"I think they was good to him. His young mistress cried so much they all
went back once before freedom. They went on Christmas time. Only time he
ever was drunk. He got down and nearly froze to death. The white folks
heard he was somewhere down. They went and got him one Sunday morning in
a two-horse wagon. He was nearly dead. That was his first and last
spree.

"Pa said he nursed three of his young mistress' babies, Alfred, Tom, and
Kenneth.

"After freedom pa went to Texas with Alfred Walker. He owned a ranch out
on the desert and raised Texas ponies and big horn cows. They sent a
carload of young cattle to St. Louis and pa stopped back in Mississippi
and married ma. She was a Walker too, Libbie Walker. There was fourteen
of us children. They nearly all went to Louisiana to work in the timber.
I come to Clarendon. I been married three times. My last wife left me
and took my onliest child. Only child I ever had. They was at Hot
Springs last account I had of them. She was cooking for a woman over
there. My girl is up 'bout grown now. She come to Clarendon to see me
three years ago. I sent for her but she wouldn't stay. She writes to me,
but I have to get somebody to write for me and somebody to read her
letters. I can read print real good. I never went to school a day in my
whole life. We had to work early and late when I come up.

"I farmed, sawmilled, worked in the timber. I do public work, haul wood,
cut wood, and work in the field by day labor.

"I votes a Republican ticket. I haven't voted since Mr. Taft run. I
don't have no way to keep up with elections now. Folks used to talk