EX~Sla~ Stories	Page Two
(Texes)







	“We has de sugar cane ~nd makes sorghu~i, and h~is o~ir own raill. Us all, manuny Efld pappy and us chillun, done stay with Massa S~ielley long tine after freedom, 1cau.se we ain‘t got nowhere to go or nothin‘. ITd hoip in de Ilass(ts mill, ~nd when we ~~rinds fiat cane to cook into syrup, dis ~ia de song:


“‘kin‘t no more cane on de Neches,
Ain‘t no more cane on de land;
Oh—ooooo~.ooooo...-.~-~---oC~
D0ne grind it all in ~].asses,
Oh—ooooo-~-.-~—ooooo-.-.--~eQ!

	“After I ~ s ‚ bout ~rowed, I iaoves to de Br~zos bottom and works for a stockin~n, ddn I works for de i~ian wh~t ciriv de first post on (~C liouston ?~ T~x~e Central right-.of~way. I helped b~ild. dat railro~d from Houston t~) ~Y~co, and build de fences and lay de cross—tires. Den I broke wild ho~ses for Mr. C~irry. He give me hÀ~ groceries e~d twent.ir~five cents a dey. 1 was sho‘ ~‘oud of de job.

	“After dis, I carries de m~ll from ~xiin to Eddy, on ~iossb‘~ck. De roads went throu~h de Brazos bottoz~i. Dey was jes‘ cowtraiis, ‘stead of roads. Dere was a road. through dat bottom so b2.d de white raen wouldn‘t carry dat mail, so dey gives it to ;ae and. I ain‘t got no better sense dan to tr:~ it. Dat six miles thro~igh d~e bottom was all raudholes ~nd when d~ river git out de banks dat was bad, But I helt out for eight years, till de uiR.il sent by tr~~in.

	“I kno~:~rs why dat boll-weevil done come. Dey S~T he come from Mexico, but I think he allus been here. Away back yonder a spider live in de country, tepecially in de bottoizis. He live on de cotton l‘,aves and stalks, but he don‘t

hurt it. Dese spiders kep‘ de insects eat UP. ~Y don‘t plow deep den, ~nd plsnts Cotton in February, so lt made ‘fore d.c insects git bad.

“Den dey sits to piowin‘ deep, and it am colder ‘c~uBe de trees ail cut,