wg meat and wild game.
Possum and sweet yams is mighty good. You parboil the possum about half
done and put him in a skewer pan and put him in a hot oven and just
'fore he is done you puts the yams in the pan and sugar on 'em. That's a
feast.

"Sometimes when they's short of bread the old missus would say, 'How
'bout some ash cakes?' Then they'd mix cornmeal and water and sweep
ashes out of the open hearth and bake the ash cakes.

"The master and his boys was all kilt in the war and after freedom I
stayed all summer. It was pretty tough on us niggers for a while, 'cause
the womenfolks what was left after the war didn't have money. But
Colonel Jones, the master's son-in-law, took me to live in Henderson and
paid twenty-five cents a week for more schoolin' for me and I learned
through fractions. Then I got me a job teachin' school about six months
a year and in off times I'd farm. I did lots of different kinds of work,
on the narrow gauge railroad out of Longview and I learned to be a
barber, too. But I had to give it up a few years back 'cause I can't
stand up so long any more and now I'm tryin' to help my people by divine
healing.

420243

[Illustration: Amos Clark's Sorghun Mill]

[Illustration: Amos Clark]

AMOS CLARK, 96, was born a slave of Robert Clark, in Washington
County, Texas. After Amos was freed, he farmed near Belton, Texas.
Amos now lives in Waco.

"I was borned on the second of April, in 1841. Mammy say dat de year,
'cause Marse Bob's brother, Tom, done go tradin' and has a lot of
trouble with de Indians, and come back with scars all over he arms. It
warn't all dey fault, 'cause Marse Tom allus gittin' in trouble with
somebody.

"When I was still half-growed, Marse Bob traded me to Marse Ed
Roseborough, and we come to Belton to live. Us piled ox wagons high with
beddin' and clothes and sich, and Old Marse had he books in a special
horsehair trunk, what de hide still had hair on. It had brass tacks all
trimmin' it up, and it was sho' a fine trunk, and he say, 'Amos, you
black rascal, keep you eye on dat trunk, and don't git it wet crossin'
de water and don't let no Indian git it.' Us had a sizeable drove of
cattle and some sheep and pigs and chickens and ducks.

"Marse and Missis finds where dey wants de house and us gits dem axes
out and in a few days dere am a nice log house with two big rooms and a
hall 'tween dem, mos' as big as de rooms. Us been on de road 'bout