(Verbatim Conversation)
Old Susan Hamlin, one hundred and four years old, was strolling down
lower King St., about a mile from where she lives, when she was met by a
white "friend," and the following conversation took place:
"How are you, Susan, do you remember me?"
"Yes, Ma'am, I 'member yo face, Missus, but I can't 'member yo name. I
gettin' ole. Dis eye (touching the right one) leabin' me. Ole age you
know. Somet'ing got tuh gie way."
"Don't you remember I came to see you one morning, and you told me all
about old times?"
"Yes, Ma'am, (with enthusiasm) come tuh see me 'gain, I tell you some
mo'. I like tuh talk 'bout dem days; 'taint many people left now kin
tell 'bout dat time. Eberybody dead. I goes 'round tuh de ole house, an'
I t'ink 'bout all dem little chillen I is nuss, (calling them by name)
dey all sleep, all sleep in de groun'. Nobody lef' but ole Susan. All my
fambly, de massa, de missus, all de little chillen, all sleep. Only me
one lef', only ole Susan. Sometime I wonder how it is. I ober a hund'ed,
I stahtin' (starting) tuh forgit de years."
"Tell me one thing, Susan, you have lived a long time, do you think the
young people of today are better or worse than in the old days?"
"Well, Missus, some is wuss but not all. Some stray jus' like dey always
done but dey'll come back. I stray 'way myself but dey'll come back jus'
like I did. Gib um time dey come back. I git converted you know."
"Yes, you told me about that."
"Yes, Ma'am, I see de Sabior. He show me hoe He die. I nebber forget dat
day. Dere He hang,--so--(with arms outstretched) an' He show me de great
brightness, an' He show me de big sin on my back, black as dat cyar
(car). Den I pray an' I pray, an' it fall off. Den I praise Him. Nebber
since dat day is I forget what I see. When I see dat reconcile Sabior
countenance,--oh!--I nebber forget. No, Ma'am. I nebber forget dat
reconcile countenance. As I tell yuh, I stray 'way, but not after I see
dat reconcile countenance. I pray and praise Him. Sometimes all by
myself I get so happy, jes t'inkin' on Him. I cyant forget all dat He
done fuh me."
"People tell me I ought not walk 'round by myself so. I tell um I don't
care where I drop. I 'member when my ma was dyin' I beg um not to leabe
me, she say: 'Wha' I got yuh, wha' I want tuh stay yuh fuh? I want tuh
go, I want tuh see muh Jesus.' I know what she mean now. I don't care if
I drop in de street, I don't care if I drop in my room. I don't care
where I drop, I ready tuh go."
"All you got tuh do is libe right, yuh got tuh libe (live) de life. What
is de life?--Purity.--What is Purity?--Righteousness.--What is
Righteousness?--Tuh do de right t'ing.--Libe right,--pray an' praise.
Beliebe on de delibrin (delivering) Sabior. Trus' Him. He lead yuh. He
show yuh de way. Dat all yuh got tuh do. Beliebe--pray--praise. Ebery
night befo' I lay on my bed I git on my knees an' look up tuh Him. Soon
I wake in de mornin' I gibe Him t'anks. Eben sometime in de day I git on
my knees an' pray. He been good to me all dese years. He aint forget me.
I aint been sick for ober twenty-five years. Good t'ing too, nobody left
tuh tek care of me. Dey all gone. But I don't care now, jus' so I kin
see my Jesus when I gone."
"I goin' down now tuh see my people I use to cook fuh. I too ole now tuh
cook. I use tuh cook fine. Come tuh see me again, missus, come tuh see
de ole monkey, I tell yuh mo' 'bout dose times. You know I kin 'member
dem when I been a big girl, most grown, when de bombardment come ober de
city."
=Source:= Writer's conversation with Susan Hamlin, 17
Henrietta Street, Charleston. S.C.
Project#-1655
Jessie A. Butler
Charleston, S.C.