EMMA JETER                   344-SC/#68                                      046
LORDY, HONEY. I SHO WAS BORN IN SLAVERY AND I IS PROUD O' IT TOO. OLE MARSE COLE
LAWSON WAS MY OLE MARSTER. WHEN I AXED HIM HOW OLD I WAS, HE ALLUS LOWED SOMETHI
NG LIKE DIS, "YOU IS OLDER THAN YOU IS GOOD," AND DAT ALL HE EVER SAID 'BOUT MY
AGE. SWEET DREAMS (HER GRAND DAUGHTER) COME HERE AND FETCH ME A DRINK FROM DE WE
LL TO WET MY MOUTH] MY GRAND-DAUGHTER STAY WID ME AT NIGHT. WHEN SHE DOAN STAY,
SOME O' DE OTHER GRAND UNS STAYS. SOMETIME IT'S JEST ME AND SAGO HERE ALL ALONE.
 I JES' SETS AND LOOKS AT HIM AT NIGHT WHILE HE SLEEP. HE WORK DE-RICH WHITE oOL
KS' FLOWER YARDS FER 'EM AND DAT BRINGS HIM IN AT NIGHT RAAL RITED. MY GRAND-DAU
GHTER'S RAAL NAME IS MARGUERITE PORTER, BUT NOBODY DON'T HARDLY KNOW DAT; KAISE
EVERYBODY CALL HER SWEET DREAM, HER LIL BABY NAME. SHE MY OLDEST DAUGHTER'S FIFT
H CHILE. MY FEELINGS TELLS ME I IS OLE AND MY WHITE FOLKS 'IL TELL YOU I WAS BOR
N IN SLAVERY, 'CEPT DEY IS ALL DAED.
         LIGHT FURS' STRUCK ME ON DE LjRGE-PLjNTATrONO' OLE MARSE COLE LAWSON,
DE PAW O' MISTER VICTOR LAWSON. MISTER VICTOR AIN'T NO SPRING CHICKEN NO MO' HIS
SELF. DAT OVER IN SEDALIA IN DE MINTER SECTION. YOU KNO'S 'BOUT DE LARGE PLANTAT
ION O' MARSE JAMES E MINTER , DAT GIB DE SECTION ITS NAME? WAY BACK OVER DAR WHA
$ I WAS BORN.
          PAW STAY IN UNION COUNTY. MAW WAS SOLD TO A MAN NAME MARSE BAILEY SUBE
R
 OVER IN FAIRFIELD, WHILE I STILL A SUCKLING. AT DAT TrME,-MY-PAW W SBkOdGHTBBY
A WIDDER WOMAN, MISS SARAH BARNETT, IN UNION COUNTY. LAWD JESUS] DAT SEPARATE MY
MAW AND PAW. MAW TUCK ME 'LONG WID HER. MAW NAME CLARA SIMS. WHEN ME AND MAW WEN
T TO FAIRFIELD, US DIDN'T STAY DAR LONG 'FO OLE MAN HARRISON SARTOR OF SANTUCK B
OUGHT MY MAW. US GLAD TO GIT BACK TO UNION. I WAS A BIG SIZE GAL BY DIS TIME AND
I START TO BE DE WAITING GAL IN MY NEW MARSE'S HOUSE FER HIS WIFE, MISS BETSY HA
D ONE SISTER, MISS NANCY WILSON, DAT LIVE WID HER. HER MISSUS AND OLD MARSTER AN
D DERE SON, WILLIE, WAS ALL DAT I HAD TO WAIT ON, KAISE DAT WAS ALL DAR WAS IN D
E HOUSEHOLD.
         GOD-A-MIGHTY] IS YOU GWINE TO FILL UP DAT BOOK WID ALL DAT I SAY ?6WnLL
, MARSE HARRISON DIDN'T 'LOW PAW TO SEE MAW 'CEPT TWICE A YEAR -- LAYING BY TIME
 AND CHRISTMAN. MY PAW STILL 'LONGED TO MISS SARAH BARNETT. DAT'S 'ZACTLY WHY I
IS GOT FIVE HALF-SISTERS AND ONE-HALF BROTHER. PAW GOT HIM ANOTHER WIFE AT MISS
SARAH'S. MISS SARAH WANT YOUNG HEALTHY SLAVES. NAW HAD JES' ME AND ANN. ANN BEEN
$DAED. OH, LORD, FORTY YEARS. DIS ALL TO MY RECOLLECTIONS.
          IS YOU GWINE TO FIX FER ME AND SAGO TO GIT SOME PENSION? GAWD NAW, SOM
E
 DESE LIL BABIES WHATS 'ER SUCKING DE MAW'S TITIES IS GWINE TO GIT DAT PENSION.
US ALL GWINE TO BE DAED 'FO IT EVEN COME OUT. YOU AIN'T GWINE TO EVEN SHO' DAT T
O NO GOV'MENT MAN; NO LAWD, AIN'T NEVER THOUGHT I'S GWINE TO GIT IT.
         YES, HONEY, I WAS IN FAIRFIELD DEN, BUT I 'MEMBERS WHEN CROWDS O'-MnN C
OME IN FROM DE WAR. ALL US CHILLUNS SEED MENS COMING AND US RUN AND TUCK OFF FAS
' AS US COULD FER DE NEAREST WOODS, KAISE US WUZ DAT SCARED, DAT DEM MENS GWINE
TO GIT US. ATTER DAT, US FOUND OUT DEY WAS OUT OWN FOLKS. US HAD DONE TUCK AND R
UN FROM DEM DEN.
         CHILE, YOU COME BACK WHEN SAGO HERE, AND US TELL YOU DAT BOOK FULL, SHO
 NUFF.
  X   XXX
STP