*Interview with Roxy Pitts*
--_Preston Klein, Opelika, Alabama_
_ROXY PITTS RECALLS CHILDHOOD_
"I don't know 'zackly whar I was born," said Aunt Roxy Pitts, "but it
was summuz 'roun Youngsboro, Alabama, en it was in 1855, fo' de wah
started, dat Ole Marster said I was born. How ole dat make me?
Eighty-two, gwine on eighty-t'ree? Dat's right, en I be eighty-t'ree
year ole dis time nex' year, iffen I lives.
"Yassum, I goes to church putty reg'lar, iffen it don't rain; coz de
rain makes de mizry in my hip en lays me up. I belongs to de Baptis'
church en was baptize wid Jesus when I was twelve year ole. I'se a
foot-washin' Baptis', I is, but dey ain't none of dem kind er Baptis'
'roun' here, en I jes goes wid de udder Baptis' en sets in de amen
corner, en iffen I wants to shout, I shouts, en nobody ain't gonner stop
me, bless the Lord!
"My fu'st marster was name Sam Jones, but I don't 'member him. My udder
marster, de one what I 'members, was name Sam Peg, en us lived clost to
a little town name Limekiln. My mammy was part Injun, en Ole marster
cudden' keep her home ner workin' needer; she alluz runnin' off an stay
out in de woods all night long. When I was a little gal, she runned off
ag'in en lef' a teeny little baby, en nebber did come back no mo'. Dey
said she gone whar de Injuns is. Dat was atter de wah, en pappy had to
raise dat little bitsy baby hisse'f. He tuk it en me to de fiel' whar he
workin', en kep' a bottle of sweeten water in he shirt to keep warm to
gib de baby when it cry. Den Pappy he mai'ed Aunt Josie en dey had er
whole passel er chilluns, en dey was my brudders en sisters.
"'Member 'bout de wah? Sho', I 'members 'bout de wah; but us don't hab
no wah whar us was. Ole Marster got kilt in Virginny, dey said, en he
didn't nebber come back home, en dem what did come back was all crippled
up an hurt. Us didn't see no Yankees 'twel dey come along atter de wah
was gone, en dey tuk Ole Mistis' good hosses en lef' some po' ole mules,
en dey tuk all us's co'n en didn't lef' us nuddin' to eat in de
smokehouse. Dey runned off all de chickens dey cudden ketch, en jes' fo'
dey lef', de ole rooster flewed up on de fence 'hine de orchard en crow:
'IS-DE-YANKEES-G-O-N-E-E'? En de guinea settin' on de lot fence, say:
'Not Yit, Not Yit,' en de ole drake what was hid under de house, he say:
'Hush-h-h, Hush-h-h.'
"Us chilluns sho was misch'us. One time, atter a big rain, us foun' two
hens swimmin' aroun' in de tater house, en us tuk en helt em under de
water twel' dey's done drownded dead, en we tuk 'em to Mammy en she
cooked 'em in a pot en shot de kitchen do'. When dem chickens got done,
us went under de flo' en riz up a plank en got in de kitchen en stole
one ob dem chickens outen de pot en et it smack up. When Mammy foun' dat
chicken gone, she tuk er brush broom an wo' us plum out. But us didn't
keer; de brush broom didn't hurt nigh lak de chickens taste good." Aunt
Roxy nodded her head and rocked back and forth, as if she enjoyed
recalling those youthful escapades.
"Yassum, I kin see plenty good enough to sew, cep'n' I can't tread de
needle, en I has to keep atter dese triflin' chilluns to he'p me. You
see dis quilt I'se piecin! Miss Lucy gwine gib me tree dollars fer it,
coz she say it be made right, en dat's de way I makes em. Miss Lucy know
she got er good quilt, when I gits t'ru wid it."
"Is yer got enny snuff, Missy? You don't dip snuff! No'me, I didn't tink
you did."