KATHERINE EPPES              514-ALA/#025                                    017
         SHO, HONEY, I CAN TELL YOU MO'N ANYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW 'BOUT BE BG
FIGHT, 'CA'SE I BEEN HERE A LONG TIME. DEY AIN'T MANY LEF' TO TELL 'BOUT DEM DAY
S. MY MAMMY AN' PAPPY WAS PETER AN' EMMA LINES AN' US ALL BELONGED TO MARSA FRAN
K AND MISS SARAH LINES. I WAS BORN ON DEY PLANTATION FIVE MILES BELOW FAUNSDALE
'BOUT 1850 SO DEY TELLS ME.
         I IS RIGHT OL' BUT THANK GAWD I STILL GOT MY TEEFIES AN' MY HA'R LEF'.
I SEES PRETTY GOOD, TOO, BUT I'S SO HEBBY I AIN'T ABLE TO TOE MYSE'F 'ROUN' AS P
ERT AS I USETER.
         IT WAS  IF+RENT BACK IN DEM D YS >HEN I BE O GED  O9RI.HWHITE FOLKS.
DEY HAD PLENTY OF NIGGERS AN' DEY WAS LOG CABINS IN DE QUARTERS JES' AS FAR AS Y
OUR EYES COULD SEE. MARSA FRANK AN' MISS SARAH WAS GOOD TO DE BLACK FOLKS, TOO.
DEY SON, YOUNG MARSA FRANK, FIT IN DE BIG WAR.
         ATTER DE WAR WAS OVER I STAYED ON DE LINES' PLACE ' WELL ATTER I M 'IES
, AN' OL' MISS GIN ME MY WEDDIN' DRESS AN' A LONG VEIL DOWN TO MY FOOTS.
         WHEN US WAS .HILLUN IN DE QUARTERS WE DID A MIGH,Y  OT6OF7PL YI)'. US U
SETA PLAY "SAIL AWAY RAULEY" A WHOLE LOT. US WOULD HOL' HAN'S AN' GO 'ROUN' IN A
RING, GITTIN' FASTER AN' FASTER AN' DEM WHAT FELL DOWN WAS OUTA DE GAME.
         MY MAMMY WUKKED IN DE BIG HOUSE, ASPINNIN' AN' ANUSSI)' DE6>HITE .HILLU
N ALL OF DEM CALLED HER "MAMMY". AH 'MEMBERS ONE THING JES' LACK IT WAS YESTIDDY
. MISS SARAH WENT TO 'MOSPOLIS (DEMOPOLIS) TO VISIT WID HER SISTER, AN' WHILST S
HE WERE GONE DE OBERSEER, WHAT GO BY DE NAME OF ALLEN, WHUPPED MY MAMMY CROST HE
R BACK 'TWELL DE BLOOD RUNNED OUT.
         WHEN MISS SARAH COMED BACK AN' FOUN' IT OUT, SHE WAS DE MADDES WHITE LA
DY I EBER SEED. SHE SONT FOR DE OBERSEER, AN' SHE SAY: "ALLEN, WHAT YOU MEAN BY
WHUPPING MAMMY? YOU KNOW I DON'T ALLOW YOU TO TECH MY HOUSE SERVANTS." SHE JERK
HER DRESS DOWN AN' STAN' DERE LOOKIN' LIKE A SOJER WID HER WHITE SHOULDERS SHINI
N' LACK A SNOW BANK, AN' SHE SAY: "I DRUTHER SEE DEM MARKS ON MY OWN SHOULDERS D
AN TO SEE 'EM ON MAMMY'S. DEY WOULDN'T HURT ME NO WUSS." DEN SHE SAY: "ALLEN, TE
CK YOUR FAMBLY AN' GIT OFFEN MY PLACE. DON'T YOU LET SUNDOWN KETCH YOU HERE. 'SO
 HE LEF'. HE WASN'T MOTHIN' BUT WHITE TRASH NOHOW."
         HONEY, IS YOU A CHRISTIAN? I HOPES YOU IS, 'CA'SE YOU IS TOO FINE LOOKI
N' FOR TO GO TO HELL. I B'LONGS TO DE BAPTIS' CHURCH, AN' DEY CALLS ME MA EPPES
'CA'SE I'S DE MOTHER OF DE CHURCH. I LOVES TO SING DE GOSPEL HYMNS.
         SHE SANG: "I AM A SOJER OF DE CROSS, A FOLLERER-OF DE-Lj)'.  )MNOT AFE
ARD TO OWN HIS NAME, NOR TO 'FEN' HIS CAUSE. I WAN' YOU TO COME, I WAN' YOU TO C
OME, I WAN' YOU TO COME AN' BE SAVED."
  X   XXX
STP