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Work Projects Administration

"Arkansas Narratives, Part 2"

They had the horses wrapped up. They
had on white long dresses and caps. Every one of em had a horse whoop
(whip). They called me out. Grandma and auntie so scared they hid. They
tole me to git em water. They poured it some whah it did not spill on
the ground. Kept me totin' water. Then they say, "You bin a good boy?"
They still drinkin'. One say, "Just from Hell pretty dry." Then they
tole me to stand on my head. I turned summer sets a few times. They
tickled me round wid the ends of the whoops. I had on a long shirt. They
laugh when I stand on my head. Old Mars White laughed. I knowed his
laugh. Then I got over my scare. They say, "Who live next down the
road?" I tole em Nells Christian. They say, "What he do?" I said, "Works
in the field." They all grunt, m-m-m-m. Then they say, "Show us the
way." I nearly run to death cross the field to keep outer the way of the
white horses. The moon shining bright as day. They say Nells come out
here. He say "Holy Moses." He come out. They say "Nells what you do?" "I
farms." They say "What you raise?" He say "Cotton and corn." They say
"Take us to see yo cotton we jess from Hell. We ain't got no cotton
there." He took em out there where it was clean.


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