X XXX SOLBERT BUTLER 0228-SC /#271 I LIVES IN DE DEER COUNTRY. A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, I SAW EIGHT IN A DROVE AT ONE TIME, LIKE A DROVE OF SHEEP, OR SECH LIKE. YOU CAN'T RAISE NUTHIN' 'ROU ND HERE. DEY'LL EAT UP YOUR GARDEN. AND DE WILD TURKEY] AND DE PARTRIDGE] BU T YOU CAN'T SHOOT 'EM WITHOUT DE CASSELS GIVE YOU A LICENSE TO DO IT. NOW HE CO MIN' NEXT MONTH AND DERE'LL BE MORE SHOOTIN'] BUT HE AIN'T ABLE TO HUNT NONE HI SSELF. HE KIN RIDE 'BOUT IN DE WOODS IN DE CAR. DEY ARE BLESSED PEOPLE, THOUGH] DIS USED TO BE DE BOSTICK PLACE. OLD MASSA BOSTICK LIVED FOURTEEN MILES oR OM HERE. DERE WAS BEN BOSTICK, IVA BOSTICK, JOE BOSTICK, MR LUTHER, EDDIE BOSTI CK, AN' JENNIE JO BOSTICK. DE PLACE WAS DIVIDED UP BETWEEN 'EM. OOH] I COULDN 'T NUMBER DE PLANTATIONS OLD MR BOSTICK OWNED. I THINK HE OWNED FIFTEEN PLANTAT IONS] HE WAS DE MILLINERY] OH, DE BOSTICKS, OOH] DE HOUSE DEY LIVE IN, DEY CA LL UM--WHAT WAS IT DEY CALL UM--DE PARADISE HOUSE. NO ONE GO TO DAT HOUSE BUT O NLY DE RICH. AT .HIRISTMAS DEY'D GO UP DERE. AND OH, I COULD)'T NUMBER IT] 6OH, IT6W S PARADISE. HE WAS GOOD TO 'EM. AN' HE WHIP 'EM GOOD, TOO] TIE 'EM TO DE FENCE POST AND WHIP 'EM. BUT I DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHIN' OF DAT. I WAS A LITTLE BOY. JE S' 'BOUT SIX YEAR OLD WHEN DE WAR BROKE OUT. BUT I GOT PLENTY OF WHIPPIN'S ALL RIGHT. MASSA TAKE ME AS A LITTLE BOY AS A PET. TOOK ME RIGHT IN DE CARRIAGE] HAD A ITTLE BED RIGHT BY HIS OWN AN' TAKE CARE OF ME. EVERY MORNING D(Y kRr G rN DEY TRAY AN' GO BACK. MY UNCLE WAS A CARRIAGE MAN. DEY KEPT TWO FINE HORSES JE S' FOR DE CARRIAGE. MASSA'D COME UP TO DE STREET EVERY MONDAY MORNING WITH BIG TRAYS OF RATIONS. HE'D FEED HIS COLORED FOLK, DEN GO ON BACK. DEY PLANTED COTTON, CORN, PEAS, POTATOES, RICE--AN' DEY'D LICK O ] ALL DE TIME, DEY'D LICK YOU. AFTER DEY'D LICK 'EM UNTIL DE BLOOD COME OUT, DEN DEY'D RUB DE RED PEPPER AND SALT ON 'EM. OH, MY GOD] KIN yOU SAY&DnM& S&mOnESECH A S DAT AIN'T GONE TO DEIR REWARD? MY UNCLE WAS SO WHIP HE WENT INTO DE WOODS, AN LIVE DERE FOR MONTHS. HAD TO LEARNS DE INDEPENDENT LIFE. -MR jLmRIDGE f S DEO VERSEER. OLD MR ALDRIDGE GONE NOW. BUT DERE CAN'T BE NO REST FOR HIM. OH, MY GOD NO. HE DO 'EM SO MEAN DAT FINALLY OLE MASSA HEAR 'BOUT IT. AND WHEN HE DO HEAR 'BOUT IT, HE DISCHARGED HIM. HE HAD EVERYTHING DISCHARGED--TO DE COLORED DRIVER. DEN HE GOT MR CHISOLM. AFTER MR CHISOLM COME IN, EVERYTHIN' JES' AS SW EET AN' SMOOTH AS COULD BE] DERE'S A NICE SET OF PEOPLE FOR YOU--DE CHISOLMS. TWO OF 'EM LIVIN' NOW. ONE AT BARNETT, AN' ONE AT LURAY, I BELIEVE. I R FUGEED WID MASSA. DEY COME TOGETHER IN VI GINI . D(Y2SURRnNDnRED rN V IRGINIA. SET DE HOUSE AFIRE. AND SET ALL DEY HOUSES. DEY BURNED MASSA'S COTTO N. OVER 200 BALES] BUT IF'N DE COLORED FOLKS BEGGED FOR SOME, DEY LET 'EM HAVE SOME. I STAYED RIGHT WID MASSA. HE CARRIED ME EVERYWHERE HE WENT. CARRIED ME ALL DE W Y TO MILL HAVEN, GEORGIA. AFTER DE WAR DE COLORED FOLKS JES' TOOK AN' PLANT DE CROP AN' MAKE DE LIVIN ' WID DE HOE. DIDN'T HAVE NO MULE, NO X, OR THIN' LIKE DAT. WHEN OLE MASSA CO ME BACK, HE TOOK DE COTTON, AN' GIVE DE COLORED FOLKS DE CORN. DE YANKEES KILL ALL DE HOG. KILL ALL DE COW. KILL ALL DE FOWL. LEFT YOU NUTHIN' TO EAT. IF D E COLORED FOLK HAD ANY CHICKEN, DEY JES' HAD TO TAKE DAT AN' TRY TO RAISE 'EM SO METHIN' TO EAT. I'SE A METHODIST. I WAS CONVERTED UNDER ELDER DRAYTON--COME FROM GEORGIA A T SAINT LUKE METHODIST CHURCH ON DE BLAKE PLANTATION. DE BLAKE PLANTATION RIGHT DERE. IT JINES DIS ONE. DE OLE METHODIST WHITE FOLK'S CHURCH WHERE I WAS BAPT IZED BEEN TAKE DOWN. IT WAS CALLED DE UNION CHURCH. BUT DE CEMETERY STILL DERE. IT RIGHT DERE NOT A MILE DOWN DE ROAD. DERE WAS A GOOD OLE PREACHER NAME OF REV WINBORN ASA LAWTON. AN' DE CAMPMEETIN'] OH, LROD, LORD] DEY HAD OVER A THOUSAND DERE. COME FROM ORANGEBURG. COME FROM AIKEN] AN' COME WAY FROM CHE RAW] COME FROM CHARLESTON, BEAUFORT, AND SAVANNAH] DE COLORED FOLKS GOT A CHUR CH NOW UP HERE ON WHAT USED TO BE DE PIPE CREEK PLACE OF OLE BEN BOSTICK WHERE D E WHITE FOLKS USED TO HAVE A BAPTIST CHURCH. DE COLORED FOLKS CHURCH CALL IT KE NYON CHURCH. DAT'S DE CHURCH DEY WHITE FOLKS MOVED TO LAWTONVILLE, DEN TO ESTIL L. BUT WHEN DE COLORED FOLKS BUILT, DEY BUILT DE CHURCH TO FACE DE EAST. BUILT ON DE SAME FOUNDATION; BUT FACT IT EAST, FACING A LITTLE ROAD DAT HAD SPRUNG UP A5D WIND 'ROUND DAT WAY RIGHT IN CLOSE TO DE CHURCH. BUT DE WHITE FOLKS CHUR CH WAS FACE WEST, FACING DE AUGUSTA ROAD. DAT BIG SPACE TWIXT DE ROAD A5D DE CH URCH WAS A GROVE. GHOSTS? I USED TO 'EM. I SEE 'EM ALL DE TIME. GOOD COMPANY] I LIVE-OVER DERE BY MYSELF, AN' DEY COMES IN MY HOUSE A3L DE TIME. SOMETIME I WALK ALONG A T NIGHT AN' I SEE 'EM. AN' WHEN YOU SEE 'EM YOU SEE A SIGHT. DEY PLAY. DEY DA NCE 'ROUND AN' 'ROUND. DEY HAPPY ALL RIGHT. BUT DEY'LL DEVIL YOU, TOO. WHEN D EY FIND OUT DAT YOU SCARY, DEY'LL DEVIL YOU. DEY DON'T DO NUTHIN' TO ME. ONLY TALK TO ME. I'LL BE IN MY HOUSE A5' DEY'LL COME TALK TO ME. OR I'LL BE WALKIN' DOWN DE ROAD, AN' MEET 'EM. DEY'LL PASS DE TIME OF DAY WID ME, LIKE: HEY SOLBE RT] HOW FAR YOU GOIN' SOLBERT? I'SE JES' GOIN' DOWN DE ROAD A LITTLE PIECE, I'LL SAY. %H8H%H. OR SOMETIME DEY'LL SAY, MORNIN' SOLBERT. HOW YOU FEELING? I'SE JES' SO SO. UH HUH. DEY ALL FAVORS. DEY ALL LOOKS A3IKE. YOU REMEMBERS WHEN DAT CAR COME DOWN DE ROAD JES' NOW? WELL, I SEE A BUNCH OF 'EM RIGHT DEN] DEY GOT OUT DE ROAD F OR DAT CAR TO PASS. OH, YOU CAN'T SEE 'EM. NO MATTER HOW MUCH I SHOWS 'EM TO Y OU--YOU CAN'T SEE 'EM. BUT ME] DEY SWELL WID ME. I SEE 'EM ALL DE TIME. DE B IG HOUSE UP DERE. IT FULL OF 'EM. DE WHITE FOLKS SEE 'EM TOO. DAT IS SOME OF DE WHITE FOLKS. I SEE DE OTHER DAY A WHITE MAN DAT HAS TO WORK UP HERE START TO WARD DE HOUSE WHEN DE GHOSTS WAS COMIN' OUT THICK. WHEN I TELL HIM YOU OUGHT TO SEE HIM TURN AND RUN. ONE OF 'EM PUSH ME OVER IN DE DITCH ONE TIME. I SAY, -N OW WHAT YOU DONE DAT FOR? WELL, DAT AIN'T NOTHIN'. AIN'T NOTHIN'. BUT DON'T YOU DO DAT NO MORE. I TALKS TO 'EM JES' DE SAME AS IF DEY WAS SOMEBODY. SOME6oO KSOUTGROWS 'E M. BUT NOT ME. YOU HAVE TO BE BORN TO SEE 'EM. IF'N YOU BE BORN WRAPPED IN DE CAUL, YOU KIN SEE 'EM. BUT IF YOU AIN'T, YOU CAN'T SEE 'nM.