out jus' de same. Pappy used to drive a oxcart and, when he was bad off
sick and out of his haid, he hollered out: 'Scotch dat wheel! Scotch dat
wheel!' In his mind, he was deep in de bad place den, and didn't know
how to pray. Old Miss, she would say: 'Pray, Pete, Pray.' Old Miss made
a heap of teas from diff'unt things lak pennyroyal, algaroba wood,
sassafras, flat tobacco, and mullein. Us wore rabbits foots, little bags
of asfiddy (asafetida), and garlic tabs 'round our necks to keep off
mis'ries. I wishes I had a garlic tab to wear 'round my neck now.

"One day Old Miss called us togedder and told us dat us was free as jay
birds. De Niggers started hollerin': 'Thank de Lawd, us is free as de
jay birds.' 'Bout dat time a white man come along and told dem Niggers
if he heared 'em say dat again he would kill de last one of 'em. Old
Miss axed us to stay on wid her and dar us stayed for 'bout three years.
It paid us to stay dere 'stead of runnin' off lak some udder Niggars dat
played de fool done. T'warn't long 'fore dem Yankees come 'long, and us
hustled off to town to see what dey looked lak. I never seed so many
mens at one time in my life before. When us got back to de plantation de
overseer told us not to drink no water out of de well, 'cause somebody
had done put a peck of pizen in dar. He flung a whole bushel of salt in
de well to help git rid of de pizen.

"Atter de end of de war, I went to wuk as a plow-hand. I sho did keep
out of de way of dem Ku Kluxers. Folkses would see 'em comin' and holler
out: 'De Ku Kluxers is ridin' tonight. Keep out of deir way, or dey will
sho kill you.' Dem what was skeered of bein' cotched and beat up, done
deir best to stay out of sight.

"It was a long time atter de war was done over 'fore schools for Niggers
was sot up, and den when Nigger chillun did git to go to school dey