3Ï
Alabama
—5-‘
said he foun‘ he Was travelin‘ in de wrong direction, gittin‘ frurn home ~tidder c1o~ster, so he jee‘ sit down under a tree an‘ iaited~ ‘till day-‘ light. I ain‘t skeered. of nothin‘ but dem Jack—Me-‘Lanteens, but dey stirs you up in yo‘ mm‘ ‘tiii you can‘t tell whar you‘s at; an~ d.ey‘s so bright dey nigh ‘bout puts yo‘ eyes out. Dey is plenty of ‘em over by de graveyard raght over yonder whar all my white folks is buried, an~ mammy 9~I‘ pappy, too. Dey‘s all dere ‘cept Marsa ~ess Travis; he was de flex! ~hut come in line for de place, an‘ he was de bee‘ frein‘ dis here nigger ever had.

	“Fac‘ was, dat‘s whut he call me; ‘t‘was nigger‘. He &i‘ ~ ~ag lived raght dere in de bigiDuse; den dey move into town art‘ dat‘s Wlaar he died. Me an‘ Marsa Jess made a ‘greement an‘ he said. if he was de longes‘ liver, he‘d see me buried, an‘ if ~ be de longes‘ liver, I see hirn buried. So dat day I went to his office ~Y) de oo‘thouse an‘ he say he ~an1; to t alk wid me . He say, ‚ You ‚ members us ‚ greement? ‚ An ‚ I say, ~hut ‚ greement ‚ Marga Jess? ‚ ‘ he say, ‚ Boat ‘ • ‚ Den I say, gho‘,‘I ‘members dat.‘

	“Den he got up an‘ give me some papers ‘bout some Ian“ an‘ I say, ~Thut do all dis here niean, Marge “ess?‘ He say, ‘nothin1 nigger, ‘cept I‘S jes‘ goin‘ outta, business.‘ Den I say, ‘Goodbye, Marge Jess,‘ an‘ he gai,, ‘Goodbye, nigger,‘ an‘ I walked on ‘crost de street. Den Mr. Killian Sar, ‘Oliver, whut‘s happened over at de oo‘thouee?‘ An I say, ‘Ain‘t no— thin‘ as I knows of. ‚ Den he say, ‘Yes ‚ dey is; jes‘ look at de peoples

~ ~V~lfle in a hurry. ‚ Den I turn ‘roun‘ an‘ run back an‘ dere lay Marge Jess. : ~ Smith was gettin‘ him up an‘ Marge Jeas say to me, ‘Well, nigger, I

~ 1td~‘t do whut I tended to; I missed it.‘ An‘ I say, ‘Bogs, fer God‘s

;~‚ 9ake go to de hospital; Vii go wid you an‘ stay wid. you. ‚ Mistus Mag,

~ ~he ast me to beg him, but he shuck his head an‘ say ‘If I bad a-wanted to

:~ ~1Ve I wouldn‘t of shot myself.‘ He res‘ a minit, den say, ‘Nigger, write