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went to Texas. I don’ know why zackly ‘cep’ maybe it warnt so healthy
for ‘em ‘roun’ Livingston. Dey didn’ go to de War or nothin’. I
‘spec’ nice white folks talked ‘bout ‘em an’ wouldn’ have nothin’
to do wid ‘em. So dey took an’ went to Texas an’ took my pappy wid
‘em. But after de War he come back to us, walked mos’ all de way
frum Texas. He rented some lan’ frum Mr. Ragsdale. My pappy built
us a shack on dat lan’. It’s tore down now, but it was built good.
Us all he’ped. I pulled a cross-cut saw an’ toted de boards up on
de roof on a ladder. De chimley was built out o’ mud an’ rocks.
Den us moved in an’ started growin’ us somp’in t’eat. Us didn’ have
no horse an’ plow; Yankees done carried off all de horses an’ mules
an’ burnt up ever’dthing lak plows. Us dug up de groun’ wide a grubbin’
hoe an’ raised pun-kins an’ plenty o’ chickens an’ ever’thing.
	“Us lived nice. My people was smart. My white people was
good white people. Dey warnt brutish; never whupped us or nothin’
lak dat. I don’ know nothin’ ‘bout no meanness.
	“Mr. Higgins he died pretty soon an’ Miss Lizzie went to
teachin’ school.  Her chillun – Miss Annie an’ dem – would try to
teach us. Den us carried Blue Back Spellers to Sund’y school an’ a
old Baptist cullud preacher would teach us out o’ it. He say, ‘de
same words is in dis book what’s in de Bible. You chillun learn ‘em
de way dey is fixed for you to learn ‘em in dis here Blue Back Speller,
den de firs’ thing you know you can read de Bible.’ Use went to de
white folk’s church endurin’ o’ de War an’ right after. Any o’ de
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