*Annie Little, 81, was born a slave of Bill Gooden, in Springfield,
Missouri. Her master owned a plantation in Mississippi, and sent Annie's
family there while she was a baby. Annie now lives in Mart, Texas.*
"I's first a baby in Springfield. Dat in Missouri and dere am where I's
birthed in January, 1856. My daddy and mammy was Howard and Annie and
dey 'longed to Massa Bill Gooden. He have de plantation in Missipp' and
send us dere while I's still de li'l baby. Dat am what dey call de Delta
now, and de cotton so high I clumb up in de trees to reach de top of de
stalks, and de corn so high a man on he mule only have de top he hat
showin'.
"If us mind massa and missus, dey good to us, but if de hands lazy and
not work den de overseer whop dem. When dey run 'way he sot de
bloodhounds on dem and dey clumb de tree. I's heared dem hounds bayin'
de nigger up a tree jes' lots of times. Massa never sold none my family
and we stays with him till he wife die and he die, too.
"In de cold days de women spin and weave de cloth on looms. I stands by
and pick up de shuttle when dey fall. Us niggers all wore de clothes
make on de spinnin' wheel, but de white folks wore dresses from de
store. Dey have to pay fifty and seventy-five cents de yard for calico
den.
[Illustration: _Annie Little_]
"Den de war come. I 'member how massa come home on de furlough and when
word come he on de way, us all git ready for de big cel'bration. Dey
kill the yearlin' or hawg and all us niggers cook for de big feast.
Sometimes iffen he stay a week, we jes' do nothin' but eat and cook.
"Dem de good old days, but dey didn't last, for de war am over to sot de
slaves free and old massa ask if we'll stay or go. My folks jes' stays
till I's a growed gal and gits married and has a home of my own. Den my
old man tell me how de Yankees stoled him from de fields. Dey some
cavalry sojers and dey make him take care of de hosses. He's 'bout twict
as old as me, and he say he was in de Bull Run Battle. He's capture in
one battle and run 'way and 'scape by de holp of a Southern regiment and
fin'ly come back to Mississip'. He like de war songs like 'Marchin'
Through Georgia,' but bes' of all he like dis song:
"'I ain't gwine study war no more,
i gwine lay down my burden,
down by de river side,
down by de river side.
"'Gwine lay down my sword and shield
Down by de riverside,
Down by de riverside.
"'I ain't gwine study war no more,
Gwine try on my starry crown,
Down by de river side,
Down by de river side.'
"Well, he done lay he burden down and quit dis world in 1916.
"Do I 'member any hant stories? Well, we'd sit round de fire in de
wintertime and tell ghos' stories till us chillen 'fraid to go to bed at
night. Iffen I can 'lect, I'll tell you one. Dis story am 'bout a old,
haunted house, a big, old house with two front rooms down and two front
rooms up and a hall runnin' from back to front. In back am de li'l house
where Alex, massa's boy kep' he hoss, stay.
"Dis big house face de river. Old Massa go to war and never come back no
more. Old missy jes' wait and wait, till fin'ly dey all say she am weak
in de head. Every day she tell de niggers to kill de pig, dat massa be
home today. Every day she fix up in de Sunday best and wait for him. It
go on like dat for years and years, till old miss am gone to be with old
massa, and de niggers all left and dere am jes' de old house left.
"One day long time after freedom Alex come back, and he hair turned
white. He go up de river to de old plantation to tell Old Miss dat Old
Massa gone to he Heavenly Home, and won't be back to de old place. He
come up to de old house and de front gate am offen de hinges and de
grass high as he head, and de blinds all hangin' sideways and rattle
with de wind. Dey ain't no lightnin' bug and no crickets on de
fireplace, jes' de old house and de wind a-blowin' through de window
blinds and moanin' through de trees.
"Old Alex so broke up he jes' sot down on de steps and 'fore he knowed
it he's asleep. He saw Old Massa and hisself gwine to war and Old Massa
am on he white hoss and he new gray uniform what de women make for him,
and de band am playin' Dixie. Old Alex seed hisself ridin' he li'l roan
pony by Old Massa's side. Den he dream o' after de battle when he look
for Old Massa and finds him and he hoss lyin' side by side, done gone to
where dere ain't no more war. He buries him, and--den de thunder and
lightnin' make Alex wake up and he look in Old Miss' room and dere she
am, jes' sittin' in her chair, waitin' for Old Massa. Old Alex go to
talk with her and she fade 'way. Alex stay in he li'l old cabin waitin'
to tell Old Miss, and every time it come rain and lightnin' she allus
sot in her chair and go 'way 'fore he git in her room. So Old Alex
fin'ly goes to sleep forever, but he never left he place of watchin' for
Old Miss.
"De white folks and niggers what live in dem days wouldn't live in dat
big, old house, so it am call de 'hanted house by de river.' It stands
all 'lone for years and years, till de new folks from up North come and
tore it down." (See pictures of house at end of story.)
"I well 'lect my old man sayin' how de steamboat come whistlin' up de
river and all de darkies go to singin', 'Steamboat Comin' Round da
Bend.' Dis am in de cotton patch jes' 'yond da hanted house and de
steamboat whistle mean time to go to dinner. Dat am de Little Red River
up in Arkansas, where my old man, Dolphus Little, am birthed, right near
de hanted house.
"Dolphus and me marries in Missipp' but come to Texas and lives at
Hillsboro on Massa John Willoughby's farm. We has ten chillen and I'm
livin' with my baby boy right now. I'll tell you de song I gits all dem
chillen to sleep with:
"Mammy went 'way--she tell me to stay,
And take good care of de baby.
She tell me to stay and sing disaway,
O, go to sleepy, li'l baby,
"O, shut you eye and don't you cry,
Go to sleepy, li'l baby.
'Cause mammy's boun' to come bime-by,
O, go to sleepy, li'l baby.
"We'll stop up de cracks and sew up de seams,
De booger man never shall cotch you.
O, go to sleep and dream sweet dreams,
De booger man never shall cotch you.
"De river run wide, de river run deep,
O, bye-o, sweet li'l baby.
Dat boat rock slow, she'll rock you to sleep,
O, bye-o, sweet li'l baby.