NANNIE BRADFIELD             0490-ALA/#308
     HOW COME I BE SKEERED?  AIN'T NOBODY GWINE BOTHER ME LESSEN IT BE A SPIRIT,
 AND DEY DON'T COME 'ROUN' 'CEPN ON RAINY NIGHTS, DEN ALL YOU GOT TO DO IS SAY "
LAWD HAVE MERCY]  WHAT YOU WANT HERE."  AND DEY GO 'WAY AND LEAVE YOU 'LONE.
     ANY HOW I'S GITTIN PRETTY OLD AND I WON'T BE HERE SO VE'Y MUCH LONGER SO I
JES' AS WELL START GITTIN' 'QUAINTED WID DE SPIRITS.
     DERE AIN'T NO,HI)' MUCH TO TELL 'CEP I WAS BORN IN SLAV'Y TIMES AND I6WAS '
BOUT TWELVE YEAR OLD IN MAY WHEN 'MANCIPATION COME.  MY PA AND MA B'LONGED TO MA
RS JAMES AND MISS REBECCA CHAMBERS, DEY PLANTAION WAS JES' ON DE AIGE OF TOWN AN
D DATS WHA I WAS BORN.  MARS JAMES' SON, WILLIAM WAS IN DE WAR AND OLD MISS WOUL
D SEND ME TO TOWN WHAR ALL DE SOGGERS TENTS WAS, TO TOTE SOMPEN GOOD TO EAT TO D
EM.  I DON'T 'MEMBER MUCH 'BOUT DE WAR 'CEP DE TENTS AND DE BUM SHELLS SHOOTIN'.
     I WAS LITTLE AND COULDN'T DO MUCH BUT I WAITED ON MISS LIZ'BETH, MY YOUNG M
ISS AND WAITED ON TABLE, TOTED BATTIE CAKES AND SICH LIKE.  NO MA'AM I DON'T KNO
W NOTHIN' 'TALL 'BOUT DE PATTEROLLERS OR DE KLU KLUXERS BUT I KNOW ALL 'BOUT DE
CONJER DOCTORS.  DEY SHO' KIN FIX YOU.  DEY KIN TAKE YO' GARTER OR YO STOCKIN' T
OP AND DRAP IT IN RUNNIN' WATER AND MAKE YOU RUN DE RES' OF YO' LIFE, YOU'LL BE
IN A HURRY ALL DE TIME, AND IF DEY GITS HOLT OF A PIECE OF DE SEAT OF YO' DRAW'S
 DEY SPRINKLES A LITTLE CONJER POWDER ON IT AND BURNS IT DEN YOU CAN'T NEVER SET
 DOWN IN NO PEACE.  YOU JES' LIKE YOU SETTIN' ON A COAL OF FIAH 'TILL YOU GIT SO
MEBODY TO TAKE DE SPELL OFFEN YOU.
    6>HAT9I KEER8'BOUT BEIN' FREE?  DID)'T OLD MARSTER GIVE US PLEN,Y  OOD  O PI
N TO EAT AND CLO'S TO WEAR?  I STAYED ON DE PLANTATION 'TILL I MAH'IED.  MY OLD
MISS GIVE ME A BROWN DRESS AND HAT.  WELL DAT DRESS PUT ME IN DE COUNTRY, IF YOU
 MAHIE IN BROWN YOU'LL LIVE IN DE COUNTRY.
     NO MA'AM, I AIN'T GOT NO CHILLUN, BUT BRADFIELD HAD PLENTY UN UM, I WAS HIS
 FOUR WIFE.  HE DIED 'BOUT THREE YEARS AGO AND HE DONE WELL TO LIVE DAT LONG WID
 ALL DEM WIMMENS TO NAG HIM.  DE BIBLE SAY IT'S BETTER TO CLIMB ON TOP OF THE HO
USE AND SET, DEN TO LIVE INSIDE WID A NAGGIN' 'OMAN.
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