10

A Day, with Lula Wright

10

dey tries ter make me sit down out I can't sit down. I jes' got ter keep
agoin'."
Her daughter, who lives just across the road came in just here and
said, "Ma, they are havin' a party down the road. I think I'll go."
Before she had finished, her mother was sighing, "Umph, umph, I jes'
don't lack dem parties. Mos' of de youngsters cut up so dese days.
Dey gits ter drinking an' fighting. Honey, ma wish yo' didn't want
ter go, 'cause I be worried till yo' come back."

"Well, I guess I
won't go." She assured her mother that she didn't want to "cause her
no worry," and she went out.

Miss Lu gave a sigh of relief. "It's
so mucher trouble gwine on; I hates ter see um go to dese frolics.
When I wuz a girl de boys didn't cut up lack de do now. We would play
nice games. I kin 'member how I useter love ter play Stealin' Partners.
We would all git in a ring, each one have his own partner and one odd
one would be in de ring, den we'd sing:

'Rosie, Lady Rosie
O..o..o Rosie
Rosie Lady Rosie.

I got a house ter put yo' in,
Rosie Lady Rosie.
I got a house ter put yo' in,
Rosie, Lady Rosie.'

All us would he clappin' our hands and pattln' our feet. O, we
had a good time," She laughed. "Den we useter have'cake walks'; dey

give a cake ter de one whit walks de straightest. I useter git all dem
cakes. O man, I could strut straight."

She got up and walked across the floor to show me how she useter
strut. "I can't strut lack dat now, I got rheumatism in dese ol' joints
now." She laughed.

"But you do get about fine", I said to her.

"Yas'm I been had good health, scusin' I useter have the toothache
'n I done had all of dem took out now. Dey useter give me so much trouble

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