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MARY RAINES                  0410-SC /#221
     HOW OLD WOULD MARSE WILLIAM WOODWARD BE IF HE HADN'T DIED BEFO' I GWINE TO
DIE?  A HUNDRED AND TWENTY, YOU SAY?  WELL, DAT'S 'BOUT DE WAY I FIGURED MY AGE.
  HIM WAS A NEPHEW OF MARSE ED, DE FUST MARSE ED P MOBLEY.  HIM SAY DAT WHEN HIM
 'COME TWENTY ONE OLD MARSTER GIVE HIM A BIRTHDAY DINNER AND 'VITE FOLKS TO IT.
 MARSE RILEY MCMASTER, FROM WINNSBORO, SOUTH CAROLINA, WAS DERE A FLYIN' 'ROUND
MY YOUNG MISTRESS, MISS HARRIET.  MARSE RILEY WAS A YOUNG DOCTOR, RIDIN' 'ROUND
WID SADDLEBAGS.  WHILE THEY WAS ALL SETTIN' DOWN TO DINNER, DE YOUNG DOCTOR HAVE
 TO GIT UP IN A HURRY TO GO SEE MY MAMMY.  LEFT HIS PLATE PILED UP WID TURKEY, N
ICE DRESSIN', RICE AND GRAVY, CANDY 'TATOES, AND APPLE MARMALADE AND CAKE.  DE W
INE 'CANTER WAS A SETTIN' ON DE 'HOGANY SIDEBOARD.  ALL DIS HIM LEAVE TO GO SEE
MAMMY, WHO WAS A SQUALLIN' LAK A PASSLE OF PATAROLLERS WAS A LAYIN' DE LASH ON H
ER.  WHEN DE YOUNG DOCTOR GO AND COME BACK, HIM SAY AS HOW MY MAMMY DONE GOT ALL
 RIGHT AND HER HAVE A GAL BABY.  THEN HIM SAY DAT MARSE ED, HIS UNCLE, TOOK HIM
TO DE QUARTER WHERE MY MAMMY WAS, LOOK ME ALL OVER AND SAY:  AIN'T HER A GOOD
ONE? MUST WEIGH TEN POUNDS.  I'S GWINE TO NAME DIS BABY FOR YOUR MAMA, WILLIAM.
 TELL HER I NAME HER MARY, FOR HER, BUT I 'SPECTS SOME FOLKS'LL CALL HER POLLY,
JUST LAK THEY CALL YOUR MAMMA POLLY.
     I WAS A STRONG GAL, WENT TO DE FIELD WHEN I'S TWELVE YEARS OLD, HOE MY ACRE
 OF COTTON, 'LONG WID DE GROWN ONES, AND PICK MY 150 POUNDS OF COTTON.  AS I WAS
N'T SCARED OF DE COWS, THEY SET ME TO MILKIN' AND CHURNIN'.  BLESS GOD]  DAT TOO
K ME OUT OF DE FIELD.  HOUSE SERVANTS 'BOVE DE FIELD SERVANTS, THEM DAYS.  IF YO
U DIDN'T GIT BETTER RATIONS AND THINGS TO EAT IN DE HOUSE, IT WAS YOUR OWN FAULT
,, I TELLS YOU.  YOU JUST HAVE TO HELP DE CHILLUN TO TAKE THINGS AND WHILE YOU D
OIN' DAT FOR THEM, YOU TAKE THINGS FOR YOURSELF.  I NEVER CALL IT STEALIN'.. I J
UST CALL IT TAKIN' DE JAMS, DE JELLIES, DE BISCUITS, DE BUTTER AND DE 'LASSES DA
T I HAVE TO REACH UP AND STEAL FOR THEM CHILLUN TO HIDE 'WAY IN DEIR LITTLE STOM
ACHS, AND ME, IN MY BIG BELLY.
     WHEN JOE DRIVE DE YOUNG DOCTOR, MARSE RILEY, OUT TO SEE MISS HARRIET, WHILE
 MARSE RILEY DOIN' HIS COURTIN' IN DE PARLOR, JOE WAS DOIN' HIS COURTIN' IN DE K
ITCHEN.  JOE WAS AS SMART AS DE NEX' ONE.  US MADE FASTER TIME THAN THEM IN DE P
ARLOR; US BEAT THEM TO DE MARRIAGE.  MARSE RILEY CALL IT DE ALTAR, BUT JOE ALWAY
S LAUGH AND SAY IT WAS DE HALTER.  MANY IS DE TIME I HAVE BEEN HOME WID THEM 16
CHILLUN, WHEN HIM WAS A GALLAVANTIN' 'ROUND, AND I WISHED I HAD GOT A REAL HALTE
R ON DAT HUSBAND OF MINE.
     I B'LONGS TO DE GLADDEN'S GROVE AFRICAN METHODIST 'PISCOPAL CHURCH.  TOO OL
D TO SHOUT BUT DE GREAT DAY IS COMIN' WHEN I'LL SHOUT AND SING TO DE MUSIC OF DA
T HARP OF 10,000 STRINGS UP YONDER.  OH]  WON'T DAT BE A JOYFUL DAY,  WHEN DESE
OLD AILIN' BONES GONNA RISE AGAIN.
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