CHARLIE ROBINSON             0422-SC_/#
     THEY BEEN TELLIN' ME TO COME TO DE SOCIAL CIRCLE AND SEE 'BOUT MY PENSION B
UT I NEVER IS GOT DERE.  IT BEEN SO HOT, I HATE TO HOTFOOT IT NINE MILES TO WINN
SBORO AND HUFF DAT SAME DISTANCE BACK ON A HOT SUMMER DAY.
     GLAD YOU COME OUT HERE BUT SORRY OF DE DAY, 'CAUSE IT IS A FRIDAY AND ALL D
E JAY-BIRDS GO TO SEE DE DEVIL DAT DAY OF DE WEEK.  IT'S A BAD DAY TO BEGIN A GA
RMENT, OR QUILT OR START DE LYE HOPPER OR 'SIMMON BEER KEG OR JUST ANYTHING IMPO
RTANT TO YOURSELF ON DAT DAY.  DERE IS JUST ONE GOOD FRIDAY IN DE YEAR AND DE OT
HERS IS GIVEN OVER TO DE DEVIL, HIS IMPS, AND DE JAY-BIRDS.  DOES I BELIEVE ALL
DAT?  I BELIEVES IT'NOUGH NOT TO PATCH DESE OLD BREECHES 'TIL TOMORROW AND NOT S
TART ME 'SIMMON BEER, WHEN DE FROST FALL ON THEN DIS FALL, ON A FRIDAY.
     YOU WANTS ME TO SET DOWN SO YOU CAN ASK ME SUMPIN'?  I'LL DO DAT]  OF lOuRS
E I WILL]  MY PAPPY NAME GEORGE, BLACK GEORGE THEY CALL HIM IN SLAVERY TIME, 'CA
USE DERE WAS A SMALL YALLOW SLAVE ON DE PLACE, NAMED GEORGE.  MY MAMMY NAME CA'L
INE.  MY PAPPY B'LONG TO DE MCNEALS AND MY MAMMY B'LONG TO MARSE JOE BEARD.  HIS
 WIFE WAS MY MISTRESS.  HER NAME MISS GRACIE.  'NITIALS?  DAT SuMPrN'-NOT rN MY
LINGO, BOSS.  YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT MY PAPPY'S OLD MARSTER NAME?  SEEM TO ME THE
Y CALL HIM MARSE GENE, THOUGH IT BEEN SO LONG I DONE FORGOT.  WHEN MY MARSTER WE
NT TO DE WAR HIM GOT A BALL THROUGH HIS LEG.  BAD TREATMENT OF DAT LEG GIVE HIM
A LIMP FOR DE BALANCE OF HIS DAYS.  WHITE FOLKS CALL HIM HOPPIN JOE BEARD AND SO
METIME LOPIN JOE.
    -MjRSTnR jND-MISTRESS HAVE TwO CHrLLuN. &IPLAY MARBLES WID THEM AND MAKE MU
D PIES.  DEIR NAMES WAS MARSE WILLIS AND MISS RHODA.
     MY BRUDDERS AND SISTERS WAS JEFF, ROLAND, JANE AND FANNIE.  ALL DEAD 'CnPT
FANNIE.  HER MARRY A BIG, LONG NIGGER NAME SAUL GRIFFIN.  LAST I HEARD OF THEM,
THEY WAS LIVIN' IN COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA.
     I START WORKIN' IN DE FIELD DE SECOND YEAR OF DE WAR, 1862.  IT SHO' MADE-M
E HUNGRY.  I 'MEMBERS NOW, HOW I'D GIT A BIG TIN CUPFUL OF POT LIQUOR FROM DE GR
EENS, CRUMBLE CORN BREAD IN IT AT DINNER TIME AND 'JOY IT AS DE BESTEST PART OF
DE DINNER.  US NO SUFFER FOR SUMPIN' TO EAT.  I GO ALL SUMMER IN MY SHIRT-TAIL A
ND IN DE WINTER I HAVE TO DO DE BEST I CAN, WIDOUT SHOES.  EVER SINCE THEN, I JU
ST LAK TO GO BAREFOOTED AS YOU SEES ME NOW.
     MY PAPPY GIT A PASS AND COME TO SEE MAMMY EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT.  MY-MjRSTnR
 HAD-JUST oOuR sLAVE qOUSES ON DE PLACE.  'SPECT HrM HAVE (kOUT&EIGH wOMnN,&DAT
MEN COME FROM OTHER PLACES TO SEE AND MARRY THEM AND HAVE CHILLUN.  I DOESN'T 'M
EMBER NARY ONE OF DE WOMEN HAVIN' A HUSBAND LIVIN' WID HER EVERY NIGHT.
     WHO DO DE PLOWIN'?  WOMEN AND BOYS DO DE PLOWIN'.  HAD GOOD 'NOUGH HOUSES,
THOUGH THEY WAS MADE OF LOGS, 'CUP AND SADDLED' AT BOTH ENDS, AND COVERED WID WH
ITE OAK BOARD SHINGLES.  HAD STICK AND MUD CHIMNEYS.
     DE8YANKEES MADE A CLEAN SWEEP OF EVERYTHING,8+OSSE\, MULES,  O \,8q  \,-MEA
T, AND 'LASSES.  GOT SO MAD WHEN THEY COULDN'T FIND ANY SALT, THEY BURN UP EVERY
THING.  PULL MARSE JOE'S BEARD, JUST 'CAUSE HIM NAME BEARD.  DE ONE DAT DO DAT W
AS JUST A SMART ALECK AND DE CAP'N OF DE CROWD SHAME HIM AND MAKE HIM SLINK 'WAY
, OUT OF DE HOUSE.
     WHEN FREEDOM COME, MARSE JOE STAY ONE YEAR, THEN LEAVES.  SELL OUT AND MOVE
 TO WALHALLA AND US MOVE TO PAPPY ON DE MCNEAL PLACE.  DAT YEAR US ALL JINED DE
CHURCH, UNION CHURCH.  I NOW B'LONGS TO NEW HOPE METHODIST CHURCH.  US NEX' NOVE
  O MISTER BILL CRAWFORD'S PLACE.  MISTER CRAWFORD GOT tO BE2SC OOL& OMmSS OnnR
 ON DE 'PUBLICAN TICKET AND WHITE FOLKS CALL HIM A SCALAWAG.  HIM HAVE PjPPY jND
 ALL DE  OLORED FOLKS GO  O DE8'LECT ON   X AND  OT(. KKUKKL X& O E& nrEONE NIG
HT OND WHIP EVERY NIGGER MAN THEY COULD LAY DEIR HANDS ON.  THINGS QUIET DOWN TH
EN BUT US NO MORE GO TO DE 'LECTION BOX AND VOTE.
     'BOUT DIS TIME THOHT OF DE GALS GOT IN MY HEAD AND FEETS AT DE SAME TIME.
  I WAS BUYIN' A BILED SHIRT AND CELLULOID COLLAR, IN MISTnR SAILING WOLF'S STOR
E, ONE SATURDAY, AND IN WALKED CEILY JOHNSON.  I COMMENCE TO COURT HER RIGHT THE
N AND DERE, BEFO' I EVER GIT INSIDE DAT SHIRT AND COLLAR.  HER HAVE DARK SKIN AN
D WAS GOOD TO LOOK AT, I TELL YOU.  I SE-SASH-SHAY 'BOUT DAT GAL, LAK A CHICKEN
ROOSTER SPREAD HIS WING 'ROUND A PRETTY BLACK PULLET, 'TIL I WEAR OUT HER INDIFF
ERENCE AND HER MAKE ME HAPPY BY MARRYIN' ME.  HER WAS TOO GOOD LOOKIN' AND TOO B
AD DOIN', THOUGH, FOR ME.  SHE LEFT BY DE LIGHT OF DE MOON WHEN US WAS LIVIN' ON
 DE CUMMrNGS-PLACE, 'kOVE tOWN.  EXCUSE ME NOW, DAT'S STrLL&oRESH SdkjECT-oF tOR
MENT TO ME.  LET'S TALK 'BOUT CHANCES OF GITTIN' DAT PENSION, WHEN I CAN GIT ANO
THER CLEAN WHITE SHIRT, LAY 'ROUND DE WHITE FOLKS AGAIN, AND GIT DIS BELLY FULL
OF POT LIQUOR.
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