'bout 20 year ago. Den 'twas 'bout 13 year ago I
marries Jack Holman and he died in 1930. I's sho' try dis marrin'
business but I ain't gwine try it no more, no, suh.

"'Twixt all dem husbands and workin' for de white folks I gits 'long,
but I's old and de last few years I can't work. Dey pays me $12.00 de
month from de State and dat's what I lives on. Shucks, I's not worth
nothin' no more. I jus' sets and sets and thinks of de old days and my
mammy. All dat make me sad. I'll tell you one dem songs what 'spresses
my feelin's 'zactly.

"I's am climbin' Jacob's ladder, ladder,
I's am climbin' Jacob's ladder, ladder,
Soldier of de cross; O-h-h-h! Rise and shine,
Give Gawd de glory, glory, glory,
In de year of Jubilee.
I wants to climb up Jacob's ladder, ladder,
Jacob's ladder, till I gits in de new Jerusalem.

"Dat jus' how I feels."

420143

LARNCE HOLT, 79, was born near Woodville, in Tyler County, Texas, a
slave of William Holt. He now lives in Beaumont, Texas.

"I's jus' small fry when freedom come, 'cause I's born in 1858. Bill
Holt was my massa's name, dat why dey calls me Larnce Holt. My massa, he
come from Alabama but my mammy and daddy born in Texas. Mammy named
Hannah and daddy Elbert. Mammy cooked for de white folks but daddy, he
de shoemaker. Dat consider' a fine job on de plantation, 'cause he make
all de shoes de white folks uses for everyday and all de cullud people
shoes. Every time dey kill de beef dey save de hide for leather and dey
put it in de trough call de tan vat, with de oak bark and other things,
and leave 'em dere long time. Dat change de raw hide to leather. When de
shoe done us black dem with soot, 'cause us have to do dat or wear 'em
red. I's de little tike what help my daddy put on de soot.

"Massa have de big plantation and I 'member de big log house. It have de
gallery on both sides and dey's de long hall down de center. De dogs and
sometimes a possum used to run through de hall at night. De hall was big
'nough to dance in and I plays de fiddle.

"My mammy have four boys, call Eb and Ander and Tobe. My big brother Eb
he tote so many buckets of water to de hands in de field he wore all de
hair offen de top he head.

"I be so glad when Christmas come, when I's li'l. Down in de quarter us
hang up stocking and us have plenty homemake ginger cake and candy make
out of sugar and maybe a apple. One Christmas I real small and my mammy
buy me a suit of