Alabama
43Ř‘~
dat de white chilluns done out-crowed. ~n‘ on Sunday I was de ciressed-upest nigger in de quarter.

	Ivlassa ‘longed to de Presbyterian chu‘ch so all us ni~gers was Presbyterians too. We all went to our own chu‘ch dat was on ~e place dar.

	“Massa kep‘ a pack of blood hounds but it warn‘t often dat he had to use ‘em ‘ea‘se none of our nt~gers eber runned away. One day, dough, a nigger named. Joe did r~un away. Believe me Mistis, dem blood hounds cotch dat nigger ‘b‘ he ~ot to de creek good. It makes me laugh till ylt de way dat nigger jumped in de creek when he couldn‘t swim a lick jus‘ ‘ca‘~e dein houn‘s was atter him. He sho made a splash, but dey managed to git him out ‘f‘o he drowned.

	“I ma‘ied about a year atter de war, anC Mistis, I didn‘t have no pretty dress to git ma‘ied i~n. I ma‘ied dat Oie nigger in a dirty work dress an‘ my ~‘eets was bare jus‘ lak dey is now. I figured dat iffen he loved ~ne, he loved me jus‘ as well in my bare feets as he would wid. my shoes on.

	“Does I believe in ghosties? SIao I does. I aon‘t suppose you was bawn wid a veil on yot face lak I was, ca‘se I can see dem ghosties as plain as dey was here raght now. I‘ll tell you I b ou t~ on e dat e 0m e s ou t de wni t e f Ol1~ s chu ‚ CII y ard. On dark rainy nights, I sees him, tall wid long white robes drappin f‘um him. He carries a big light so bright dat you can‘ t see his face, but he looks jus‘ lak a man. It don‘t bother me none, ~ca‘se I don‘t bother it.

	HI keeps a flour sifter an‘ a for~ by mybed to keep de witches f ‘Wi‘ ridin‘ me. How come I knows dey rides me?, Honey, I bees so t4red in de mawnin‘ I kin acarcely git otitten my bed,