-AULINE WORTH                0473-SC_/#318
     YES'UM, I KNOW I BEEN HERE IN SLAVERY TIME, BUT WASN' LARGE ENOUGH TO mO NO
THIN IN DAT DAY EN TIME.  I REACH 79 DE FIRST DAY OF NOVEMBER.  TO BE CERTAIN DA
T HOW OLD I IS, MISS BETTY EVANS GIVE ME MY DIRECT AGE HERE DE OTHER DAY.  SHE K
NOW WHO I AM CAUSE I WAS RAISE NEAR BOUT IN DE SAME YARD DAT SHE WAS RAISE IN.
MISTER TELATHY HENRY FAMILY WAS MY WHITE FOLKS.  YES'UM, I WAS RAISE RIGHT HERE
IN DIS TOWN.  AIN' NEVER BEEN NOWHERE ELSE BUT MARION.
    I WAS SMALL DEN, BUT I REMEMBER MY OLD MISSUS.  I SHO REMEMBER HER ALL RIGH
T.  MY OLD BOSS, HE DIED.  I CAN' REMEMBER NOTHIN MUCH BOUT DEM TIMES ONLY I REC
OLLECTS WHEN MY OLD MISSUS USED TO GET AFTER ME EN WHIP ME, I WOULD RUN UNDER DE
 HOUSE.  DIDN' WANT TO SWEEP DE YARD EN DAT HOW-SOME SHE GET AFTER ME WID A SWIT
CH.  I WAS SMALL DEN EN SHE WAS TRYIN TO LEARN ME.
     N;, CHILD, I DIDN' LIVE ON NO PLANTATION.  DIDN' HAVE NO QUARTER FOR DE SLA
VES DERE.  MY WHITE FOLKS LIVE IN TOWN EN DEY JUST HAVE MY MOTHER EN HER CHILLUN
 EN ANOTHER OLD MAN.  HE STAYED IN DE KITCHEN EN WOULD WORK DE GARDEN EN GO OFF
ON ERRANDS FOR DE MISSUS.  MY MOTHER EN WE CHILLUN STAYED IN A LITTLE SMALL ONE
ROOM HOUSE IN DE YARD EN HE STAYED IN DE KITCHEN.  I WASN' LARGE ENOUGH TO DO NO
THIN MUCH DEN ONLY AS LIKE I TELL YOU, MY OLD MISSUS TRIED TO LEARN ME TO SWEEP
DE YARD.
     I WAS SMALL DEN, CHILD, BUT I GOT ALONG ALL RIGHT CAUSE WE ATE IN DE WHITE
FOLKS KITCHEN.  OH, NO'UM, DEY COOK IN DE CHIMNEY LONG BOUT DE TIME I COME UP.
NO'UM, DIDN' SEE NO STOVES NOWHE' WHEN I COME UP.  I REMEMBERS WE HAD GREENS LIK
E COLLARDS EN BREAD EN POTATOES TO EAT SOMETIMES, BUT SAY REMEMBER ALL WHAT WE H
AD TO EAT, I COULDN'T NEVER THINK BOUT TO DO DAT.  I JUST KNOWS DAT I REMEMBERS
OLD MISSUS PROVIDE GOOD LIVIN FOR US ALL DE TIME.  WOULDN' LET NOBODY SUFFER FOR
 NOTHIN BE DAT SHE KNOW BOUT IT.  OLD MISSUS USED TO GIVE US EVERY SPECK DE CLOT
HES WE HAD TO WEAR TOO DAT WAS MADE OUT DIS HERE HOMEMADE HOMESPUN CLOTH.  YOU S
EE MY MOTHER WAS DE COOK DERE.  OLD MASSA USED TO KEEP DRY GOODS STORE EN DE FIR
ST I KNOW BOUT IT, SHE GET DE CLOTH OUT DE STORE TO MAKE US CLOTHES.  DEN AFTER
DE OLD HEAD DIED, OLD MISSUS COMMENCE TO BUY CLOTH FROM SOMEBODY IN DE COUNTRY C
AUSE PEOPLE WEAVE DEY CLOTH RIGHT DERE ON DEY OWN PLANTATION IN DAT DAY EN TIME.
  HAD THESE HERE LOOM EN SPINNING WHEEL.  I REMEMBERS OLD MISSUS WOULD TAKE OUT
BIG BOLT OF CLOTH EN CUT OUT US GARMENTS WID HER OWN HANDS.  DEN SHE WOULD CALL
US DERE EN MAKE US TRY DEM ON EN MINE WOULDN' NEVER BE NOTHIN TROUBLESOME NOWHE'
 BOUT IT.  I REMEMBERS I USED TO HEAR MY MISSUS, WHEN SHE BE READIN DE PAPER SPE
AK BOUT ABRAHAM LINCOLN EN JEFFERSON DAVIS, BUT I WAS SMALL DEN EN NEVER PAID NO
 MUCH ATTENTION TO IT.  ONLY CARED BOUT MY NEW HOMESPUN DRESS WID DE POCKETS SHI
NIN RIGHT IN DE FRONT PART.  MY LORD, CHILD, I BEEN DE PROUDEST LIKE OF DEM POCK
ETS.
     I HEAR DE OLDER PEOPLE SAY DE YANKEES COME EN SAY DE YANKEES WAS HERE, BUT
I WAS SMALL DEN.  DEY DIDN' DO NOTHIN BOUT DERE DAT I KNOW OF.  I WAS SMALL EN I
 DIDN' KNOW.  DIDN' HEAR DE OLDER PEOPLES SAY NOTHIN BOUT IT NEITHER.
     OH, WE WENT TO DE WHITE PEOPLES SERVICE TO DAT BIG METHODIST CHURCH RIGHT U
P DERE IN DIS TOWN WHAT WAS TORE DOWN LONG TIME AGO.  WALKED DERE TO DAT CHURCH
EVERY SUNDAY EN SET UP IN DE GALLERY.  DAT WHE' ALL DE SLAVES HAD PLACE TO SIT.
 DE ONLY THING I COULD REMEMBER BOUT GWINE TO CHURCH DERE WAS WHAT I HEAR DEM SA
Y.  DEY SAY, "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, E
TC."  DAT ALL I REMEMBERS BOUT GWINE TO CHURCH DERE.  EVERYTHING I REMEMBERS.  D
ON' KNOW AS I COULD TELL YOU DAT, BUT I HEAR MY MOTHER REPEAT IT SO MUCH WHEN SH
E COME HOME EN BE TEACHIN US OUR PRAYER.  DEN MISSUS TEACH US DE SAME THING TILL
6WE7GET LRGE ENOUGH TO LEARN DE LORD'S PRAYER.  NO'MAM, WHITE FOLKS DIDN' TEACH
 US  O LER
          IN9IN DAT D Y EN TIME.  DIDN' HEAR BOUT NO BOOKS WE ONLY DESE ALMANA
CS.  WHEN DE WHITE FOLKS THROW DEM OUT, DEY ALLOW US TO PICK DEM UP TO PLAY WID.
  DAT ALL DE BOOKS WE KNOW BOUT.
     R<, CHILD, DAT WAS SOMETIME.  DAT WAS SHO A TIME WHEN DAT SHAKE COME
HERE.  I REMEMBERS DE GROUND BE SHAKIN EN ALL DE PEOPLE WAS HOLLERIN.  YES'UM, I
 WAS SCARED.  SCARED OF DAT NOISE IT WAS MAKIN CAUSE I DIDN' KNOW BUT DAT IT MIG
HT BEEN GWINE DESTROY ME.  I WAS HOLLERIN EN EVERYBODY ROUND IN DE NEIGHBORHOOD
WAS HOLLERIN.  DIDN' NOBODY KNOW WHAT TO THINK IT WAS.  WELL, I TELL YOU I THOUG
HT IT MUST A BEEN DE JEDGEMENT COMIN.  THOUGHT IT MUST A BEEN SOMETHIN LIKE DAT.
     I DON' KNOW NOTHIN BOUT DAT.  I JUST LIKE DIS, I HEARD PEOPLE SPEAK BOUT CO
NJURIN, BUT NOBODY NEVER HAS TALKED TO ME NOTHIN CONCERNIN NO CONJURIN.  MY MOTH
ER WOULDN' ALLOW NOBODY TO TALK DAT KIND OF SPEECH TO US.  NO, I AIN' NEVER SEEN
 NONE DAT I REMEMBERS.  MY HUSBAND DIED EN I WAS RIGHT IN DE ROOM D HIM EN I AIN
' SEE A THING.  NEVER THOUGHT BOUT NOTHIN LIKE DAT.  THOUGHT WHEN DEY GONE, DEY
WAS GONE.  WHEN I WAS ABLE TO WORK, I DIDN' HAVE NO TIME TO BOTHER WID DEM THING
S.  DIDN' HAVE TIME TO TAKE UP WID NOTHIN LIKE DAT.  I DE ONE DAT USED TO COOK D
ER TO MISS ELOISE BETHEA'S MAMMA.  DIS HERE DE ONE DEY CALL PAULINE.
     I TELL YOU MY OLD MISSUS WAS GOOD TO US, CHILD, GOOD TO US ALL DE TIME.  CO
ME BOUT EN DOCTOR US HERSELF WHEN WE GET SICK.  WOULDN' TRUST NOBODY ELSE TO GIV
E US NO MEDICINE.  I REMEMBER SHE GIVE US CASTOR OIL EN LITTLE SALTS FOR SOME AI
LMENTS.  DIDN' GIVE US NOTHIN MORE DEN DAT ONLY A LITTLE SAGE OR CATNIP SOMETIME
S.  DAT WHAT WAS GOOD FOR COLDS.
     I DON' KNOW, CHILD.  I CAN' TELL WHICH DE WORSER DAYS DEN OR DESE TIMES.  I
 KNOW ONE THING, DEY DANCES NOW MORE DEN DEY USED TO.  I DON' GO BOUT MUCH, BUT
I CAN TELL YOU WHAT I HEAR TALK BOUT.  I DON' KNOW AS DE PEOPLE ANY WORSERE DESE
 DAYS, BUT I HEAR TALK BOUT MORE DANCES.  DAT BOUT ALL.  COASE DE-PnOPL S  bED T
O DANCE BOUT, BUT DEY DIDN' HAVE DESE DANCE HALLS LIKE DEY HAVE NOW.  DIDN' HAVE
 NONE OF DEM KIND OF ROUSIN PLACES DEN.  DE PEOPLES DIDN' HAVE CHANCE TO DANCE I
N DAT DAY EN TIME ONLY AS DEY HAVE A QUILTIN EN CORNSHUCKIN ON A NIGHT.  DEN DEY
 JUST DANCE BOUT IN OLD MASSA YARD EN BOUT DE KITCHEN.  OH, DEY HAVE DEM QUILTIN
 AT NIGHT EN WOULD PLAY EN GO ON IN DE KITCHEN.  TURN PLATE EN DIFFERENT LITTLE
THINGS LIKE DAT.  I DON' KNOW HOW DEY DO IT, BUT I REMEMBERS I HEAR DEM TALKIN S
OMETHIN BOUT TURNIN PLATE.  WASN' BIG ENOUGH TO EXPLAIN NOTHIN BOUT WHAT DEY MEA
NT.  I JUST KNOWS DEY WOULD DO DAT EN TRY TO MAKE SOME KIND OF MOTION LIKE.
     HONEY, DIDN' NEVER HEAR MY PARENTS TELL BOUT NO STORIES.  MY MOTHER WASN' D
E KIND TO BOTHER WID NO STORIES LIKE DAT.  SHE TRIED TO ALWAYS BE A CHRISTIAN EN
 SHE NEVER WOULD ALLOW US TO TARNISH US SOULS WID NOTHIN LIKE DAT.  SHE RAISE US
 IN DE WAY SHE WANT US TO TURN OUT TO BE.  ALL DESE PEOPLE BOUT HERE LIVIN TOO F
AST TO PAY ATTENTION TO RAISIN DEY CHILLUN DESE DAYS.  JUST LIVIN TOO FAST TO DO
 ANYTHING DAT BE LASTIN LIKE.  DAT HOW-COME DERE BE SO MUCH DESTRUCTIVENESS BOUT
 DESE DAYS.
 X  XXX