Mammy Sally Quotes

″‘There’s three things I want to say to you, child.’ Mammy drew Julilly close again. ‘Pray to the good Lord. Remember to be proud that you had a strong, fine Daddy and a Mammy that loves you... This is secret talk I’m tellin’ you now. Hold it quiet in your head and never let it out of your mouth. There’s a place the slaves been whisperin’ around called Canada. The law don’t allow no slavery there.‘”

“It was because Julilly was born in June and Mammy Sally liked lilies that she got her name. Most folk slurred the words together and they came out Julilly.”

“The flickering pine knot in the corner fireplace held blue flames. They had no warmth. There was loneliness and emptiness inside. When Mammy Sally came, the warmth would spark out in the fire, and the shadows would bring sleep.”

″‘Oh Lord,’ she said, ‘we is needin’ your protection now.‘”