4~OF:~~
	EX-SL&V~~ STORL~S	P~e One	47
(Texas)


1~~ILLIi~ FOR~W:D, about 95 years old,
	~	was born a slave of Jason Forward, in
.. .\~	Jasper, Texas . She nas spent her en~
‚~	tire life in that vicinity, and fl‘)W
	lives in Jasper with her son, Joe McR~y.
	Millie h~s been totally blind for tif-.
	teen years and is v~ ry deaf.




	‘1Us used to live ‘bout four eile east of Jasper, on de Newton Hi~hwry. I reckon t s ~ bout 95 ye ar o id and I thank d e Lawd ‘ ~ been spared dis long. Some my old friends sa~r 11s lOt), and maybe I is. I feels like it.

	II ~ t8 born in Alabama and ma~nny have jus ‚ got up when de white folks brung us out we st . Pappy‘ s naiue Jim Forward and mammy nnine Mary. Dey lef‘ pappy in .4.labama, tcause he ‘long to ‘nother massa.

	“My massa name Jason Forward and he own a lot of	. I work ~s house~irl and wait on de white women. Missus name r~in Sarah Ann Forward. Massa Jason he own de fust dr~.t~store in J~.sper. I have de sister, Susan, and d e br~idder ‚ T om . Mas sa and ru i s ‚ de y tr eat s us j e s ~ like dey us pappy and mammy.

	“Us have mOrC to eat den dan us do now. Us never was ~iowed to be withoat meat, ‘cause m~.ssa raise plenty p~s. Us h~we fish and. possum and coon and deer and everything. Us have biscuites arid cake, too, but u,s drink bran meal coffee. Massa and missus h~s no chilien and dey cive us feast and have biscuits and cake. Befo‘ Christmas massa go to town and buy ai]. kinds ce~dy nnd toys ~nd say, ‘Millie, ~rou go out on de gallery and holler and tell Santy not forait fill your stockin‘ tonirçht.~ I holler 1.oud as I can and. nex‘ no~nin‘ my stockin‘ chock full.