I was bo'n Ella Green 'bout d' close 'r' d' war, w'en my mammy come from Brooklan' t' Jasper. My ol'est brudder 'n' sister, Rich'rd Green 'n' Gemmy Green , dey was bofe bo'n in Brooklan', Texas, in slavery days. Den dey was some mo' chillun, but dey all die fo' I come 'long. My pap 'n' mammy dey was slaves in Al'bama. 'Nudder w'ite man, he buy mammy atter pap die'. He die in slavery w'en I was 'bout five 'r' six year' ol'.  W'en I was young I was a pow'ful han' t' lissen w'en pap 'n' mammy talk 'bout ol' times. D' res' 'r' d' chilluns dey run off 'n' play but me I hang 'roun' pap 'n' beg 'im t' tell me 'bout slavery days 'n' w'en he 'n' mammy was young 'n' t'ings like dat. Pap tell me dat one night w'en he was young he went t' co'te mammy. He say he gwine to tek 'er t' a big dance but ol' Marse 'e wouldn' let 'er go. So since he had t' clean up d' ol' hall whar d' ball was gwine t' be helt, he go on 'head 'r' time 'n' he go by hisse'f. Pap he buil' a big fire in d' stove. D' niggers dey begin' t' gedder 'roun' 'til dey was 'bout a hunnerd. Dey way stan'in 'roun' d' doah w'en some patterroles (patrols) come 'n' stan' 'roun' d' do' too. My pap he say t' hisse'f, 'O, Lawsy Massa, w'at I's gwinter do? Dem patterroles is out 'n' I's in. Dey gwinter break up dis ball 'n' dey whup me t' def'. O' w'at kin' I do? Jus' den pap t'ought 'bout 'is big fire in d' stove 'n' 'is big long han'le shubble. D' fire was all bu'n down t' jus' big coals by dis time. So he grab up d' shubble 'n' git it heapin' full 'r' big coals 'n' run 'n' th'owed it all ober d' patterroles at d' do'. W'en dey see w'at he gwinter do dey fall down flat on dey face real quick t' keep from gittin' bu'n'. Pap he jump ober 'em out d' do' 'n' run 'bout five mile'. Dey neber ketch 'im but he ain' neber tek a chance 'r' goin' out at night any mo' in dat part d' country.

Pap say he uster feel sorry fo' mammy. Befo' dey marry she had a mean marster w'at mek 'er wuk hard 'n' dey gib 'er many a lick. O, dey whip dem nigger 'n' treat' 'em awful. We warn't 'lowed t' tell it den but right den I say if I eber git free, I gwinter tell it 'n' now I's tellin' you. Pap uster say, 'You chillun would all be dead if you woulda had t' stan' w'at y'r po' mammy 'n' me had t' stan' w'en us was li'l. Dey was whip so much fo' stealin' in dem day. But dey jus' kep' stealin' anyway. De marsters dey git all d' parrot w'at dey could, 'n' dey teach 'em t' watch d' niggers 'n' tell eb'ry time dey done wrong. But dey watch d' parrot too, 'n' kill' 'em iffen dey tell a lie. Dey call d' parrots 'Laura' in dem days. W'en d' niggers wukkin' in d' fiel' Massa put parrots in d' trees at d' en' 'r' d' fiel' t' watch 'n' tell on d' niggers. If a nigger stop t' res' a li'l w'ile d' parrot he holler out, 'Marse, d' nigger ain' wukkin'. Den dey had t' git t' wuk in a hurry 'r' git beat. One day Marse was settin' in d' house. Parrot he fly up on 'is sholder 'n' holler out loud, 'Marse, nigger stealin', nigger stealin'.' Dey went t' look 'n' dey fin' a big nigger man in d' gyarden fillin' 'is sack wid apples. Den d' parrot he fly back on he marster's shoulder ag'in 'n' laugh 'n' holler out, 'Tol' yer so, nigger stealin'. One time Mistus sont a li'l cullud boy out in d' gyarden t' git some green'. D' parrot he fly t' Marse ag'in 'n' holler, 'Marse, nigger stealin' all d' green'. D' li'l boy was skeert nigh t' def' 'til Mistus come out 'n' tell Marse she sont 'im fo' d' greens.  Dem parrots dey was hateful t'ings. I 'member once me 'n' a woman pass by a parrot. De woman she speak t' d' parrot but I ain' say nuthin'. Atter us gone a li'l way d' parrot he begin callin' at me. I say t' dat woman, 'W'at ail dat parrot it cussin' me? She say, 'Dat co'se you ain' speak t' 'im w'en you went by. Nudder time, w'en d' Marse git up he go in d' ki'chen, 'n' ol' parrot w'at he had come sneakin' outn' Mistus big woodn' chu'n. He say, 'Marse, it rain, 'n' sto'm all las' night 'n' po' Laura hafter sleep in d' chu'n.' Marse he say, 'Laura, you is a liah.' Dere d' moon still shinin'. It ain' rain 'r' sto'm 'tall.' But d' parrot kep' on sayin' how's it rain 'n' sto'm las' night so Laura hafter sleep in d' chu'n. Den he say, 'No, Laura, you's a liah 'n' I ain' gwinter hab no lyin' parrot in my house.' 'N' den he git up 'n' git he gun 'n' shoot dat ol' parrot dead cause d' parrot lie 'n' Marse say he ain' gwinter hab no lyin' parrot 'roun' 'im. Dats 'bout all dat I kin t'ink 'bout right now.