Slave Narratives Vol. XIV. South Carolina, Part 1

s visitor returns to hear her sing old time songs. June, Bertha L

Aun' Lizz

Lee-Yes'um, she in

how you run about in all this dam

's got de c

um's got de

e sick

ee-I got

-I sic

ittle Possum.

t room dere. (Room next to Lizzie'

chicken pox first en den

appears from around the corner of the h

e's door to tell her

, somebody out de

n' tellin me no story, is you? Mind you now, you

ie, ain' nobody but

s to the door

h, Miss Davis, dese chillun keeps me so worried up dat I don' know whe' half my knowin

en tell me Possum

don' see nothin de matter wid him 'cept what wrong wid he mouth. Possum, stand back dere way from Miss Davis, I say

, I know how to

o spell my name, too. M

ice to like to go to school

ll off

Lee-Us

you promised to study up for me? You ought to h

tunes here de other day, but I tellin you de truth, Miss

r to play with the childre

and for you learnin dese chillun no such manners for me to beat it out dem. No, boy, mind yourself way from here now, I got to hunt up dat tune for Miss Davis. Yes'um, I got one

lady don' know whe

Dere us hou

out and June immediately slides into he

ee-Move

is place w

June, go fu

tha Lee, dis

. (June holds his place)

waitin to hear that tu

Izzie, June se

den June, too? Go way from here, I say. I ain' got no time to monkey up wid you. I got to get dese collards boilin hard, el

d takes her place on the opposite side of t

s, does you kn

Is he yo

d June-No, he

e everything I got. He shoe h

une's sweater, but dem

ty buttons you got

is, en dem li

sweater just

e-Ain' ju

most l

it ain' cause

porch and sits on a lit

et a tune in my mind. I gwine sho get somebody to place it for me. It de

Me ca

zie, I ain' go

again to stir up the fire

ee-Sing

an'. Aun' Izzie

e-I gwine

u

e lightho

e lighth

lighthou

eturn to porch. Poss

Alfred. Miss Davis, I ready. Sho

ldn' fetch me no

s bread. Gwine on in dere en catch you a piece out your own pan. You ea

e room and comes b

. Let dem all get dey belly full en den dey hea

ie, Alfred eati

ma, she ain' never left nothin but corn hoecake in your pan since you been born en you know dat, too. Dem chillun carries me in

y nose

l Miss Mammie to give you a pocket rag, Possum. (Miss Mam

tha

abbit, H

rs Go, Flop!

. I sorry you come here on a dead shot en ain' ge

, Joseph been cutti

acted to Willie, who looks

e wid your bosom wide open. Fasten up your neck dere, I say.-Possum, come here, is

um-Y

tory. Whe' de rag? No, you ain' ax her neither. G

around corn

t to forget it dis tim

Possum fall in de tub of wa

orner of the house just at that m

n round dat pump tub no time. Ain' nobody want to drink out no tub you wash your snotty nose in. Fetch yourself in dere to de fire en dry yourself fore you is catch

-I gwi

u say you

, I ain' say

sum, you know what I tel

just don' believe he

a story-teller. (Lizzie slaps Possum on the shoulder several times a

eat dem. Yes, mam, I tellin de truth, honey, dese chillun keeps me settin here listenin wid all my ears en lookin wid all

nning in and lea

id your mouth all de time lookin like you ain' hear tell of no pocket ra

ebruary