e~ 65
C 20032

CLARA COTTON MC-COY

EX~-~SLMWE 82 YEARS


	uYesmna, I was bawn eighty.-two years ago. ~r in~iny died den an ‚ my gran‘mammy raised me . I sho do ‘member when dat man Sherman an‘ his mens marched through Orange County, but, j t d~J~dfl ‚ take rio army of Yankees to ruin ray white folks home, it took jus‘ one Yankee ‚ but even dat didn tbow my Mistis‘ head.

	I ain‘t never seed nobody as proud as my Mis‘ tRj~h Cotton. She never bowed her head to trouble nor nobody ; she nevereven bowed her head in chu‘ch~ When de preacher prayed s he jus ~ fo ided her hands an‘ s et up straight~, fac in‘ de Lawd wid no fear. No, suh, my Listis ain‘t gwine bow her head no time. Young Mis‘ Laughter broke her mammyts heart, but she ain‘t make her bend her head.

	Mis‘ Laughte ~ ~ sho nuff name was Mi ‘ Clorena Cotton. She waan‘ tall an! dark like i~is‘ ‘Riah; she was little an‘ rouii‘ ant pretty as a thörn flower, all pink an‘ gol‘ . She was jus ‚ like a butterfly ‚ never still a minute ‚ ii‘ here an‘ ionder, laughiai‘ wid everybody. Dat‘s whare she got her name • Us niggers ‚ gun to call her Mis ‚ Laughter kaze she was so happy . She was dGT only one ~ dat could make i‘ ‘Riah smile. She would r;m up to Mis‘ ‘Mali an~ ruffle her hair dat she done e,omb back‘ so slick an‘ smoøth, den she would stick a red rose behin‘ ~ her. ears: :~! .. 65y. SNow, pretty Mamrn y, you ‘io~k like you did when:Papp~ ~ °:COme cç~i~‘tin‘.‘ ~~Marse~edwouId1ay.down his