stepmammy was so mean to me dat I run away. I didn't know
where to go but landed up, one night, at Adeline's mammy's and
steppappy's house, on Marse Bob Clowney's place. They had been slaves of
Marse Bob and was livin' and workin' for him. I knock on de door. Mammy
Charity, dat's Adeline's mammy, say: 'Who dat?' I say: 'Me'. Her say:
'Who is me?' I say: 'John'. Her say: 'John who?' I say: 'Just John'. Her
say: 'Adeline, open de door, dat's just some poor boy dat's cold and
hungry. Charity is my fust name. Your pappy ain't come yet but I'll let
dat boy in 'til he come and see what he can do 'bout it.'

"When Adeline open dat door, I look her in de eyes. Her eyes melt
towards me wid a look I never see befo' nor since. Mind you, I was just
a boy fourteen, I 'spects, and her a woman twenty-five then. Her say:
'You darlin' little fellow; come right in to de fire.' Oh, my! She took
on over me! Us wait 'til her pappy come in. Then him say: 'What us gonna
do wid him?' Adeline say: 'Us gonna keep him.' Pappy say: 'Where he
gonna sleep?' Adeline look funny. Mammy say: 'Us'll fix him a pallet by
de fire.' Adeline clap her hands and say: 'You don't mind dat, does you
boy?' I say: 'No ma'am, I is slept dat way many a time.'

"Well, I work for Marse Bob Clowney and stayed wid Adeline's folks two
years. I sure made myself useful in dat family. Never 'spicioned what
Adeline had in her head, 'til one day I climbed up a hickory nut tree,
flail de nuts down, come down and was helpin' to pick them up when she
bump her head 'ginst mine and say: 'Oh, Lordy!' Then I pat and rub her
head and it come over me what was in dat head! Us went to de house and
her told de folks dat us gwine to marry.

"Her led me to de altar dat nex' Sunday. Gived her name to de preacher
as Adeline Cabean. I give de name of John Clowney Brown. Marse Bob was
dere and laugh when de preacher call my name, 'John Clowney Brown'.

"Our chillun come pretty fast. I was workin' for $45.00 a year, wid
rations. Us had three pounds of bacon, a peck of meal, two cups of
flour, one quart of 'lasses, and one cup of salt, a week.

"Us never left Marse Robert as long as him lived. When us have four
chillun, him increase de amount of flour to four cups and de 'lasses to
two quarts. Then him built dis house for de old folks and Adeline and de
chillun to live in. I help to build it forty-four years ago. Our chillun
was Clarice, Jim, John, Charity, Tom, Richard, and Adeline.

"I foll