226
I~x-Slave Stori..	~.‘	~
(Texas)




	“How we p].a~yed and p1ayed~ On Sundays weed strike ~it for the big woods and we‘d gather our dXSISeS full of hickory nuti, w&lflute arul berrise and a, so~ir ~pp1e called. ‘maypop.‘ Wetd. kill anakes an~ d~jice and sing ttiat ol‘ song ‘bout, ‘Huri‘áh! Mister 31~ecoat, Toodle..O.1 ‘O, Dat Lady‘s Beatin‘ You.‘ It meant hie pardner waa beatin‘ him d~an1n‘

	It ~ ~ j.s~ lyin‘ her• dream1n~ ~bœt how we usO to go to the woods every ipr Ing and dig the iia~rpop root. ‚ then bring ‚ none and wash ‘em good and dry ‘iii b~it,mith yc~, not in the .un then efl~ ~t5 chilien would ait ‘round and poun‘ ~ roots, tied up in little bagi of coari. cloth, till it was powder. Th.n we‘d teks a little flour an~L je5‘ enough ~ter to make it stick, and we‘d. make pills to take w~ien we got sick. Antt work you? LawtI ami~ty~ Itien we tock dat stuff we had. to keep tendin‘ to de dr•a. tail!

	~We went over to list Rock to church and de Bingin‘ was grau.‘ All day lGflg we‘ d. be at preachin‘ and ilngin‘ . Singin‘ dat goad o].‘ sp~ritua1 song 1bout, ‘Tau shan‘t be Slave. no Mors, since Christ have made yoti free. ‚ I 1a~ hers ye. ‚ dey &w& heered. all thim fooli.h aong~ and~ jubilee aon~e t~iat comes over the radio and den soap of thee ol‘ 1~bne spirituals come and it jeß‘ madß flk~ feel like t iras in

oil tinea,

	“1 went back every year to see ~y ol‘ merst.r, 82 long M hS lived. Now lt won‘ be 1or~ till. I B•BI hiii 8€hh1~~ SO~~ d87~1‘