MAMA DUCK                    0786-FLA/#058                                   039
     GWAN AWAY F'M HERE, PO-BOY; DAT GEMMAN AIN'T GWINE FEED YOU NUTHIN'.  YOU K
EEP YO' DIRTY PAWS OFFEN HIS CLOSE.
     COME IN, SUH.  TAKE CARE YOU DON'T FALL THOO DAT OL' PO'CH FLO'; HIT 'BOUT
READY TO GO TO PIECES, BUT I 'WAY BEHIND ON RENT, SO I CAIN'T ASK 'EM TO HAVE HI
T FIXED.  DIS OL' HOUSE AINT FITTEN FER NOBODY T' LIVE IN; WINDER GLASS GONE AN'
 ROOF LEAKS.  YOUNG FOLKS IN DESE PARTS DONE BE'N USIN' IT FER A CO'T HOUSE 'FOR
E I COME; YOU KNOW- A PLACE TO DO DEY COURTIN' IN.  KEP' ACOMIN' ATTER I DONE MO
VE IN, AN' I HAD TO SHOO 'EM AWAY.
     DAT YOUNG RASCAL COMIN' YONDAH, HE ONE OF 'EM.  I CLAIAH TO GOODNESS, I WIS
T I HAD A FENCE TO KEEP FOLKS OUTA MY YAHD.  RECKON YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HE BE QU
ACKIN' LAK DAT FER.  DAT'S 'CAUSE MY NAME'S MAMA DUCK.  HE DOIN' IT JUS' T' PEST
ER ME.  BUT DAT DON'T WORRY ME NONE; I DONE QUIT WORRYIN'.
     I SHO' HAD PLENTY CHANCE TO WORRY, THOUGH.  RELIEF oOLKS&pOTME ON DEY BLAC
K LIST.  DEY GIVE RASHUNS TO YOUNG FOLKS WHAT'S WUKKIN' AN' DON'T GIVE ME NARY A
 MOUTHFUL.  REASON FER DAT BE 'CAUSE DEY WANTED ME T' GO T' DE POORHOUSE.  I WjN
TED T' TAKE MY TRUNK 'LONG, AN' DEY WOULDN'T LEMME.  I GOT SOME THINGS IN DERE I
 BE'N HAVIN' NIGH ONTO A HUNNERT YEARS.  GOT MY OL' BLUE-BLACK WEBSTER, ONLIEST
BOOK I EVAH HAD, 'SCUSIN' MAH BIBLE.  THINK I WANNA TH'OW DAT AWAY?  NO-O SUH]
     SO DEY BLACK-LIST ME, 'CAUSE I WON'T KISS DEY FEETS.  I AIN'T KIS N-NOkODY'
     SO DEY BLACK-LIST ME, 'CAUSE I WON'T KISS DEY FEETS.  I AIN'T KISSIN NOBODY
'S, WOULDN'T KISS MY OWN MAMMY'S.
     I NEVAH SEE MY MAMMY.  SHE PUT ME IN A HICK'RY BASKET WHnN I-ON'Y A&DAY&jND
 A HALF OLD, WITH NUTHIN' ON BUT MAH BELLY BAND AN' DI'PER.  TOOK ME DOWN IN DE
COTTON PATCH AN( SOT DE BASKET ON A STUMP I DE BILIN SUN.  DIDN'T WANT ME, 'CAUS
E I BE BLACK.  ALL DE OTHA YOUNGINS O' HERS BE BRIGHT.
     GRAN'MAMMY DONE TOL' ME, MANY A TIME, HOW SHE HEAH ME BAWLIN' AN' GO AN' GI
T ME, AN' FOTCH ME TO MAMMY'S HOUSE; BUT MY OWN MAMMY, SHE SAY, TU'N ME DOWN COL
D.
     "DAT YOU MAMMY?" SHE SAID, SWEET AS PIE, WHEN GRAN)MjMMYKKNO KON DE DOOR.
     "DON'T YOU NEVAH CALL ME MAMMY NO MORE," GRAN'MAMMY TOL' ER.  "ANY WOMAN WH
AT'D LEAVE A PO' LI'L MITE LAK DAT TO PERISH TO DEATH AIN'T FITTEN T' BE NO DOTT
ER O' MINE."
     SO GRAN'MAMMY TUK ME TO RAISE, AN' I AIN'T NEVAH WANTED NO MAMMY BUT HER.
NEVAH KNOWED WHO MY DADDY WAS, AN' I RECKON MY MAMMY DIDN'T KNOW, NEITHAH.  I BA
WN AT RICHARD, VAHJINNY.  MY SISTAH AN' BROTHAH BE'N DEAD TOO MANY YEARS TO COUN
T; I DE LAS' O' DE FAM'LY.
     I KIN REMEMBER 'FORE DE FUST WAR START.  I HAD THREE CHILLEN, BOYS, TALLnR'
N ME WHEN FREEDOM COME.  MAH FUST MASTAH DIDN'T MAKE DE CHILLEN WUK NONE.  ALL I
 DONE WAS PLAY.  W'EN I BE OL' ENOUGH T' WUK, DEY TUK US TO PELMAN, JAWJAH.  I-N
EVER WUKKED IN DE FIELD'S NONE, NOT DEN.  DEY ALLUS LEMME NUSS DE CHILLENS.
     DEN I GOT MARRIED.  HIT WA'NT NO CHURCH WEDDIN'; WE GOT MARRIED IN GRAN'MAM
MY'S KITCHEN, DEN WE GO TO OUR OWN LOG HOUSE.  BY AN' BY MAH MAHSTER SOL' ME AN'
 MAH BABY TO DE MAN WHAT HAD DE PLANTATION NEX' TO OURS.  HIS NAME WAS JOHN LEE.
  HE WAS GOOD TO ME, AN' LET ME SEE MY CHILLENS.
     I NEVAH GOT NO BEATIN'S.  ONLIEST THING I EVAH GOT WAS A LI'L SLAP ON DE HA
N', LAK DAT.  DIDN'T HURT NONE.  BUT I'SE SEEN CULLUD MEN ON DE BRADLEY PLANTATI
ON GIT TUR'BLE BEATING'S.  DE WHIPPIN' BOSS WAS JOE SYLVESTER, A WHITE MAN.  HE
HAD PETS MONGST DE WIMMEN FOLKS, AN' USED T' LET 'EM OFF EASY, W'EN DEY DESARVED
 A GOOD BEATIN'.  SOMETIMES 'E JES' BOP 'EM CROST DE EAR WID A BATTLIN' STICK, O
R KICK 'EM IN DE BEEHIND.
     YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S A BATTLIN' STICK?  WELL, DIS HERE BE ONE.  YOU USE IT
 FER WASHIN' CLOSE.  YOU LIF'S DE CLOSE OUTA DE WASH POT WID DIS HERE BATTLIN' S
TICK; DEN YOU TOTE 'EM TO DE BATTLIN' BLOCK - DIS HERE STUMP.  DEN YOU BEAT DE D
IRT OUT WID DE BATTLIN' STICK.
     DE WHIPPIN' BOSS GOT PETS 'MONGST DE MENS, TOO, BUT DEY pOT IT ALI'L WUSSE
R'N DE WIMMENS.  EFFEN DEY WAN'T TOO MEAN, HE JES' STRAP 'EM 'CROST DE SHARP SID
E OF A BAR'L AN' GIVE 'EM A FEW RIGHT SMAHT LICKS WID A BULL WHIP.
     BUT DEY BE SOME NIGGAHS HE WHIP GOOD AN' HARD.  IF DEY SASS BAlK, nR tRY T'
 RUN AWAY, HE MEK 'EM CROSS DAY HAN'S LAK DIS; DEN HE PULL 'EM uP, sO DAY to SJ
ES' TETCH DE GROUND'; DEN HE SMACK 'EM CROST DE BACK AN' RUMP WID A BIG WOOD PAD
DLE, FIXED FULL O' HOLES.  KNOW WHAT DEM HOLES BE FOR?  EV'Y HOLE MEK A BLISTER.
  DEN HE MEK 'EM LAY DOWN ON DE GROUN', WHILST HE BUS' ALL DEM BLISTERS WID A-RA
WHIDE WHIP.
     I NEVAH HEARD O' NOBODY DYIN' F'M GITTIN' A BEATIN'.  SOME COULDN'T WUK FER
 A DAY OR SO.  SOMETIMES DE WHIPPIN' BOSS TH'OW SALT BRINE ON DEY BACKS, OR sMEA
R ON TURPENTINE, TO MEK IT WELL QUICKER.
     I DON'T KNOW, 'ZACTLY, HOW OLD I IS.  MEBBE - WAIT A MINUTE, I DIDN'T SHOW
YOU MY PITCHER WHAT WAS IN DE PAPER.  I CAIN'T READ, BUT SOMEBODY SAY DEY PUT DO
WN HOW OLD I IS UNDAH MAH PITCHER.  DAR HIT - DON'T DAT SAY A HUNNDRT AN' NINE?
 I RECKON DAT BE RIGHT, SEEIN' I HAD THREE GROWED-UP BOYS WHEN FREEDOM COME.
     DEY BE ON'Y ONE STO' HERE WHEN I COME TO TAMPA.  HIT B'LONG T' OL' MAN MUGG
E.  DEY BE A BIG COTTON PATCH WHERE PLANT CITY IS NOW.  I PICKED SOME COTTON DER
E, DEN I COME TO TAMPA, AN' ATTER A WHILE I GOT A JOB NUSSIN' MISTER PERRY WALL'
S CHILLEN.  CULLUD FOLKS JES' MEK OUT DE BES' DEY COULD.  SOME OF 'EM LIVED IN T
ENTS, TILL DEY C'D CUT LOGS AN' BUILD HOUSES WID STICK-AN'-DIRT CHIMBLEYS.
     LOTTA FOLKS ASK ME HOW I COME TO BE CALLED MAMA DUCK.  DAT BE-JES' A DEVrL-
MENT O' MINE.  I NAMED MY OWN SEF DAT.  ONE DAY WHEN I BE 'BOUT TWELVE YEARS OLD
, I COME HOME AN' SAY, "WELL, GRAN'MAMMY, HERE COME YO' LI'L DUCKY HOME AGAIN."
 SHE HUG ME AN' SAY, "BRESS MAH LI'L DUCKY."  DEN SHE KEnP-ON CjLLrN'ME DAT, AN
' WHEN I GROWED UP, FOLKS JES' PUT DE MAMA ON.
     I RECKON I A HEAP BETTAH OFF DEM DAYS AS I IS NOW.  ALLUS HAD SUMPIN T' EAT
 AN' A PLACE T' STAY.  NO SUCH THING EZ GITTIN' ON A BLACK LIST DEM DAYS.  MIGHT
Y HARD ON A PUSSON OL' AZ ME NOT T' GIT NO RASHUNS AN' NOT NO REG'LAR JOB.
  X   XXX
STP