r.

"Sheriff 'low'd, 'You is got only fifteen minutes to live in. What has
you got to say?' Alf got up and talked by giving a lecture to folks
about being lawful citizens. He give a lecture also to young folks who
he 'low'd dat was not in sech condition as he was. He talking to dem
'bout obeying de parents and staying at home. Me and Zack exchange
glances and Zack 'low, 'Alf ain't never stayed at home none since he
been big enough to tramp over de country and he up dar fixing to git his
neck broke fer his waryness, and trying to tell us good folks young and
old how us should act. Now ain't he something to be a-telling us what to
do.'

"Finally, Alf had done talked his time out and de sheriff 'low, 'Now you
is only got two minutes, what does you want?'

Alf hollered, 'Mr. Sheriff, lemme shake hands wid somebody.' Sheriff say
everybody dat wishes to may shake his hand. Me and Zack stayed up in dat
tree, but some of de niggers went up and shaked hands wid Alf.

"Time out! You could-a heard a pin drap. I could hear my breath
a-coming. I got scared. Zack looked ra'al ashy. Nobody on de ground
moved, jest stayed ra'al quiet and still. Noose drapped over de man's
neck and tightened. Some one moved de block from under his foots. Dat
jerked him down. Whoop! All dem in de tree fell out 'cept me and Zack,
dey was so scared. Alf Walker wasn't no mo'. Me and Zack sot up in dat
tree like two cranks. Us sot dar as if it hadn't tuck no 'fect on us
a-tall. All de other folks got 'fected. Zack tickled me when he saw me
studying. He 'low 'you act awful hard-hearted.' I 'low, 'dat man telling
us how to do jest now, and dar he is hanged. Us still a-setting in dis
tree, ain't we? We ain't never wanted to see no mo' hangings, is we
Zack?' Zack 'low dat we ain't.

"Onc't de guide low'd to de President, 'You raises your hat to a
nigger?' President 'low, 'I ain't gwine to let nobody be mo' polite dan
I is.' He never let nobody have mo' sense dan he did either. Dat was
Washington.

"Me and Zack is gwine to tell you how it is. We is old and ain't no need
fer old folks to try and fool. I is too shame to beg. I wants de
pension. Is you gwine to tell me 'bout it? Dis de truth, I is took a
chip fer food. If I could got to school and write fast as I can shake my
fist, I'd be a-giving out dat pension right fast. I likes character and
principle. I got a boy turned into 64 years. He got character and
principle, and he still do what I say. I never p