JANE LEE                         - NC/#360
     "I WUS kORnED&DE sLAVE-OF-MARSE HnNRY MCCuLLnRS mOwN&HnrE&AT&llAYtONON DE
WAKE AN' JOHNSTON LINE.  MY DADDY WUS NAMED ADDISON AN' MY MAMMY WUS NAMED CAROL
INE.  DADDY 'LONGED TO MISTER JOHN ELLINGTON WHO ALSO LIVED NEAR CLAYTON.  I DOA
N KNOW DE NUMBER OF MISTER ELLINGTON'S SLAVES, BUT I KNOW DAT MARSE HENRY HAD SI
X OR SEBEN.

     "MARSE HENRY AIN'T HAD NO OBERSEER NER NO PATTEROLLERS NOTHER.  HE MANAGED
HIS BUSINESS HISSELF AN' AIN' NEEDED NOBODY.  HE WHUPPED  DEM WHEN DEY NEEDED HI
T BUT DAT AIN'T OFTEN, NOT DAT HE AIN'T PUT DE WHUPPIN' ON DEM WHAT DID NEED
HIT.

     "I 'MEMBERS DE YANKEES COMIN' GOOD AS IFFEN HIT WUS YESTERDAY.  DEY COMED W
ID A BIG NOISE, CHASIN' OUR WHITE FOLKS WHAT WUS IN DE ARMY CLEAN AWAY.  DEY CHA
SE DEN  TO RALEIGH AN' DEN DEY KOTCH 'EM, BUT DEY AIN'T HAD MUCH TIME, TER DO US
 ANY DAMAGE CASE DEY WUS TOO BUSY ATTER DE REBS.

     "DE WOODS WUS FULL OF RUNAWAY SLAVES AN' REBS WHO DESERTED DE ARMY SO HIT W
US DANGEROUS TO WALK OUT .  MARSE HENRY GIVE US A SPEECH ABOUT HIT AN' ATTER I S
EED ONE RAG-A-MUFFIN NIGGER MAN DAT WUS SO HONGRY DAT HIS EYES POP OUT, I AIN'T
TOOK NO MORE WALKS.

     "ATTER DE WAR WE MOVED ON MISTER ELLINGTON'S PLACE WID DADDY AN' DAR I STAY
ED TILL I MARRIED WYATT LEE.  WYATT WUS A BAD PROPOSITION AN' HE GOT SHOT IN FAY
ETTEVILLE ATTER WE HAD FIVE CHILLUNS.  WYATT TUCK A WOMAN TO FAYETTEVILLE AN' A
MAN NAMED FRANK MATTINER KILLED HIM ABOUT HER.  DEN MY OLDEST BOY
  WENT TO WURK IN VIRGINIA AN' A MAN NAMED RUDOLPHUS KILLED HIM ' BOUT A YALLnR
GAL.  BOTH OF DE MURDERERS RUNAWAY AN' AIN'T NEVER BEEN KETCHED.

     "ALL FIVE OF MY CHILLUNS AM DAID NOW, AN' FER DE PAST TEN YEARS I'SE DONE E
VER'THING BUT CUT CORD WOOD.

     "HOW DOES I LIVE?  WELL I LIVES NOW AN' DEN.  DE COUNTY GIVES ME TWO DOLLAR
S A MONTH AN' DE HOUSE AM MINE DURIN' MY LIFE TIME.  MISTER PARRISH SOLD HIT TO
JUDGE BROOKS WID DE UNDERSTANDIN' DAT HIT AM MINE LONG AS I LIVE.  I DON'T KNOW
WHY, NONE OF US NEVER 'LONGED TER DE PARRISH'S NER NOTHIN' DAT I KNOWS OF."