MANUEL JOHNSON               0691-GEO/#200
     MY PA AN' MA CUM FRUM OLE VIRGIN'Y FIVE YEARS BEFO' DE WAH, JEDGE HARRIS HE
RE IN WILKES COUNTY WENT UP TER VIRGIN'Y AN' BO'T DEM FRUM DE PUTNAMS AN' BRO'T
'EM HOME WID HIM.  YOU KNOW, MISS, IN DEM DAYS US NIGGERS WUZ BO'T AN SOLE LAK D
EY DOES MULES TER-DAY.  I WUZ BORNED DOWN ON DE HARRIS PLACE DE SAME YEAR MISS C
ARRIE WUZ - WE'S DE SAME YEAR'S CHILLUN, DAT'S DE ONLIEST WAY I KNOWS HOW OLE I
IS, MISS CARRIE TOLE ME.
     JEDGE HARRIS HAD ER LOT OV SLAVES - I SPECKS I KIN NAME ER HUNDRED NOW, DEY
 ALL LIVED IN LOG CABINS IN DE QUARTERS AN' WUZ HAPPY AN' WELL TOOK KEER OV AS D
EY COULD BE.  DE WHITE FOLKS TOOK ME IN DE HOUSE WHEN I WUZ LEETLE AN' RAISED ME
 KASE DEY WANTED ME FER ER HOUSE BOY.  I WAITED ON DE TABLE, WASHED DISHES, AN'
ATTER I GOT BIG 'NOUGH, I MILKED DE COWS.  I ET IN DE KITCHEN OUT'N YOUNG MARSE
JIMMIE'S PLATE.  I THO'T SO MUCH OV HIM I ALLUS ET OUT'N DE SAME PLATE HE DID.
WE SHO' HAD ER PLENTY OV EV'YTHING GOOD TOO.  ALL DE Y'UTHER NIGGERS COOKED AN'
ET IN DE CABINS.  I WUZ GITTIN' 'LONG IN YEARS 'FO' I KNOWED YOU COULD BUY MEAT
IN A STO'.  YASSUM, US LIVED WELL ON DAT PLANTATION - HAD PLENTY TER EAT AN' TER
 WEAR.  MISS CORNELIA - MADE ALL MY CLOTHES.  DE NIGGER WIMMENS SPUN AN' WOVE, B
UT I NEVER PAID DEM MUCH MIND WHEN I WUZ ER COMIN' ON.  I 'MEMBER HEARIN' DEN TA
LK 'BOUT DYIN' DE CLOTH OUT ER BARK AN' THINGS DEY GOT OUT'N DE WOODS.  JES' SO
I HAD SOMETHIN' TER WEAR I NEVER THO'T HOW HARD DEY HAD TER WUK TER MAK HIT.
     I LIVED ON DE HARRIS PLANTATION WID DEM 'TIL I WUZ NINETEEN YEARS OLE AN' I
 ALLUS FELT LAK I BELONGED TER DEM - DEY WUZ SO GOOD TO ME.  WHEN I FUST COULD '
MEMBER, MISS CORNELIA WOULD GIT ON OLE RUBEN, DAT WUZ HER SADDLE HORSE, AN' MAK
ME GIT UP BEHIND HER AN DEN SHE'D GO ANYWHERE SHE WANTED TER GO.  'NOUGH TIMES S
HE TOOK ME TER OLE MOUNT ZION CHURCH WID HER.
     NO NIGGER WUZ EVER 'LECTED ON DE HARRIS PLACE.  EF WE WUZ SICK ER NEEDER SU
MTHIN' US GOT HIT.  EF WE WUZ REAL SICK DE HORSEBACK DOCTOR CUM.  IN DEM DAYS DE
 DOCTORS RID 'ROUN' IN DE COUNTRY ON HORSEBACK AN' TOOK MEDICINE WID EM.  EF WE
ARN'T SO SICK DE OLE WHITE FOLKS CUM TER SEE US AN' 'SCRIBED FER US.  DEY USE T
ER MAK US LITTLE NIGGERS TAKE HOEHOUND TEA AN' FAT LIGHTWOOD TEA FER COLES.  DAT
 LIGHTWOOD TEA IS ER GOOD MEDICINE, I TAKES HIT LOTS OV TIMES NOW WHEN I HAS ER
COLE.  US HAD TER TAKE GARLIC WATER - NO'M, NOT GARLIC AND WHISKEY, BUT JES' PLA
IN GARLIC WATER, AN' HIT WUZ A BAD DOSE TOO.  DEY GIVE US CANDY MADE OUT'N JERUS
ALEM OAK AN' SUGAR, DAT WARN'T SO BAD.
     UNCLE MANUEL SAID WHEN HE FIRST COULD REMEMBER THE NEGROES HAD SERVICES IN
THEIR CABINS AT NIGHT.  CHAIRBACK PREACHERS WENT AROUND FROM ONE PLANTATION TO A
NOTHER HOLDING SERVICES AND MUCH GOOD WAS DONE.  ON SUNDAY EVENINGS, OUR MISTRES
S CALLED ALL US LITTLE FOLKS UP TO DE HOUSE AN' READ DE BIBLE TO US AN' TOLE US
BIBLE STORIES AN' TALKED TER US 'BOUT LIVIN' RIGHT.  I 'MEMBERS DAT JES' AS
GOOD.
     DEY KEEPS DEAD FOLKS OUT TOO LONG NOW.  WHEN I WUZ COMIN' ON, EF SOMEBODY D
& LAK T RD Y, DEY WUZ BURIED TER-MORRER.  DERE WUZ A SETTIN' UP AN' PRAYER SER
VICE DAT NIGHT, DE BODY WUZ PUT IN ER PLAIN HOME-MADE COFFIN BLACKED WID BLACKIN
' AN' SPEERITS TURPENTIE, AN' WHEN DE WAGON CUM TER TAKE DE BODY TER DE BURYIN'
 GROUN' EV'YBODY WENT OUT BEHIN' DE CORPSE SINGIN' SOME GOOD OLE SONG LAK AMAZIN
' GRACE AN' HARK FRUM DE TOMB.  DEN DEY WENT ON TER DE GRAVE AN' HAD A LITTLE SE
RVICE TELLIN' 'BOUT HOW DE DEPARTED 'UN HAD GONE TER PEACE AN' REST - DESE WARN'
T NO LONG 'ICTIONARY LAK DEY HAS NOW - NONE OV DESE GREAT LONG SERMONS AN' GWINE
S ON - EV'YBODY HAD JES' ER COMMON FUNERAL AN' HIT WUZ SO MUCH BETTER.
     MY MARSTER WUZ A JEDGE SO HE MARRIED ALL HIS SLAVES WHUT GOT MARRIED.  HE M
ARRIED LOTS OV Y'UTHER COUPLES TOO.  I 'MEMBERS DAT DEY USE TER CUM FER HIM TER
MARRY DEM.
     I WATCHES DE FUST YWELVE DAYS OV DE NEW YEAR AN' DEN I KIN TELL JES' WHUT W
EATHER EV'Y MONT' OV DE YEAR GWINE TER BRING.  DAT'S DE WAY MENS MAK ALMANACS.
'COURSE I AIN'T GOT NO EDERCATION - NUVER BEEN TER SCHOOL IN MY LIFE - BUT DAT'S
 MY FAULT KASE I COULD HAVE WENT, BUT LONG BOUT DEN I WUZ SO MANNISH I WOULDN'T
GO AN' EV'Y DAY I WISHES I HAD ER WENT SO I COULD READ NOW, BUT I DIDN'T HAVE SE
WANT TER LEARN.
     PLANT EV'YTHING DAT MAKES UNDER DE GROUN' LAK 'TATERS, GOOBERS, TURNIPS, AN
' SICH, ON DE DARK OV DE MOON;  PLANT EV'YTHINGAT MAKES ON TOP DE GROUN' ON LI
GHT NIGHTS.  PLANT YO' CRAP ON DE WASTE OV DE MOON AN' DAT CRAP SHO' GWINE TER W
ASTE ER WAY, AN' DAT'S DE TRUF, I AIN'T NUVER SEED HIT FAIL YIT.  PLANT CORN ON
DE FULL OV DE MOON AN' YOU'LL HAVE FULL GOOD-MADE YEARS, PLANT ON DE GROWIN' OV
DE MOON AN' YOU'LL HAVE A FULL GROWED STALK, POWERFUL STALKS, BUT DE YEARS WON'T
 BE FULLED OUT.  I PAYS 'TENTION TO DEM SIGNS, BUT AS FER ALL DESE Y'UTHERS, DEY
 AIN'T NOTHIN' TER DEM, 'CEPT MEETIN' ER CAT, I JES' HAS TER TURN CLEAN ER 'ROUN
' WHEN I MEETS ER CAT AN' DAT TRNS DE BAD LUCK DAT HIT MEANS, ER WAY.
     MISTESS, EF SOMEBODY HAD ER THOUSAND DOLLARS IN ONE HAN' AN' IN DE Y'UTHER
A PASS FER ME TER GO BACK TO DEM OLE DAYS AN' AXED ME WHICH 'UN' I'DE TAK', I'DE
 GO BACK TO DEM OLE DAYS AN' LIVE DE REST OV MY LIFE.  DERE AIN'T NOTHIN' TO DES
E TIMES NOW - NOTHIN' 'CEPT TRUBBLE, PEOPLES IS LIVIN' SO FAST, DEY DON'T TAK' N
O TIME TER STOP AN' 'SIDER, DEY JES' RESH RIGHT INTO TRUBBLE.  I USE TER DRIVE O
XEN - FOUR OV 'EM - AN' DEY TOOK ME 'LONG ALL RIGHT.  I'SE PLOWED OXEN TOO, NOW
YU NUVER SEE 'UN KASE DEY'S TOO SLOW; HIT'S AUTYMOBILES AN' GAS-RUN THINGS, NO'M
, FOLKS DON'T 'SIDER ON DE WAYS OV LIFE LAK DEY USE TER.
     WHY IS I LIVIN' SO LONG?  DAT'S EASY - I'SE 'ONEST, AIN'T NUVER STOLE, NUVE
R BEEN IN NO TRUBBLE OV ANY KIN', BEEN NIGH TER DEATH TWO TIMES, BUT I'SE BEEN S
PARED KASE I JES' AIN'T LIVED OUT MY DAYS YIT.  I'SE ON BORROWED TIME, I KNOWS D
AT, BUT DAT AIN'T WORRYIN' ME NONE.  AN' I TELL YU SOMTHIN' ELSE; I AIN'T BOTHER
IN' NONE OVER DIS OLE AGE PENSION BUSINESS FER I'SE GWINE TER WUK ON PENSUN ER N
O PENSUN.  NO MAN, I AIN'T GWINE TER SET BACK AN' 'SPECK NO GOVERMINT TER FEED M
E LONG AS I KIN' SCRATCH ER 'ROUN'.  I GOT WUK TER DO - I GOT MO' WORK TER DO AN
' GWINE TER DO IT LONG AS I'SE ABLE.
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