CALLOWAY CO.
(L. Cherry)

Story of Uncle George Scruggs, a colored slave:


I wuz a slave befo de wa. My boss, de man dat I b'long to, wuz Ole Man
Vol Scruggs. He wuz a race hoss man. He had a colod boy faw evy hoss dem
days and a white man faw evy hoss, too. I wuz bawn rite here in Murry.
My boss carrid me away frum here. I thought a heap uv him and he though
a heap uv me. I'd rub de legs uv dem hosses and rode dem round to gib em
excise. I wuz jes a small boy when my boss carrid me away from Murry. My
boss carrid me to Lexinton. I staid wid Ole Man Scruggs a long time. I
jes don no how long. My boss carrid me to his brother, Ole Man Finch
Scruggs. He run a sto and I had to sweep de flo uv de sto, wash dishes
and clean nives and falks evy day. Ole Man Finch Scruggs carrid my uncle
up thar wen Ole Vol carrid me. Ole Man Finch Scruggs liv'd at a little
town called Clintinvil on tuther side uv Lexinton. Wen Ole man Vol
Scruggs marid, he take me away from Old Man Finch Scruggs and carrid me
to liv wid him. I wuz den wid my ole boss again. He den hired me to wuk
faw a docta in Lexinton. My job wuz to clean up his ofis and wen he went
out en de cuntry, he took me long to open de gates. I had to skowa nives
and fawks and ole brass canel stix. Dats been a long time ago, Ize
tellin you, white man. While I wuz sweepin de doctas ofis one day I saw
droves uv colud folks gwine by wid two white men ridin in front, two
ridin in de midel, and two ridin behind. De colud folks wuz wulkin,
gwine down town to be sold. When I fust seen em comin I got scared an