~~ŒSSOtY~
ST. LOUIS
~	STORIES
~J_~sw_IIßO_~ ~


never been de father of a child in my w~o1e life. I git a ~13 a month old age pension to live on. Since I been free, I made my living railroading, brakesinan a~d steamboatirig.

	“I voted many times in my 1i~e and just can‘t feel right to vote nothin‘ but a Republican ticket whether they ever get back in power again. I never did have a political job nor had no friends had any that 1 know of. I just can‘t exolain how I feel ‘bout this generation. Dey jes‘ ain‘t doing right, dat‘s all. Dey jes‘ doing everything dey is big enough to do. Don‘t regard nobody, don‘t care what dey say nor how dey act to their own parents nor nobody else‘s I~olks. Dey just sets me to worrying terrible somettuies, wonderin‘ what on dis earth gonna become of dis here sin—racked generation.

	“Dem old Ku Klux was a bad lot of mongrels. Dey catch you out widout a pass dey cut you 100 lashes, and you feel like youain‘t able to go nowhere again wid a pass cr widout one. After de war was fought, I do know some ol‘ dem old slave owners to be nice enough to start der slaves off in freedom wid sornethin‘ to live on till dey get on der feet, but dey wasn‘t in droves, I tell you dat now, just a mighty precious fbew. Den der was some others dat kept der slaves in bondage afterde war, just like before de war and de slaves, never know till der dying day dat dey was f‘ree folks. Far as dat goes, down dere just below Sunflower, 1~ississippi, and lots of other countryside places in de deep South, dey got slavery right now. De only song I can t~hthk of we use to sing so muuh was: “O, Lord Remember Me“.

	“I can‘t remember none de other songs. I been all over de world, seen how different races are in dere own lands, and I often sits and wonder if‘ maybe dese little fellows here now running about~wil1 see de equal rights dat sits talked ~ about now and den . But ‚ daught er ‚ you and me will never s se lt. Nowe won‘t. I ein a member of‘ the Paradise Baptist Church.“