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3i11 Austin	. F‘ • 24
Martin Richard.aon
GreénwOOd, ‚ • ~ Florida


~hjspere~ among the slaves in the ~ighborho~d ~ ~ ~o ~. ~jth their

.. ~stere into the coxintr7 store —~ of how this or that slave ran away, and

~	with the white ~n.power of the ~ ssction engaged in ~r, remained. at large

~	for long periods or escaped altogether.

These stories always interesst ~atin, pith ~ the re,alt that o

~	morning he was absent ~en Mrs. Smith opened the store. He rs~ined ‚ away 1eight or nine days, I guesst, before a friend of the ~ths fo~M him near Macon and threatened~ that he would Ihaif kill hi& if he ~ return inw~d1ately.

	Zither the threat ~ or the fact timt in Macon there were no readily available foodstuffs to be eaten all da1y ai in the store —~ oaiasd1 44~istin to return. 11e was ro~M1y berated by bis mistress, but fiiiall7 fox.. given by the iorried i~ian iho needed his help aroiu~ the store ~ than

~	ehe nee~e1 the contrite promises and effeaive declarations that he ~OU1&

~	tbehave airight for the rest of hie life.~ •

	And~ he did behave; for several whole ~nths. But by this tii hewas tagreatbigboyt, aUd.hehe4 ca~it sight of ayouzigwca~aniho took his fancy on his trip to Xacc~ . She was free herself; her father h&t boi~t her freedom with that of her nether a few 7ears before, az~d did oddS jobs for the uhite people in the city for a livelihood. Bill had tho~tts of coing back to ~con, i~arrying her, and bringing her back ~to work for Xi.sue with n~.t He asked permission to go, and was refused on the gro~nda that his help was too badly neoded at the store. ShortlY afterward be bat again disa~pear.~

	‘MisaW, however, knew too ~h of his plans by this tla, and it wae7~ifftcult t.~.k to haT hi~ $PFhOfldM in Macon. 3il]~ ~ flOt ~S ~