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An elderly woman who refused to give her age, being very positive on that score. Has been a cook for years, is very garrulous, but was not definite concerning her early home. Her hair is kept dyed, and although she remembers things from far back she evidently overlooks the fact that such reminiscing rather establishes her age, which I judge to be at least seventy, if not more. Her complexion is dark; and she appears to be well preserved for one of her apparent years. She enjoys reminiscing and relates things in the most dramatic manner. She claims to be related to every person in the Norwood section but refuses "to go runnin' out there 'cause they don't come runnin' over heah tuh see me, so I jes' quit now." Coming originally from Kentucky, she has lived in this city more years than she would confess, but a guess based on her conversation would place the date around thirty years or more. She is deeply religious and recalls with great pleasure that a bishop of her church once shook hands and chatted with her a moment.
"We uz bo'n bout forty miles frum Lexington, Ky., me'n the others, 'leven children altogether; 'bout six an' five, doan ezackly remimber which. (She did not recall the number of boys and the number of girls in her family.) Patrick Dood an' Ha'et (Harriett) --- thet's a purty name, Ha'et --- they uz muh folks, muh mother 'n' father. They uz slaves but the chillun ain nevuh serve, ain nevuh serve, not nary lick they evuh serve. Muh father could read 'n' write; doan know how he learn nuh who teach 'im, but he know".
We live on the plantation fo the wahr, then long come 'mancipation an' we move off somers an' muh father bought a farm, an' we live on thet. We raise evuh then we use. Had hogs 'n' chickens 'n' geese 'n' ducks 'n' turkeys. 'n' we kep the feathuhs fum 'um fuh pilluhs. Lil o' frame house didn' have two doohs 'n' two winduhs 'n' fo' rooms. The chillun's fall asleep on the flo', like chillun'll do, 'n' muh mother'd go roun' gatherin 'em up 'n' put 'em to bed. She laid some at the head 'n' some at the foot uh the bed; five uh six'd sleep in the bed 'n' she'd lay some at the head 'n' some at the foot.
The chillun'd go barefooted in th' summuh, but 'gin' fall'd come we'd git shoes. They'd sin off in th' fall fuh shoes fuh us, fuh win'er shoes. Muh daddy'd git a fine pair uh boots fuh nin-ey-eight cints, 'n' reck'n muh mother pay roun' bout the same fuh her'n. A dressmaker'd come twicet uh year 'n' make clo'es fuh us, she'd come down the pike to meet 'er, a-swengin' on 'er, pesterin' er', ca'yin' bunnels fuh uh. All th' soots fuh th' little boys uz made fum the same cloth, all they soots jes alike. All th' scarfs, mitt'ns, stockin's, socks, caps 'n' sich like muh mother'd knit. She knit ever'theng; wuddent no sto' to be a-runnin to ever minnit.
P'taters 'n' ca'its (carrots) 'n' cabbage 'n' apples'd be beh-ed in th' groun', but th' apples'd sometime have uh groun'y tas', so sometime we wuddent beh 'em, 'n' we'd make uh kag uh sour kraut, miny's the hour I spint makin' sour kraut. Why jes makin' it, like yuh make all sour kraut.
Doan nevuh sweep no dirt out'n doohs attuh dahrk, 'n' doan yuh impty no ashes attuh dahrk, neether, 'n' whin hosses kicked 'n' neighed attuh dark, 'n' late at night yuh know sperrits was at 'em. They c'n see sperrits the same ez I kin. Co'se I kin see sperrits. Seed one jes' fo' Chris'mus. I seed this'n 'n' knowed they uz som'p I done fuhgot to do, som'n
SHE want meda do 'fo she died. Like ez not I done fuhgot tuh do it 'n' she done come back tuh see. I looked up frum muh work 'n' see this person a-stan'in' by uh table, head on one side like, 'n' wea'in a blouse 'n' skirt; jes a-stan'in' theah. 'n' I quick turn muh head 'n' look off 'n' look back 'n' she's done gone. Thets-a wayda do---ef uyh see uh sperrit 'n' doan wan see it, jes turn yuh head quick 'n' back 'n' it'll done gone.
'N' back-in those days, didn' ha' no ahmmonac; we read the elemints. We tol' rain by the moon 'n' weather by the moon 'n' by whin the moon was goin' change. Didn' use no ahmmonac---we cud jes go out 'n' look up 'n' tell jes whut the weather goin' be, tell by the elemints.
Chris'mus time we'd hang up ow stockin's 'n' git uh glass-headed doll. 'n' we'd have black cake 'n' plum puddin'. Black cake uz like fruit cake 'cep'n' it didn' have no raisins uh nuthin it it. We had tu'key, chittlin's 'n' ever' theng; cook-a nuff to las' uh week. An---we'd go da church, the chilun in front 'n' ole folks behin'.
Uh chile bawn with a veil over its face it c'n see sperrits plain ez day. They c'n jes walk down th' street 'n' see 'em; they jes step out th' way uh walk round 'em. You jes watch, yuh'll see it happed time 'n' again; co'se they hahdly evuh sey nothin' bout it, but thet's jes whut they doin---gittin outa way some sperrit, 'n' ef yuh wuddent bo'n with a veil yuh c'n see sperrits by lookin' ovuh the lef' shoulduh of enyboddy who uz ba'n with a veil.
A coppuh reng wo'e on th' lef' ankle'll keep off roomytism, 'n' uh little bag a asfiddidy wo'e roun' yuh neck on a streng'll keep off cert'n deseases. They sey too thet a streng tied roun' yuh ankle uh wris'll keep yuh frum crampin' in wottuh.
'N' whin yuh got sick folks in th' house 'n' yuh heah uh dog howlin' 'n' ca'yin' on jes git ready to give up that person 'cause it uh sho sign they'll die. Ef yuh nevuh had rats in yuh house 'n' one comes 'n' gnaws 'n' gnaws 'n' cain ketch 'em, it-sa shore sign-a death. Jes like when yuh heah knockin' 'n' yuh cain fin' it, it's death knocks.
'N' mark it down, whin sick folks thets bin ve'y low gits sudd'nly bettuh, 'n' wants to eat-a lot, jes mark it down, it's death wantin' tuh be fed.
The Pattyroll As told by Billie Slaughter, George Thomas and George Morrison (Beulah Van Meter Clark County)
