About half-way to Bairdstown we stopped at a
place to get a drink of water. Seemingly the white
folks was away fur the day, and an old nigger come
up and talked to our driver while Sam and us was
at the well.
I seen them cutting their eyes at us, whilst they
was unchecking the hosses to let them drink too,
and then I hearn the one that belonged there say:
"Is yo' SUAH dat hit air dem?"
"SUAH!" says the driver.
"How-come yo' so all-powerful SUAH about hit?"
The driver pertended the harness needed some
fixing, and they went around to the other side of the
team and tinkered with one of the traces, a-talking
to each other. I hearn the old nigger say, kind of
wonderized:
"Is dey a-gwine dar NOW?"
Sam, he was pulling a bucket of water up out of
the well fur us with a windlass. The doctor says
to him:
"Sam, what does all this mean?"
Sam, he pertends he don't know what the doctor
is talking about. But Doctor Kirby he finally
pins him down. Sam hemmed and hawed considera-
ble, making up his mind whether he better lie to
us or not. Then, all of a sudden, he busted out into
an awful fit of laughing, and like to of fell in the
well. Seemingly he decided fur to tell us the truth.
From what Sam says that there bishop has been
holding revival meetings in Big Bethel, which is a
nigger church right on the edge of Bairdstown,
and niggers fur miles around has been coming night
after night, and some of them whooping her up
daytimes too.
Pages:
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216