r' uphol' any 'r' d' close by folks w'at mistreat' dere's. I 'member w'en I's jes' a li'l gal a-hearin' bells in d' night. D' ol' folks say dat some 'r' d' run-a-way niggers from uder plantation. Dey put bells on d' slaves, wel' (weld) dem on so dey kaint gittum off 'n' dey kin hear dem iffen dey git 'way in d' woods. Dat good too so d' oberseer hear iffen d' niggers stop wuk in d' fiel'. D' bell don' ring iffen dey stop. Den d' oberseer say, 'Nigger, git a move on. I wanter hear dem bells.' My mudder die befo' freedom come. She neber git t' draw a free bre'f (breath). Dat don' mek so much min' do' (though) cause she ain' neber hab so much hard time no way as some 'r' dem did. She's d' cook 'n' kep' d' house clean, 'n' can, 'n' he'p smoke d' meat 'n' t'ings like dat. She neber wuk much in d' fiel'. D' ol' marster he do dat hisse'f. Atter my mudder die I keep right in d' big house wid d' mistess. She raise' me mos'. I 'member seein' some sojers in war time. Den atter d' las' fights I seed some 'n' I ax d' ol' Mistess w'at is dem. Den she 'splain, 'Amy , dem d' sojers gwine 'roun' t' see 'bout d' culled folks. Bout dis time Marse Domino he tuk sick. I 'member he come home from somew'er ridin' he big gray hoss wid dat dog follerin' at he heel. He walk kin'er funny w'en he put d' hoss up 'n' dat night he tuk real sick. Den he die 'n' I neber see him no mo'. Dey's jes' d' ol' mistess 'n' d' chillen 'n' me lef' on d' place t' do eb'ryt'ing. D' Bureau come 'roun' atter a w'ile 'n' say, 'Us wants all d' li'l culled chillen.' But ol' mistess tol' dem dey couldn' hab her li'l nigger, cause her mammy dead, 'n' she gwinter tek care 'r' her. So d' Bureau done go off 'n' I ain' seen dem since. Seb'ral year' atter slav'ry d' ol' mistess die. Atter I's growed up I marry. My husban' 'n' me farm fo' good many year'. Den us sep'rate 'n' I hear he done die. Since den I's libed 'n' wuked fus' one place 'n' den anuder. Ain' got no settle' home. I come t' Jasper from Rockland two year' ago 'n' lib yere wid some frien's. I gits a li'l pension 'n' dat how I git 'long now since I so ol'. I b'longs t' d' Baptis' Chu'ch 'n' goes t' chu'ch eb'ry Sunday, Ol' es' I is. Dats d' troof.