uarters was 'bout ten by fifteen feet, each one, with a hole for
de window dat am not dere and de floor am de ground, and de straw bunks
for to sleep on. In us cabin am mammy and us three chillen and our aunt.
My pappy done die befo' I 'member him. Some kind stomach mis'ry kilt
him.

"One day Massa Chapman call all us to de front gallery. Us didn't know
what gwine to happen, 'cause it not ord'nary to git called from de work.
Him ring de bell and dat am sho' 'nough de liberty bell, 'cause him read
from de long paper and say, 'You is slaves no more. You is free, jus'
like I is, and have to 'pend on yourselves for de livin'. All what wants
to stay I'll pay money to work, and a share of de crop, iffen you don't
want money.' Mostest of dem stays, and some what goes gits into
troublement, 'cause den dere's trouble 'twixt de white folks and de
cullud folks. Some de niggers thinks they am bigger dan de white folks,
'cause dey free, and de Klu Klux, what us call white caps, puts dem in
de place dey 'longs.

"I gits chased by dem white caps once, jus' befo' us leave massa. Dat
am when I's 'bout thirteen year old. I's 'bout a mile off de place
without de pass and it am de rule them days, all cullud folks must have
de pass to show where dey 'longs and where dey gwine. I has no business
to be off de place without de pass. 'Twas a gal.. Sho', day am it. Us
walks down de road 'bout a mile and am settin' 'hind some bushes, off de
plantation. Us see dem white caps comin' down de road on hossback and us
ain't much scart, 'cause us think dey can't see us 'hind dem bushes. But
dat leader say, 'Whoa,' and dey could look down on us, 'cause dey on
hossback. Well, gosh for 'mighty! Dere us am and can't move den us so
scart. One dem white caps says, 'What you doin', nigger?' 'Jus' settin'
here,' I telt him. 'Yous better start runnin', 'cause us gwine try cotch
you,' dey says.

"Us two niggers am down dat road befo' dem words am outten he mouth. Dey
lets de hosses canter 'hind we'uns and us try to run faster. Fin'ly us
gits home and dat de last time I goes off without de pass.

"Mammy moves to Baton Rouge soon after dat and works as de housemaid. Us
stay dere two year and I gits some little jobs and den I goes to work
for de railroad in Sedalia, up in Missouri, and dere I works as section
hand for de Katy railroad for twenty year. Den I gits through and comes
to Texas.

"I works at anything till eight year ago and den I's no count for work