BILL CRUMP                   0054-NC/#009                                    004
          "I RECKON DAT I WUS BORNED IN DAVIDSON COUNTY ON DE PLANTATION-OF-MIST
ER WHITMAN SMITH, MY MAMMY'S MARSTER.
          "MY DADDY WUS NAMED TOM AN' HE 'LONGED TER MISTER BEN MURRY FUST AN' L
ATER TER MISTER JIMMY CRUMP.  DADDY WUS NAMED ATTER HIS YOUNG MARSTER.  DEY LIVE
D IN RANDOLPH, DE COUNTY NEXT TER DAVIDSON WHAR ME MAMMY AN' DE REST OF DE CHILL
UNS, ALT, GEORGE, HARRIET, SARAH, MARY AN' DE BABY LIBED.
          "BOTH OF DE MARSTERS WUS GOOD TER US, AN' DAR WUS PLENTY TER EAT AN' W
'AR, AN' RIGHT MANY JUBILEES.  WE AIN'T NONE OF DE DOZEN ER SO OF US EBER GOT A
WHUPPIN', CASE WE AIN'T DESARVED NO WHUPPIN'; WHY, DAR WUSN'T EBEN A COWHIDE WHU
P ANYWHAR ON DE PLACE.  WE WUCKED IN DE FIE'LS FROM SUNUP TER SUNDOWN MOS' O' DE
 TIME, BUT WE HAD A COUPLE OF HOURS AT DINNER TIME TER SWIM OR LAY ON DE BANKS U
V DE LITTLE CRICK AN' SLEEP.  OBER 'BOUT SUNDOWN MARSTER LET US GO SWIM AG'IN IF
FEN WE WANTED TER DO IT.
          "DE MARSTER LET US HAVE SOME CHICKENS, A SHOAT jN' A GYjRDnN, AN' 'TAT
ER PATCH, AN' WE HAD TIME OFF TER WUCK 'EM.  IN SEASON WE PRESERVED OUR OWN FRUI
TS FER DE WINTER AN' SO WE LARNED NOT TER BE SO HEABY ON DE MARSTER'S HAN'S.
          "MY DADDY WUS A FIDDLER, AN' HE SOMETIMES PLAYED FER DE DANCES AT DE
CROSS ROADS, A LITTLE VILLAGE NEAR DE MARSTER'S PLACE.  ALL WHAT AIN'T BEEN MEAN
 COULD GO, BUT DE MEAN ONES CAN'T, AN' DE REST O' US HAS TER HABE A PASS TER KEE
P DE PATTEROLLERS FROM GITTIN US.
          "YES MAM, WE HAD OUR FUN AT DE DANCES, CO'N SHUCKIN'S, CANDY PULLIN'S,
 AN' DE GATHERIN'S AN' WE SARBED DE MARSTER BETTER BY HABIN' OUR FUN.
          "I'SE SEED A BUNCH O'SLAVES SOLD A HEAP OF TIMES AN' I NEBER SEED NO
CHAINS ON NOBODY.  DEY JIST STOOD DEM ON DE TABLE FRONT OF DE POST OFFICE AT CRO
SS ROADS AN' SOL' 'EM TER DE ONE WHAT BIDS DE HIGHES.
          "WE HYARD A WHISPER 'BOUT SOME SLAVES BEI)' BEAT TER DEA,H, BUT I AI)'
T NEBER SEED A SLAVE GIT A LICK OF NO KIN', COURSE ATTER DE WAR I SEED DE KU KLU
X RUNNIN' MEAN NIGGERS.
          "DAR WUS NO MARRYIN' ON DE PLANTATION, IFFEN A NIGGER WANTS A8 OMAN8HE
 HAS GOT TER BUY HER OR GIT HER MARSTER'S PERMIT, DEN DEY AM MARRIE<.
          "WHEN ONE O' DE SLAVES WUS SICK HE HAD A DOCTOR FAST AS LIGHTNIN', AN'
 WHEN DE DIED HE WUS SET UP WID ONE NIGHT.  DE MARSTER WOULD GIBE DE MOURNERS A
DRINK O' WINE MEBBE, AN' DEY'D MO'N, AN' SHOUT, AN' SING ALL DE NIGHT LONG, WHIL
E DE CORPSE LAID OUT ON DE COOLIN' BOARD, WHICH MINDS ME OF A TALE.
          "ONCT WE WUS SETTIN' UP WID A NIGGER,'FORE DE WAR AN' HIT BEIN' A HOT
 NIGHT DE WINE WUS DRUNK AN' DE MO'NERS WUS SETTIN' FRONT O' DE DO' EATIN' WATER
MILLONS WHILE DE DAID MAN LAID ON DE COOLIN' BOARD.  SUDDENLY ONE OF DE NIGGERS
LOOKS BACK IN DE DO', AN' DE DAID MAN AM SETTIN' UP ON DE COOLIN' BOARD LOOKIN R
IGHT AT HIM.  DE MAN WHAT SEES HIT HOLLERS, AN' ALL DE REST WHAT HAS BEEN WISHIN
' DAT DE DAID MAN CAN DNJOY DE WINE AN' DE WATERMILLONS AM SORRY DAT HE HAS COME
D BACK.
         8"DEY DOAN TAKE TIME TER SAY HIT DO', CASE DEY AM GONE TER DE BIG8+OUSE
.  DE MARSTER AM BRAVE SO HE COMES TER SEE, AN'HE SAYS DAT HIT AM ONLY RESTRICT
IONS O' DE MUSCLES.
          "DE NES' MORNIN', AS AM DE WAY, DEY PUTS DE MAN IN A PINE BOX MADE [Y
 NOTHER SLAVE AN' DEY TOTES HIM FROM DE CABIN TER DE MARSTER'S BURYIN' GROUN' AT
 DE CEDARS; AN' DE SLAVES BURY'S HIM WHILE DE MARSTER AN' HIS FAMILY LOOKS ON.
          "I DOAN KNOW MUCH 'BOUT DE YANKEES CASE DE WARN'T NONE 'CEPT DE SKIRTI
N' PARTIES COMED OUR WAY.
          "ATTER DE WAR WE STAYS ON FER FOUR OR FIVE YEARS MEBBE, AN' I GOES TER
 SCHOOL TWO WEEK\.  DE TEACHER WUS MISTER EDMUND KN!HTS6OM DE  ;',H.
          "I'SE SARBES FOUR YEARS AN' TEN MONTHS OF A EIGHT TER TWELVE STRET.H F
ER KILLIN' A MAN.  DIS MAN AN' A WHOLE GANG O' US WUS AT HIS HOUSE GAMBLIN'.  I
HAD DONE QUIT DRINKIN' ER MONT' ER SO 'FORE DAT, BUT DEY 'SISTS ON HIT, BUT I FU
SES.  ATTER 'WHILE HE POURS SOME ON ME AN' I CUSSES HIM, DEN HE CUSSES ME, AN' H
E SAYS DAT HE AM GWINE TER KILL ME, AN' HE FOLLERS ME DOWN DE ROAD.  I TURNS ROU
N' AN' SHOOTS HIM.
          "DAT AM ALL OF MY STORY 'CEPT DAT I HAS SEEN A POWERFUL HEAP OF GHOSTE
S AN' I KNOWS DAT DEY COMES IN WHITE AN' BLACK, AN' DAT DEY AM IN DE SHAPE ER DO
GS, MENS, AN' EBER'THING DAT YOU CAN HAVE A MIND TO."
  X   XXX
STP