MOSE MINSER                  1255-ARK/#006                                     1
         AH USE TER COULD TAWK AN TELL A THING PLUM WELL BUT AH BEEN BROKE UP BY
A CAH. CAH RUN OVAH MAH HAID AN AH COULDN' TAWK FUH 30 DAYS. SO NOW AH AIN'T NO
GOOD FUH NOTHIN. AH RECOLLECT ONE NIGHT AH DREAM A DREAM. DE DREAM AT AH DREAMT,
NEXT MORNING DAT DREAM COME TRUE. JES LIKE AH DREAMT HIT. YES HIT DID. AH WUZ HE
AH IN SLAVERY TIME. AH MEMBUH WHEN DEY FREED US NIGGERS. SE HERE, AH WUZ A PURTY
GOOD SIZE KID WHEN DEY FREE US. AH KIN MEMBUH OUR HOUSE. SOT DIS WAY. AN OLE MAR
STER CALLED ALL HIS NIGGERS UP. DEY ALL COME ALONG ROUN IN A SQUAD ON DE PORCH.
AH DID NOT HEAH WHUT HE SAID TUH EM. BUT MAH STEP-PA WUZ DERE AN TOLE US WE WUZ
FREE. AN ATTER DEY FREED MAH STEP-PA AH RECOLLECT HE WENT ON HOME AND FRIED SOME
 AIGS IN DE UBBEN. KNOW WE DIDN HAVE NO STOVE  WE COOKED ON DE FIUHPLACE. AS AH
SAID COOK DEM AIGS, GIMME SOME UV HIT, AN HE LEF' DEN. WENT EAST AND AH AINT NEV
AH SEED DAT MAN SINCE. AH MEMBUHS ONCE AH GOT A WHOOPIN BOUT GOIN TUH DE CHINQUE
PIN TREE. SOME UV UM TOLE ME OLE MASTER WUZ GWIANTER LET US US QUIT AT DINNUH AN
SO IN PLACE UV ME GOIN TER DINNUH AH WENT ON BY DE CHINQUEPIN TREE TUG GIT SOME
CHANKS. AH HAD A BROTHUH WID ME. SO AH COME TUH FINE OUT DAT DEY GIN TUH CALLIN
US. DEY HOLLERED TUH COME ON DAT WE WUZ GOINTER PICK COTTON. SO IN PLACE UV US G
OIN ON TUH DE HOUSE WE WENT ON BACK TUH DE FIEL. OUR FIEL WUZ BOUT A MILE FUN DE
 HOUSE. OLE MOSTER WAITED DOWN HERE AT DE GATE. HE CALL ME WHEN AH GOT DERE AN W
ANTED TUH KNOW WHY AH DIDN COME AND GIT MAH DINNAH SOS AH COULD PICK COTTON. SO
HE TAKEN MAH BRITCHES DOWN DAT DAY. MAH CHINKS ALL RUN OUT ON DE GROUN' AN HE TO
LE MAH BROTHAH TUH PICK UM UP. AH KNOCKED MAH BROTHUH OVAH FUH PICKIN UM UP AN A
FTUH AH DONE DAT OLE MOSTER TAKEN HIS RED POCKET HAN'CHER OUT AND TIED HIT OVAH
MAH EYES TUH KEEP ME FUM SEEIN MAH BROTHUH UM UP. SO WHEN HE GOT THROUGH WID ME
AND PUT MAH BRITCHES BACK ON ME AH WENT ON TUH DE FIEL AND WENT TUH PICKIN COTTO
N. DAT EVENIN WHEN US STOP PICKIN COTTON AH TOOK MAH BROTHAH DOWN AND TAKEN MAH
CHINQUAPINS.
         AFTER FREEDOM WE HAD TO GO AND GET WHAT WE COULD GET TO DO AND WORK HAR
D
         THEY USED TO TALK 'BOUT HA'NTS AND SQUINCH OWLS. SAY IT WAS A SIGN OF S
OMEBODY DEAD. BUT I DON'T BELIEVE IN THAT. 'COURSE WHAT I DON'T BELIEVE IN SOMEB
         I HAD TO SEND CLEAN BACK TO WHERE I J'INED ,HE ME  OLITAN  O7GET *Y A
GE. THAT WAS IN CAIRO, ILLINOIS 'CAUSE I'D LIVED THERE FIFTEEN YEARS. BUT WHEN M
Y DAUGHTER AND HER HUSBAND COME HERE AND GOT SETTLED, WHY I COME TO FINISH IT OU
T.
         YES MAHAM, I SURE HAVE WORKED HARD. I'VE PLOWED SPLIT WOOD, AND DONE A
LITTLE BIT OF EVER'THING. BUT IT WAS ALL DONE SINCE FREEDOM. IN SLAVERY TIMES I
WAS A HOUSE GIRL. I TELL YOU I WAS A HEAP BETTER OFF A SLAVE THAN I WAS FREE.


  X   XXX
STP
     
MOSE MINSER                  1255-ARK/#006                                     1
         AH USE TER COULD TAWK AN TELL A THING PLUM WELL BUT AH BEEN BROKE UP BY
A CAH. CAH RUN OVAH MAH HAID AN AH COULDN' TAWK FUH 30 DAYS. SO NOW AH AIN'T NO
GOOD FUH NOTHIN. AH RECOLLECT ONE NIGHT AH DREAM A DREAM. DE DREAM AT AH DREAMT,
NEXT MORNING DAT DREAM COME TRUE. JES LIKE AH DREAMT HIT. YES HIT DID. AH WUZ HE
AH IN SLAVERY TIME. AH MEMBUH WHEN DEY FREED US NIGGERS. SE HERE, AH WUZ A PURTY
GOOD SIZE KID WHEN DEY FREE US. AH KIN MEMBUH OUR HOUSE. SOT DIS WAY. AN OLE MAR
STER CALLED ALL HIS NIGGERS UP. DEY ALL COME ALONG ROUN IN A SQUAD ON DE PORCH.
AH DID NOT HEAH WHUT HE SAID TUH EM. BUT MAH STEP-PA WUZ DERE AN TOLE US WE WUZ
FREE. AN ATTER DEY FREED MAH STEP-PA AH RECOLLECT HE WENT ON HOME AND FRIED SOME
 AIGS IN DE UBBEN. KNOW WE DIDN HAVE NO STOVE  WE COOKED ON DE FIUHPLACE. AS AH
SAID COOK DEM AIGS, GIMME SOME UV HIT, AN HE LEF' DEN. WENT EAST AND AH AINT NEV
AH SEED DAT MAN SINCE. AH MEMBUHS ONCE AH GOT A WHOOPIN BOUT GOIN TUH DE CHINQUE
PIN TREE. SOME UV UM TOLE ME OLE MASTER WUZ GWIANTER LET US US QUIT AT DINNUH AN
SO IN PLACE UV ME GOIN TER DINNUH AH WENT ON BY DE CHINQUEPIN TREE TUG GIT SOME
CHANKS. AH HAD A BROTHUH WID ME. SO AH COME TUH FINE OUT DAT DEY GIN TUH CALLIN
US. DEY HOLLERED TUH COME ON DAT WE WUZ GOINTER PICK COTTON. SO IN PLACE UV US G
OIN ON TUH DE HOUSE WE WENT ON BACK TUH DE FIEL. OUR FIEL WUZ BOUT A MILE FUN DE
 HOUSE. OLE MOSTER WAITED DOWN HERE AT DE GATE. HE CALL ME WHEN AH GOT DERE AN W
ANTED TUH KNOW WHY AH DIDN COME AND GIT MAH DINNAH SOS AH COULD PICK COTTON. SO
HE TAKEN MAH BRITCHES DOWN DAT DAY. MAH CHINKS ALL RUN OUT ON DE GROUN' AN HE TO
LE MAH BROTHAH TUH PICK UM UP. AH KNOCKED MAH BROTHUH OVAH FUH PICKIN UM UP AN A
FTUH AH DONE DAT OLE MOSTER TAKEN HIS RED POCKET HAN'CHER OUT AND TIED HIT OVAH
MAH EYES TUH KEEP ME FUM SEEIN MAH BROTHUH UM UP. SO WHEN HE GOT THROUGH WID ME
AND PUT MAH BRITCHES BACK ON ME AH WENT ON TUH DE FIEL AND WENT TUH PICKIN COTTO
N. DAT EVENIN WHEN US STOP PICKIN COTTON AH TOOK MAH BROTHAH DOWN AND TAKEN MAH
CHINQUAPINS.
         AFTER FREEDOM WE HAD TO GO AND GET WHAT WE COULD GET TO DO AND WORK HAR
D
         THEY USED TO TALK 'BOUT HA'NTS AND SQUINCH OWLS. SAY IT WAS A SIGN OF S
OMEBODY DEAD. BUT I DON'T BELIEVE IN THAT. 'COURSE WHAT I DON'T BELIEVE IN SOMEB
         I HAD TO SEND CLEAN BACK TO WHERE I J'INED THE METROPOLITAN TO GET MY A
GE. THAT WAS IN CAIRO, ILLINOIS 'CAUSE I'D LIVED THERE FIFTEEN YEARS. BUT WHEN M
Y DAUGHTER AND HER HUSBAND COME HERE AND GOT SETTLED, WHY I COME TO FINISH IT OU
T.
         YES MAHAM, I SURE HAVE WORKED HARD. I'VE PLOWED SPLIT WOOD, AND DONE A
LITTLE BIT OF EVER'THING. BUT IT WAS ALL DONE SINCE FREEDOM. IN SLAVERY TIMES I
WAS A HOUSE GIRL. I TELL YOU I WAS A HEAP BETTER OFF A SLAVE THAN I WAS FREE.


  X   XXX
STP