I can't tell you how old I is 'cause I lost my Bible. It had it in there 'cause old Miss Rebecca wrote it down in the Bible. She told me to take keer of it but I loaned it away to a man to preach by and I ain't never got it back. Pore old Miss Rebecca she give me that book and she give me lots of things. That's my old missus and my master was Mr. Dunlap . They was the richest goodest people. He was a Methodist preacher and he brought me up. Now I mean I was brought up. When I wasn't working I was prayin'. I wan't settin' 'round with cards in my hands. Mr. Dunlap had more than two-hunnerd niggers. I know 'cause what I done was 'lowance out the food tables. I used to set out the meal for the everyday bread and the flour for the Sunday biscuits and the good old sow belly. Seems like the earth was just full of people. Seem like the earth was just full of vittles. Lord I get the mouf watering when I think of the quinces and blue plums and damsons and pears and the hogs walking round for the killing. And the taters I used to tell the missus they give them niggers too much 'cause the niggers was pullin' the vines at night. Niggers will steal 'taters. Now I'm a nigger and I love my taters. But don't think I'm lettin' on that I'm a niggers' nigger. 'Cause I ain't. I'm a white-folkses nigger. Uster hear the niggers say that all my days. I said, don't call me that. They say it to me now. I'm thinkin' on knocking 'em in the head. My white folkses was nice. Master Dunlap never let his chilluns get married 'til they was twenty-one year old. I knew all 'bout them 'cause I never lived with no niggers, I lived in the house with Miss Rebecca . Every night she say, 'Fix your pallet on the floor and go to sleep Anna .' I had a sister that was a uppity little nigger, she was borned before me and my mother likes her better. She gets my sister a good white dress and that nigger puts it on and prances around. I hide in the fence corner and when she passes by I threw dirty water on her. My mother beats me; she tore the hide off my back. The Dunlaps say they ain't going stand for none of that so they takes me away from her and keeps me in the house. My mother's name was Lewiza (Louisa ). I dont know my dada never. You can't tell on such things the way niggers slip out to meet. I member following my mother down in the broom sage and she driv' me back and run off and left me. I cried on it. I heared once that my dada was sold off and then I heared he was a man didn't do nothing but hammer shoes. There was a man there didn't do nothing but hammer shoes but he was called Uncle Charlie . They sold my mother off to Mr. John Hale , the one that married Miss Lizzie , Mr. Dunbar's daughter. The Dunbars had lots of chilluns. There was Miss Rebecca and Miss Lizzie and Addie and Berry and Bone Griffin and some tothers. I was always 'toting babies 'round. 'Sides that I made beds. I had twenty beds a day to make. They beds were made out'n goose feathers. They were just as particular with the way everything was did. They had a big house with fifteen rooms. The chickens used to lay eggs in the gutters of the house and I'd have to 'git 'em. The niggers lived in little old log houses with a puncheon floor. But master was good to them niggers. He was too good to them. He preached to them every night. But no, some of them niggers got to go to dances round about in them parts and he give them a little pass to tell them to go.

Now I'm one that sho' b'lieves in the paddyrollers. They are the ones to learn them to stay in the house and keep them down on their knees. I never danced and I never cursed a lick in my life. My master was sanctified and I'm sanctified too. Bless God. I did use to play a game called "Molly Bright". We'd catch hands and then go 'round and 'round and sing: How far from here to Molly Bright? Three-score and ten If I get there by candlelight Legs long light. Of course I was the smartest child my master ever had and he as good as told me so. Mr. Bone Griffin died and they buried him in a open coffin. That's something I ain't never seen before. Folks could just walk right up and look right at him plain as day. We went to church in a ox-wagon. When we was at church I was setting there hearin' the preacher and I got religion. I had a baby in my arms and I run down to the front and I was having such a spasm that they was 'fraid I was going to pitch the baby in the air and kill it. I was powerful moved. They had to take the baby from me. The master brought me back to the church one day and got me sprinkled. Then I didn't do nothing but work and pray and sing. I 'members those songs: Jesus my all to Heaven is gone I want to go there too I want to go there too I want to go there too Glory Hallelujah I want to go there too You better read the Bible You better read the Bible You better read the Bible And then we all go home. You better be a-prayin' You better be a-prayin' You better be a-prayin' And then we all go home. We will camp in the wilderness In the wilderness And then we will all go home. I sang: I want to feel my savior near When soul and body's parting I want to live a Christian life I want to die a-shouting I want to feel my savior near When soul and body's parting. There was other songs I didn't take no stock in. There was the in the field songs and corn shucking songs and hallelujah songs and the hurrah boys songs. The neighbors had more goings-on than we ever did. I heared plenty. I have heard them cry-out 'Old Massa don't beat me'; 'Lawd have mercy, old massa'. They had pranks and things. I had Saturday evenings off but I jest set in the window and looked out. I wish they had the days back when the ladies rid around on the horses in long bonnets. But then the war came along and we didn't go to Salem camp grounds no more and things happen and I got to roving 'round and got 'mong good people and had two babies. The people cry, most 'specially the womens. I seen soldiers; why I seen Jeff Davis hissef a-settin' on his horse. Then I heared of the battle of Bull Fight. Them stragglin' yankees think they done something. I heared cannons poppin' and I seen two boys named Will and Jim shot with a shell. They set our general's house on fire. They shot a man right at his gate. It was worser than turrible. Then the last year of the war the Federals come in a-beating drums and a-going on. Everything just bust up. Master Dunlap and the missus and they chilluns and Alec , my brother, and me run off to Montgomery and get on a steamboat. I was sho' sick and I roll out on the floor out'n the bed on the wall. We come to Galveston and then to Plano, Texas.

They told me I was free but I could stay with 'em. I worked so hard. I used to spin two cuts a day then. My chilluns died and I got them buried some place not so far from here but everybody dead now I didn't want no more chilluns then. And when I go to get married I think I'll marry a little man that don't get so many chilluns. I got married when I was 'bout twenty years old. A old lady tol' me 'that man get lots of chilluns even if he ain't very big; if you pick them up and hold them to the light you see them little mens are working alive with chilluns.' I got married but I don't have no more chilluns. I guess thats cause I never run out with anybody. Seems like the war was the stopping of the good days. Why Just the other day a little white woman come by in the blithering cold without no coat. I heared her telling my white folks. I run in my little house and I got a nice coat that a white lady give me and I tuk it to her. I said, 'here honey you take this; and it ain't never been on no nigger's back.I 'member everything real good only I can't recollect it all. But there is some things I know. My old master tried to settle the war. Everybody's dead and gone and I ask the Lord every night 'Lord, what am I doing here hangin' round so long? I'm tired and my teeth hurts me and I'd like to requaintance myself with some of them old folks I used to know.