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been sick in bed but once in seventy years.

	“I is five feet, five inches tall. I used to weigh lbO pounds, but dis old carcEss o‘ mine done los‘ fifty pounds of meat.

	“Ncw—a-~d~ys I has a hc~ap of misery in my knee, so I can‘t ride ‘rotin‘ no no‘. Dunn‘ de War I got a muskit ball in my hip an‘ now dat iiiy meat~s all gone, lt jolts a~-roun‘ an‘ hurts me worse. l‘s still right sprightly though. I can jui-iip dat drainage ditch in front of de house, an‘ I sho‘ can walk. Moe‘ every day I walks‘ to de little sto‘ on uniOn Street. Dar I rests long enough to pas;3 de time—o-day wid ray neighbors. ~y eyes is still good, but I wears glasses for show an‘ for sesint close.

	“De longer I lives de plainer I see dat it am‘ right to want mo‘ dan you can use. De Lawd put a-~plenty here for ever‘body, but shucks I Us don‘ pay no mm‘ to his teachin‘ • Sometimas I sits loneson~ for de frien‘s I used to know, ‘cause amt nobody 1sf‘ but nie. l‘s sho‘ beenlef‘ a *fur piece b‘hin‘0 De~white folks say, ‘Old Jim is de las‘ leaf on de tree,‘ an‘ I ‘spec dey‘s ‘bout right.“
*J.ong way
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