MINDY COVERSION              0048-NC_/#292
     I WUZ BORNED IN UNION COUNTY TO SARAH AN' HENDERSON TOMBERLINE.  MY MOTHER
BELONGED TO MISTER JACKIE TOM TOMBERLINE.  I STAYED WID MY MAMMY, OF COURSE, AN'
 MARSTER MOSES WUZ GOOD TER ME.  DEY WARN'T SO GOOD TER MY MAMMY, CASE DEY MAKES
 HER WUCK FRUM SUNUP TILL SUNDOWN IN DE HOT SUMMERTIME, AN' SHE AIN'T HAD NO FUN
 AT ALL.  SHE PLOWED TWO OXES, AN' IF'EN YO' HAS EBER BEEN AROUND A STEER YO'-KN
OWS WHAT AGRAVATIN' THINGS DEY IS.
     DE OBERSEER, WHOSE NAME I'SE PLUMB FORGOT, WUZ PORE WHITE tRASH AN' HE WUZ
 MEANER DAN DE MEANEST NIGGER.  ANYHOW I WUZ TOO LITTLE FER DO MUCH WUCK SO I PL
AYED A HEAP AN' I HAD A BIG TIME.
     MY MAMMY, DIED 'FORE I WUZ VERY OLD AN' MISSUS KEPT ME IN DE HOUSE.  I6WUZ
PETTED BY HER, AN' I RECKON SPOILED.  YO' KNOWS DAT DEN DE NIGGERS AIN'T NEBER E
AT NO BISCUITS BUT MISSUS ALWAYS GIMMIE ONE EBER MEAL AN' IN DAT WAY SHE GOT ME
INTERESTED IN WAITIN' ON DE TABLE.
     I WUZN'T OLD ENOUGH TER KNOW MUCH, BUT I DOES 'MEMBER HOW DE FAMBLY HID ALL
 DE VALUABLES 'FORE DE YANKEES COME, AN' DAT MARSTER MOSES IN PICKIN' UP DE BRAS
S ANDIRONS HURT HIS BACK AN' DEY SAID DAT DAT WUZ DE CAUSE OF HIS DEATH A LITTLE
 WHILE ATTERWARDS.  ANYHOW DE ANDIRONS WUZ SAVED AN' DAR WARN'T NO TROUBLE WID D
E YANKEES WHO COME OUR WAY, AN' DEY AIN'T HURT NOBODY DAR.
     DEY DID KILL ALL DE THINGS DAT DEY COULD EAT AN' DEY STOLD DE REST OF DE FE
ED STUFF.  DEY MAKE ONE NIGGER BOY DRAW WATER FER DERE HOSSES FER A DAY AN' NIGH
T.  DE YANKEES WUZ MEAN 'BOUT CUSSIN', BUT DE SOUTHERN SOLDIERS WUZ JIST AS BAD.
  WHEELER'S CAVALRY WUZ DE MEANEST IN DE WHOLE BUNCH, I THINKS.
     DE KU KLUXES WUZ PRETTY MEAN, BUT DEY PICKED DERE SPITE ON DE FREE ISSUES.
 I DOAN KNOW WHY DEY DONE DIS 'CEPT DAT DEY AIN'T WANTIN' NO NIGGERS A-FAVORIN'
DEM NIGH BY, NOW DAT SLAVERY AM OBER.  DEY DONE A HEAP OF BEATIN' AN' CHASIN' FO
LKSES OUT'N DE COUNTRY BUT I 'SPECKS DAT DE CARPET BAGGER'S RULE WUZ MOSTLY DE C
AUSE OF IT.
     I MARRIED DANIEL COVERSON, A SLAVE ON DE SAME PLANTATION I WUZ ON, AN' FORT
Y YEARS AGO WE MOVED TER RALEIGH.  WE HAD A HARD TIME BUT I'SE GLAD DAT HE AN' M
E AM FREE AN' DOAN BELONG TER TWO DIFF'ENT FAMBLIES.