HENRY AND EVIE COLEMAN       0240-SC_/#333
     I SHO' MEMBERS WHEN DE SOLDIERS COME HOME FROM DE WAR.  ALL DE WOMAN FOLKS,
BOTH BLACK AS WELL AS WHITE WUZ SO GLAD TO SEE 'EM BACK DAT WE JUST JUMPED UP AN
D HOLLERED "OH, LAWDY, GOD BLESS YOU".  WHEN YOU WOULD LOOK AROUND A LITTLE, YOU
 WOULD SEE SOME WID OUT AN ARM OR MAYBE DEY WOULD BE A WjLKrN' WID A lRUTCH OR A
 STICK.  DEN YOU WOULD CRY SOME WID OUT LETTIN' YOUR WHITE FOLKS SEE YOU.  BUT J
ANE, DE WORSEST TIME OF ALL FER US DARKIES WUZ WHEN DE KU KLUX KILLED DAN BLACK.
  WE WUZ LITTLE CHILLUNS PLAYIN' IN DANS HOUSE.  WE DIDN'T KNOW HE HAD DONE NOTH
N' GINST DE WHITE FOLKS.  US WUZ A PLAYIN BY DE FIRE JUS AS NICE WHEN SOMETHING
HIT ON DE WALL.  DAN, HE JUMPED UP AND TRY TO GIT OUTTEN DE WINDER.  A WHITE SPO
OKY THING HAD DONE COME IN DE DOO' RIGHT BY ME.  I WAS SCAIRT DAT I COULD NOT GI
T UP.  I HAD DONE FELL STRAIGHT OUT ON DE FLOH.  WHEN DAN STICK HIS HEAD OUTTEN
DAT WINDER SOMETHING SAY BANG AND HE FELL RIGHT DOWN IN DE FLO'.  I CRAWLES UNDE
R DE BED.  WHEN I GOT DAR, ALL DE OTHER CHILLUNS WUZ DAR TOO, LOOKIN' AS WHITE A
S ASHED DOUGH FROM HICKORY WOOD.  US PEEPED OUT AND DEN US DUCK UNDER DE BED AGA
IN.  AIN'T NO BED EBBER DONE AS MUCH GOOD AS DAT ONE.  DEN A WHOLE LOT OF DEM CO
ME IN DE HOUSE.  DE WUZ ALL WHITE AND SCAIRY LOOKIN'.  IT STILL MAKES DE SHIVERS
 RUN mOwN-MY sPrNE jND HnRE I IS-OLE jND yOU jLL A2SETTrN' jROUND WID ME AND TwO
 MO' WjRS mONE GONE SINCE DAT AWFUL TIME.  DAN BLACE, HE WO'NT NO MO' KAISE DEY
TOOK DAT NIGGER AND HUNG HIM TO A SIMMON TREE.  DEY WOULD NOT LET HIS FLOKS TAKE
 HIM DOWN EITHER.  HE JUS STAYED DAR TILL HE FELL TO PIECES.
     AFTER DAT WHEN US CHILLUNS SEED DE KU KLUX A COMIN', US WOULD TAKE AN' RUN
BREADNECK SPEED TO DE NEAREST WOOD.  DAR WE WOULD STAY TILL DEY WUZ PLUM OUT O'
SIGHT AND YOU COULD NOT EVEN HEAR DE HORSES FEET.  DEM DAYS WUZ WORS'N DE WAR.
YES LAWD, DEY WUZ WORSE'N ANY WAR I IS EBBER HEARD OF.
     WAS NOT LONG AFTER DAT FORE DE SPOOKS WUZ A GWINE ROUND ABBER WHAR.  WHEN Y
OU WOULD GO OUT ATTER DARK, SOMETHIN' WOULD START TO A HAINTIN' YE.  YOU WOULD G
IT SO SCAIRT DAT YOU WOULD MIGHTY NI RUN EVERY TIME YOU WENT OUT ATTER DARK; EVE
N IFFEN YOU DIDN'T SEE NOTHIN'.  CHILE, DON'T AXE ME WHAT I SEED.  ATTER ALL DAT
 KILLIN' AND A BURNIN' YOU KNOW YOU WUZ BLIGED TO SEE THINGS WID ALL DEM2sPrRI S
 IN DISTRESS A GWINE ALL OVER DE LAND.  YOU SEE, IT IS LIKE DIS, WHEN A MAN GITS
 KILLED BEFO HE IS DONE WHAT DE GOOD LAWD INTENDED FER HIM TO DO, HE COMES BACK
HERE AND TRIES TO FIND WHO DONE HIM WRONG.  I MEAN HE DON' COME BACK HISSELF, BU
T DE SPIRIT, IT IS WHAT COMES AND WANDERS AROUND.  COURSE, IT CAN'T DO NOTHIN',
DO IT JUS SCARES FOLKS AND HAINTS DEM.
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