r him ter marry dem."

Uncle Manuel said he tried superstitions and signs, but they didn't
"prosper me none", so he gave up all he knew except the weather signs,
and he plants his crops by the moon. "I watches de fust twelve days ov
de New Year an' den I kin tell jes' whut weather ev'y mont' ov de year
gwine ter bring. Dat's de way mens mak almanacs. 'Course I ain't got no
edercation--nuver been ter school in my life--but dat's my fault kase I
could have went, but long 'bout den I wuz so mannish I wouldn't go an'
ev'y day I wishes I had er went so I could read now, but I didn't have
sense 'nough den ter want ter learn."

About planting crops, Uncle Manuel advises: "Plant ev'ything dat makes
under de groun' lak 'taters, goobers, tunips an' sich, on de dark ov de
noon; plant ev'ything dat makes on top de groun' on light nights. Plant
yo' crap on de waste ov de moon an' dat crap sho' gwine ter waste er
way, an' dat's de truf, I ain't nuver seed hit fail yit. Plant corn on
de full ov de moon an' you'll have full good-made years, plant on de
growin' ov de moon an' you'll have a full growed stalk, powerful stalks,
but de years won't be fulled out. I pays 'tention to dem signs, but as
fer all dese y'uthers, dey ain't nothin' ter dem, 'cept meetin' er cat,
I jes' has ter turn clean er 'roun' when I meets er cat an' dat turns de
bad luck dat hit means, er way."

Uncle Manuel grew sad as he recalled the good old days long gone. He
made an unusual statement for one of his race when he said: "Mistess, ef
somebody had er thousan' dollars in one han' an' in de y'uther a pass
fer me ter go back to dem ole days an' axed me which 'un I'de tak', I'de
go back to dem ole days an' live de rest ov my life. Dere aint' nothin'
to dese times now--nothin' 'cept trubble, peoples is livin' so fast, dey
don't tak' no time ter stop an' 'sider, dey jes' resh right into
trubble. I use ter drive oxen--four ov 'em--an' dey took me 'long all
right. I'se plowed oxen too, now yu nuver see 'un kase dey's too slow;
hit's autymobiles an' gas-run things, no'm, folks don't 'sider on de
ways ov life lak dey use ter.

"Why is I livin' so long? Dat's easy--I'se 'onest, ain't nuver stole,
nuver been in no trubble ov any kin', been nigh ter death two times, but
I'se been spared kase I jes' ain't lived out my days yit. I'se on
borrowed time, I knows dat, but dat ain't worryin' me none. An' I tell
yu somthin' else; I ain't botherin' none over dis ole age pensun
bu