Ex..slave Stories	Page Two
(Texas)






and danc in‘ de quadrille and. fiddl es and barij 0es.

~	Sunday massa preach to us, 1~ause he de preacher heself.

He preach to de white folks, too.

	‚s ~ ‘member dat surrender day, He call u s round him. I c8zi see him now, like I watches him come to de yard, With he hands clasp ‘hind him and he head bowed. I know what he says, ‘I likes every one of y~i. Y*i been faithful but I has to give you up. I hates to do it, not ‘cause I don‘t wait to free you, b~it ‘cause I don‘t went to lose you all.‘ Us see de tears in he eyes.

	“Moe‘ •very~body leaves, and us go to peppy‘s place, den comes here in 18?2, right here where. us livs now. My sister, Scott, she lives up de street.

It warn~t no houses here den.

	“t gits married. in 1374 to Henry D~gett and he dies In 1884. Den t marries Jim Byers in 1885 end be ~i lazy and no ‘count. He leaves on Christmas Da~ in de mornin‘ ‚ and don‘t come back. Dat de only present he ever give me!

Be ai what you e~l1. de Ixick passer. I does de washin‘ aM ironin‘ and he passes de bucks I makes. I ~arrles 3111 Mathews and ha my ‘ husband. He dies on Ma~r 15th, di~ year. I has seven chiflen and four of dem ~ right in dis town.

PI never votes but once, ‘bout four years ago. I jus‘ don‘t care ‘bout

it.	Too ieh fustin‘ round foe‘ me. My husband allue voted de Lincoln ticket.

	$1 gits ‘round and lt won‘t be long ‘fore I goesto de Lawd.‘s resting place. My sister a 81 ai~& t~s 83,, end she lives in de next block yonder ~ Us ~ de cons‘latien to each other.
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