MARTHA ALLEN                 0018-NC/#059                                    040
          "I WUZ BORNED IN CRAVEN COUNTY SEVENTY EIGHT YEARS AGO.  MY PAPPA WUZ
NAMED ANDREW BRYANT AN' MY MAMMY WUZ NAMED HARRIET.  MY BROTHERS WUZ JOHN FRANKL
IN, ALFRED, AN' ANDREW.  I AIN'T HAD NO SISTERS.  I RECKON DAT WE IS WHAT YO' CA
LL A GENERAL MIXTURE CASE I AM PART INJUN, PART WHITE, AN' PART NIGGER.
          "MY MAMMY BELONGED TER TOM EDWARD GASKIN AN' SHE WUZN'T HALF FED.  DE
COOK NUSSED DE BABIES WHILE SHE COOKED, SO DAT DE MAMMIES COULD WUCK IN DE FIEL'
S, AN' ALL DE MAMMIES DONE WUZ STICK DE BABIES IN DE KITCHEN DO' ON DERE WAY TER
 DE FIEL'S.  I'SE HYARD MAMMY SAY DAT DEY WnNT TnR WU K fImOUTBkrE  F ST,& N'&DA
T WHEN SHE PUT HER BABY IN DE KITCHEN SHE'D GO BY DE SLOP BUCKET AN' DRINK DE SL
OPS FROM A LONG HANDLED GOARD.
          "DE SLAVE DRIVER WUZ BAD AS HE COULD BE, AN' DE sLAVES pOT&AfFuLBBEAcI
N'S.
          "DE YOUNG MARSTER SORTA WANTED MY MAMMY, BUT SHE TnLLS HrM-NO, sO&HE&C
HUNKS A LIGHTWOOD KNOT AN' HITS HER ON DE HAID WID IT.  DESE WHITE MENS WHAT HAD
 BABIES BY NIGGER WIMMENS WUZ CALLED 'CARPET GITTERS'.  MY FATHER'S FATHER WUZ6O
NE O' DEM.
          "YES MAM, I'SE MIXED PLENTY CASE MY MAMMY'S pRjNmm W6WUZC.(  EEINJU
N.
          "I DON'T KNOW NOTHIN' 'BOUT NO WAR, CASE MARSTER CARRIED US TER CEDjR
FALLS, NEAR DURHAM AN' DAR'S WHAR WE COME FREE.
"I 'MEMBER DAT DE KU KLUX USTER GO TER DE FREE ISSUES HOUSES, STRIP ALL DE FAMIL
Y AN' WHUP DE OLE FOLKSES.  DEN DEY DANCES WID DE PRETTY YALLER GALS AN' GOES TE
R BED WID DEM.  DAT'S WHAT DE KU KLUX WUS, A BUNCH OF MEAN MENS TRYIN' TER HAB A
 GOOD TIME.
          "I'SE WUCKED PURTY HARD DURIN' MY LIFE AN' I DONE MY lOuRTrN'-ON A STE
ER AN' CART HAULIN' WOOD TER TOWN TER SELL.  HE WUZ HAULIN' WOOD TOO ON HIS WAGI
N, AN' HE'D BEAT ME TER TOWN SO'S DAT HE COULD HELP ME OFF'N DE WAGIN.  I RECKON
 DAT DAT WUZ AS GOOD A WAY AS ANY.
          "I TRIES TER BE A GOOD CHRISTIAN BUT I'SE GOT DISGUSTED WID DESE YOUNG
 UPSTART NIGGERS WHAT DANCES IN DE CHU'CH. DEY SAYS DAT D(Y AM tRU KI)' j)' DAT
DE BIBLE AIN'T FORBID HIT, BUT I RECKIN DAT I KNOWS DANCIN' WHAR I SEES HIT."
  X   XXX
STP