~.X—ø1ave Stories	Page Two • 44
( Texa.)






	“She ‘8p1atn~ lots of things to nie. I done see de women stick dere heada in de waahpot and. talk out loud, while ue in slavery. She telle ne dey pra~tn~ for de Lawd to take dem ~it from bondage. Dey thiz~k it ~t~ht to pray out loud so de Lawd. can hear but dey mustn‘t let de massa hear dem.

	‘s ~ aBkß her ‚ bout my father and ah. saye him on de place but die ‚ fore I~i borned.. Ke was m&ce de husbandS to lote of wogen on de place, ‘cau8e he de big man.

	“She am good to me and care for me till I meets de boy I like.. 158 live. together for fifteen years snd den hi~ dies. My chilien is all dead. He name am William &nereon and I watt. nine yeare ‘fore I marries ‘gain. Den I marrie. Albert )Lalone and I‘. lucky ‘gsin. He‘ s de good man. One day he am fixin‘ de sills under de house and de whole heise mowea over and falls . on hie. I feels ~o grèevou.s over dat I never marrie. ‚ gain. Dat thirty-~four year ago, and I lives alone all de time. It aintt ~cause I doesn‘t have de chance, ‘cause lots of bucks wants me, cause I‘. de hard worker.

	h ~ washes for de livin ‚ ~nd washes old massa‘ ~ daugh‘ s clothes. Massa am de powerfal man dunn‘ slavery and have de money and fine clothee and drives de fine teams and acti like de cock of de walk. All dat changes after freedom. I seed him layin‘ in de sun like de dog. I offers to wash k~ clothes and he jus‘ grunt. He done turned stone deaf, and de white folks say it ‘cause he done treat he slaves so bad,

	“I done Live here in tort Worth 1bait fifteen years with my daughter, Bmilah Watkins. I‘. mighty hap~~y~ here, and has de $10.00 pension and thanks de Lawd for. dat.