8!
-3-.
I u~e to start a fire. One ~ay I went to dem same woode to get eome elmiaone. M~other nigger went wi d. me ‚ and he dumb d.e tree to ehake de • elamone down ~hi18t ~L be pickin‘ ‘em up. ‘Fore long I heared another tree ihakin‘ every Urne U~ shake our tree, dat other tree shake too, and down corne de ~ from it. I !ay to myeelt, ‘Date Joe, ‘cauee he likee ‘elmaone too,‘ Den I grab up my basket and holler to de boy In de tree, ‘nigger turn looee and drap ~down from dar, and ketch up wid me if you can. I‘ e leavin ~ flere rlg±it flow, ‘cause Old ~oe j~ over dar gettiI~‘ ‘~imaone too.‘

“Den another time ]~ wae In de woods choppin‘ llghtwood. It wae ‘bout

sundown, and every tiiae my ax go ‘whack‘ on de lightwood knot, I hear another

~aok ~sidee mine. I itopa and Iieene and dont hear nothin‘. Den i etarts

onoppin• ag ‚ in I bears de yuther whacke . By dat tliie my houn ‚ dog was crouchixi

t my i• eet e ‚ wid de hair etandin • up on hi a back and I cou ldn • t make him

~1t up
nor budge.	.

“Dis time Ï d,idn‘ etop for nothin‘. I jee‘ drap my ax right dar, ~n‘ rae and dat houn‘ dog tore out for home lickety eplit. When ue got dar ~ar~e Jiji wae aettin‘ on de porch, an‘ he eay ‘Nigger, you been up to O~ep~n you got no bueineee. You le all outen breath. Who you runnln‘ from?‘ en I ~ay ‘Maree Jim, somebody ‘eides me le choppin‘ in yo woods, an‘ I an‘t ~ee h1m~ And Maree JIm, he eay Âh~ dat ain‘t nobody but Oie doe. i~ he owe you anythin‘ ? ‚ An • I eay ‚ Yaeeafl, he owe me two—bite for helpin‘ ~ shuck corn.‘ ~ ‘Well,‘ ~aree Jim say, ‘don‘t pay him no mind it jee‘ Old. ~e come back yo pay you.‘

“Anyhow, i~ didn‘ go back to dem woods no mo‘. ~].d Joe can jee‘ have

e twO...bit5 what he owe me, ‘cause ~ don‘t want him follerin‘ ‘rouf‘ atter

e.	When he do I an‘ t keep my mind on my bue i nee e • ~

ash, Copy,

/28/3‘?

s H,