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Story of Ann Gudgel, (age unknown).
"I doesn't know how old I am, but I was a little girl when dat man Lincum freed us niggahs. My mammy never tole us our age, but I knows I'se planty old, cause I feels like it.
"When I was a liddle girl all of us was owned by Master Ball. When Lincum freed us neggahs, we went on and libbed with Master Ball till us chilluns was bout growed up. None of us was ober sold, cause we belonged to the Balls for always back as far as we could think.
"Mammy worked up at the big house, but us chilluns had to stay at de cabin. But I didn't berry much care, cause old Miss had a liddle child jest bout my age, and us played together.
"The onliest time ole Miss ober heat me was when I caused Miss Nancy to get et up wit de bees. I tole her 'Miss Nancy, de bees am sleep, lets steal de honey.' Soon as she tetched it, day flew all ober us, and it took Mammy bout a day to get the stingers outen our haids. Ole Miss jest natually beat as up bout dat.
"One day they vaccinated all de slaves but mine neber took atall. I nebber tole noboddy, but I jest set fight down by de fireplace and rubbed wood ashes and juice that spewed outen de wood real hard ober de scratch. All de others was real sick and had the awfullest arms, but nine neber did eben hurt."
UNION CO. (Ruby Garten)
