o wuz good too.

"Ah use ter card fer granma while she wuz spinnin. We made our socks,
gloves, and thread. We didn' have dat ter buy. When ah wuz a boy
everybody farmed and we had a plenty. Didn' have drouth in does days.

"Any kine of lan' would produce. Ah use ter get a many lashin bout
pickin cotton. Ah couldn' pick until ah got dem lashins. Some fokes say
lashin don' help but ah clare dey do.

"Ah use ter pick cotton and sing. Ah can recollect so well de song. Hit
went lak dis:

Me an' mah wife had a fallin out
She wanted me ter work on de railroad track
Etc. (See enclosed song)

"Ah jes love ter talk bout when ah wuz a boy. We had a lop cabin fuh a
church house. In dem days on meetin' Sunday fokes would go ter church
and carry de chillun but now not neither the chillun nor dey ma's go
either.

"Fokes would serve the Lord. Dey would git happy in de fiel' and fall
out choppin, choppin cotton. No sich times as hit wuz now. Aftah all er
mah youth and hardship and goodship the Lord called me ter preach and
when he called me ah answered. Ah wuz comin cross de fiel about 12
er'clock. Ah tole him ah couldn' preach. Den ah heard a voice above
mah haid. Ah stopped and wondahed and pondered wid mahself knowin' de
condition uv mahself. Ah said, "Lord yo knows ah caint preach." Den ah
made a vow and ah stuck to hit but ah heard nother voice say, "Go and
preach" again. And ah heerd ah nother voice say "Yo go in de mawnin and
pray befo sunrise." Ah goes thar and gits on mah knees and tried ter
pray an ah heard dogs a barkin and chains rattlin an cats mewin and
everthing. Ah had heard ole fokes talk bout when yo go ter pray chains
and things would track yer tenshun. The same happen ter me. Ah want on
and ended mah prayer and yo know ah wuz a glad soul. Ah felt lak ah cud
go an then an do whut the Lawd said. Ah gone on an stahted preachin. Hit
seemed the church wuz so crowded wid so many local preachers ah couldn'
do whut de Lawd wanted me ter so ah ask the pastor ifn ah could run
prayer meetin and he said, "Why chile yes," and ah went on wid de prayer
meetin till ever'body quit his church and come to mah prayer meetin so
den he called mah han', got jealous and made me move mah prayer meetin.
So som good white fokes let me come ovah neah them and start a prayer
meetin so de people followed me and we built a church and hit is yet
dare terday."

Interviewer: Mrs. Bernice Bowden
Person interviewed: Mandy Tucker