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MANDY LESLIE                 0551-ALA/#290
     YASSUM, I 'MEMBERS DE WAR, BUT I DON'T LAK NO WARS.  DEY GIVE FOLKS TROUBLE
 AND DEY'S FULL OF EVIL DOINGS.  WHEN DE YANKEES COME 'ROUND HERE, DEY TOOK MY M
AMMY OFF IN A WAGON, AND LEF' ME RIGHT SIDE DE ROAD, AND WHEN SHE TRY TO GIT OUT
 DE WAGON TO FETCH ME, DEY HIT HER ON DE HEAD AND SHE FELL BACK IN DE WAGON AND
DIDN'T HOLLER NO MARE.  DEY JES' DRIV' UP DE BIG ROAD WID MAMMY LYING DOWN IN DE
 WAGON - SHE MIGHT A BEEN DEAD, 'CAUSE I AIN'T NEVER SEED HER NO MO'.
     UNKER JOHN LESLIE AND AUNT JOSIE AND jLL DEY CHrLLuN  OME j O G  N&AWAGON,
 GWINE UP NORTH, DEY SAID, AND DEY SAID DEY FOUND ME STjNDrNG DjR SIDE DE-ROAD C
RYING FOR MY MAMMY.  AUNT JOSIE, SHE SAY:  "PORE LITTLE LAMB, YOU GWINE WID US.
 US ArN'T pOT-MUCH, BUT US CAN'T LET yOU&DIE."  u knRJOHN, HE SAY:  "PORE CHILE
, US MUSTN'T LEAVE HER DISAWAY."  HE LIFT ME UP IN DE WAGON AND US DRIVE TWELL D
E MULE GIN PLUM' OUT, AND DEN US STOP AND TOOK UP ON A PLACE NOT FUR FUM MON'GOM
ERY, ON MISTER WILLIS BILES' PLACE.  US LIVE DAR TWELL I WAS GROWN WOMAN, AND MI
STER BILES SHO' WAS A GOOD MAN TO LIVE WID AND HE TREAT US RIGHT EVERY YEAR.
     DEN I MARRIED TAYLOR AND US KEP' ON LIVIN' WID MISTER BILES AND ALL T'REE O
F US'S CHILLUN WAS BORNED DERE.  DEN TATYLOR DIED WID DE FEVER, AND HE HAD INSHO
'ANCE WHAT US PAY A DOLLAR A MON' FOR DE LONGEST AND HE SAY IT TAKE CARE ME AND
DE CHILLUN WHEN HE GONE.  BLESS GOD, DAT MONEY DIDN'T TAKE CARE NOBODY 'CEPT DE
DOCTOR AND DE BURYING-MAN.  DEY BOFE GOT DEY PART AND LEF' ME JES' TWO DOLLAR AN
D SEVENTY CENTS, DAT'S ALL.  MISTER BILES SAY DEY OUGHT TO BE WHIPPED FOR CHARGI
N' ME LAK DEY DID.  DEN HE WENT TO SEE 'EM, AND CUSSED 'EM OUT, AND DEY SONT BAC
K TWENTY DOLLAR.  I AIN'T WASTE NO MORE MONEY ON INSHO'ANCE, NO MA'AM]
     I HAD A HARD TIME KEEPING MY CHILLUN AND WORKING DE CRAP TOO; BUT-MScnRBI
LES, HE 'LOW ME A MULE, JES' LAK HE DO TAYLOR 'FORE HE DIED, AND US MADE FOUR BA
GS OF COTTON DE FUST YEAR AND FIVE BAGS DE NEX' YEAR,  I PICK EVERY LOCK OF IT M
YSELF - JES' ME AND DEM LITTLE CHILLUNS.
     DEN RUFUS HE COME ALONG AND HE THOUGHT US HAD jLL&DE&r b O(j  EMONEY, AND
HE COURT ME SO HARD AND SO REG'LAR DAT I ACT A FOOL AND MARRIED HIM, AND HE TURN
 OUT TO BE DE NO-COUNTEST NIGGER DAT EVER LIVED.  'STEAD-OF HrM SuPPORTrNG-ME, U
S HAD TO SUPPORT HIM FOR NIGH 'BOUT TEN YEARS, ME AND DE CHILLUN.  HE HAD A MISE
RY IN HE BACK, AND COULDN'T DO NO HARD WORK LAK PLOWING AND HOEING.  IT HURT HE
BACK TO PICK COTTON AND PULL FODDER, AND HE JES' SET 'ROUN' AND MAKE A FEW BASKE
TS AND EAT LAK A HOSS.
    -MISTnR WILLIS BILES HE DIED, AND HE kOY,MISTER JOE, HE TOOK DE PLACE AND R
UN IT FOR MA.  MISTER JOE TOLD RUFUS 'TWAN'T NOTHING DE MATTER WID HIM BUT DAMN
LAZY, AND IF HE DON'T GIT OUT AND HE'P ME WORK, HE GONNA SET DE KU KLUX ON HIM.
 DEN US GOT SCARED AND MOVED NIGH 'BOUT TO UNIONTOWN, jND WE LIVE WID-MISTnR koB
 SIMMONS FOR SEBEN YEARS HAND-RUNNING, AND HE TREAT US RIGHT EVERY FALL 'BOUT DE
 SETTLEMENT.  MISTER BOB HE SAY 'TAIN'T NOTHING DE MATTER WID RUFUS JES'-LjK-MIS
TER JOE SAY, AND RUFUS SAY HE GWINE MOVE TO TOWN WHAR HE KIN GIT WORK TO SUIT HI
M.
     US MOVE TO TOWN, AND RUFUS HE GONE ALL DAY LOOKrNG oOR A-JOB jND mON'T&FrnD
 NOTHING TO SUIT HrM.  I HAS tO TjKE rN W SHrNG oROM&DE6fH EFOLKS TO FEED US A
ND DEY CHARGE TWO DOLLARS RENT FOR DE LITTLE SHACK US LIVE IN.  'TWAN'T RIGHT TO
 DO DAT; 'CAUSE I AIN'T NEVER PAID NO HOUSERENT IN ALL MY BO'N DAYS TWnLL DnN.
AND DE FUST T'ING I KNOW, DAT TRIFLING RUFUS HE DONE SELL DE MULE AND WAGON AND
 GOT DRUNK AND LOST DE RES' OF DE MONEY.  US WAS SHO' IN A BAD FIX.  WHY DImN'T
I QUIT RUFUS?  YASSUM, I 'SPECTS I OUGHT TO DONE DAT; BUT HE SO HUMBLE WHEN HE S
OBER UP AND PRAY SO STRONG.  HE SAW DE LORD DONE CALL HIM OUTEN HE MEANNESS AND
HE GWINE PREACH JESUS.  HE MAKE LAK HE NEED DEM PREACHER CLOTHES, AND US SKIMPED
 ALONG AND SAVED 'NOUGH TO BUY RUFUS DE SUIT OF CLOTHES WID A LONG-TAIL COAT.  H
E GOT A HIGH-UP HAT, AND A BIBLE, AND HE SHO DID LOOK GRAN'.  US WAS PROUD TO SE
E HIM ALL FIX UP AND GOING OUT TO LABOR IN DE VINEYARD OF DE LORD.
     US GIVE RUFUS DE LAS' T'REE DOLLARS US COULD SCRAPE UP AND HE GOT-ON DE tRA
IN AND WENT TO MON'GOMERY, BUT US AIN'T SEEN HAIR NOR HIDE OF DAT NIGGER SENCE.
 IN 'BOUT A YEAR US GOT A LETTER FROM HIM IN JULIET, WAY IN rLLrNOS, fHjrEenR&D
AT IS, AND HE SAY HE IN DE PEN'TENSHRY FOR TEN YEAR, 'CAUSE DEY 'SCUSE HIM STEAL
ING A WOMAN'S JEW'LRY, AND WOULD I GET MISTER BILES AND MISTER SIMMONS TO DO WHA
T DEY CAN TO GET HIM OUT.  HE REPENT AND BEEN WASHED IN DE BLOOD OF DE LAMB SENC
E HE BEEN IN JAIL.  AND HE SAY IF ANYBODY WRITE ME DAT HE RUNNED OFF FROM MON'GO
MERY WID 'NOTHER WOMAN AND DAT HE GOT A WIFE IN CHICAGO, IT'S A LIE.
    DAT FIX ME WID DAT TRIFLING NIGGER, AND MISTER SAM BROADY, WHAT'S A LAWYnR,
HE GOT ME A 'VORCEMENT AND GIN ME GACK MY FUST NAME, LESLIE.  NOW I'S T'ROUGH WI
D MARRYING.  MY CHILLUN DONE ALL GONE AND GOT MARRIED, AND I COME BACK HERE WHAR
 I COME FROM.  'TWIX' HERE AND BRANTLEY, IS DE PLACE.
     HOW OLD I IS?  I WAS FIVE YEAR OLD, COME DE SURRENDER - HOW OLD DAT-MAKE
ME?  SEBENTY-SEBEN?  DAT'S RIGHT AND I BE SEBENTY-EIGHT DIS TIME NEX' YEAR.  HOW
 I KNOW I BE LIVING DIS TIME NEX' YEAR?  'COSE, I WILL BE LIVING]  I ALWAYS-NOTI
CE DAT WHEN I LIVES T'ROUGH MARCH, I LIVES DE RES' OF DE YEAR, AND AIN'T MARCH J
ES' NOW GONE, HUH?
     HOW DE WAY WAIS' IRONED SUIT YOU, MISSY?
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