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After giving the sad history of his slave-life the common lot of that class of goods and chattels he said: "Missus I stay'd thar as long as I could, when I seed my brodder in de Lo'd hangin' on a tree not more'n a hundred rods from my house, near Baton Rouge. A sistah was hanged five miles off, on de plank road, in West Baton Rouge, in a little woods.
Hit makes me mad ter think 'bout hit. Ef de good Lawd had wanted dat, he would hab had us all one color." "Fer a long time de relief gib me a quart ob milk a day, but now all I has ez w'at mah sistah Harriett gibs me. She sin' got much wuk en sum days we don' hab much ter eat. Ef mah Missis wuz livin' I wouldin' go hongry." INTERVIEW WILEY CHILDRESS 808 Gay St. Nashville, Tennessee
In view of the intense dislike the teacher had conceived for Belton, she desired to know if it were not best to withdraw him from school altogether, rather than to subject him to the harsh treatment sure to come. "Let me gib yer my advis, sistah Hannah. De greatest t'ing in de wul is edification. Ef our race ken git dat we ken git ebery t'ing else. Dat is de key.
"Howdy, Sistah Po'tah," he said, gravely shaking hands. "That was a fine disco'se we had the pleasuah of listenin' to this evenin'." "'Deed it was, Brothah Fostah," she answered. "How's all up yo' way?" The Little Colonel, running on after a couple of white butterflies, paid no attention to the conversation until she heard her own name mentioned. "Mistah Sherman came home last night, I heah."
"La, Brothah Hayward, ef it ain't you; howdy; come in." "Howdy, howdy, Sistah Griggs, how you come on?" "Oh, I's des tol'able," industriously dusting a chair. "How's yo'se'f?" "I's right smaht, thankee ma'am." "W'y, Brothah Hayward, ain't you los' down in dis paht of de town?" "No, indeed, Sistah Griggs, de shep'erd ain't nevah los' no whaih dey's any of de flock."
Then she answered, "Chil', you do' know de dev'ment dey is in dis worl'." "But," retorted the child, "my pappy ain' up to no dev'ment, 'case he got 'uligion an' bin baptised." "Oom-m," groaned Sistah Gibson, "dat don' mek a bit o' diffunce. Who is any mo' ma'yin' men den de preachahs demse'ves?
"But whut I been doin', sistah, whut I been doin'?" "You know." "I reckon I do, but I wan' see whethah you does er not." "You been gwine ovah to de wes' plantation, dat's whut you been doin'. You can' 'ny dat, you's been seed!" "I do' wan' 'ny it. Is dat all?" "Is dat all!" Lize stood aghast. Then she said slowly and wonderingly, "Brothah Simon, is you losin' yo' senses er yo' grace?"
He waved his hand magnanimously. "Sistah Griggs, Sally, whatevah high place I may be fo'destined to I shall tek my wife up wid me." This was enough, and with her hearty yes, the Rev. Mr. Hayward had Sister Sally close in his clerical arms.
I don't know how old I am, dey never told me down dere, but the folks here say I'm a hunderd yeah old an' I spect dats about right. My fathah's name wuz Jack Brown and' my mammy's Nellie Brown. Dey wuz six of us chillun, one sistah Hannah an' three brothers, Jim, Harrison, an' Spot. Jim wuz de oldes an' I wuz next.
The rest of Sylvia's young ladies immediately followed, and the congregation waited until all the rest of the white folks passed out, before crowding to the carriage to congratulate "Brothah and Sistah Robinson."
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