kin' in de hogkillin' dem
cold days you was ready for victuals dat would stay by you.

"De fust place I ever went to school was in a little house on de old
Bert Benyard place nigh Winterville, Georgy, and let me tell you, Missy,
schoolin' warn't nothin' lak what it is now. Dem what lived nigh went
home to dinner, but chillun dat lived a fur piece off fotch deir dinner
to school in a tin bucket. Us was still livin' dar when Mr. John McCune
moved from Whitfield County to dat old Pittner place. My Daddy wuked for
him and I played 'round wid his boys.

"Daddy moved closer to town and opened up a blacksmith shop on Broad
Street at what was called Wood's corner den. I holped him in de shop and
went to school some. Folks had to wuk so hard to make enough to keep
alive dat dey didn't git to go to school much. Athens was a heap diffunt
den to what it is now; it was mostly woods, and de roads was awful. Dere
warn't no paved streets, no street-lights, and no streetcars den. I
'members dem fust street-lights. Lawsey, Missy, folks was sho proud of
dem lights and, when dey got dem little streetcars what was pulled by
little mules, Athens folks felt lak dey lived in a real city. Dey had a
big old town hall whar dey had all sorts of shows and big 'tainments.

"Times has changed, folks has changed, and nothin' ain't lak it used to
be. When I was little it warn't no sight a t'all to see traders wid big
droves of hogs, horses, cows, sheep, and goats, bringin' 'em to town to
sell or trade for somepin dey needed. Daddy said dat durin' slavery time
dey drove slaves 'long de road de same way and sold 'em jus' lak dey
sold deir cattle.

"It was mostly woods and fields 'round here when I opened dis little
shop 'bout 40 years ago. Johnson's store was sot up whar de Carither's
Wagon Yard used to be, and soon paved streets was laid, and den fillin'
stations, other stores, and de lak, sprung up in a hurry 'long here.
Soon dere won't be no need of a blacksmith shop here, but I wants to
stay on at wuk in my shop jus' as long as I kin, here in dis world of
trouble whar I has had good times and hard times jus' lak de others. No
other place wouldn't seem right.

"Me and my wife jus' runned away and got married widout havin' no big
weddin' and atter us has done wuked together dese long years, us hopes
to go to de heavenly home together. Our oldest gal is all us has left of
our five chillun; she lives off somewhar in Washington, and us don't
never he