Mammy didn't know whar to go ner what to do atter Freedom an' us stayed wid Mis' Betty . Mis' wanted me an' she promised Mammy to buy me so I could allus be her waitin' boy. She done make ole Marster take me outen totin' water to der fiel'. Long 'bout six months atter Freedom, one day, Mis' say,'Mariah , here's ten dollars fer Sophy an' Johnnie , fer deir wages to stay an' wukk fer me. 'Mammy went to Mr. Ambrose Reed's to work. He libed at Denmark, Tennessee, an' she went to be his cook. She stayed dere a year an' hit was de first place she wukked atter Freedom. She didn't want to leave Mis' much, but all de darkies say dat all de niggers what stayed wid dere Marsters, somebody gwine do somethin' to 'em. Atter a-while, a white man name Dunk Murginson got me an' I shore did think more of him dan eny of my people. He wanted me an' he tole Mammy an' Mis' Betty dat he would larn me somethin' an' he promised seven dollars fer my wukk, kase my Mammy was a widder. Us went to Memphis an' dar a nigger woman tole me dey's runnin' way wid all dese nigger chillun, takin' dem to Texas to keep 'em from bein' sot free, an' fer me not to go wid Mr. Murginson , dat he wouldn' nebber let me be free eff'n I was to go wid him. But I liked him an' wanted to be wid him. He wanted me to mold brick by hand befo' dey was burnt. Befo' us lef' Mammy, Marster Murginson done gone to Mammy an' he say "Riah , I aims to take Johnnie to Texas wid me an' larn him good so w'en he gits ter be grown, he kin make he way." An' Mammy ast me did I wannter go, an' I say 'Yes,' an' she say 'Dat's all right den, Marse Murginson , kase I know you gwine look atter Johnnie well. Jes' drop me a line how he gittin' long an' don' you let no Injin' skelp him.' An' bye-me-bye, me an' Marse Murginson us gits to Colorado County down in Texas purty near to de town of La Grange. Us was in Texas seems lak two or three years befo' de niggers in general knowed dey was free. Hit spread 'roun in spots like. Marse Murginson shore was good. He allus git me some candy, an' enything, an' money, an' I was shore happy. He had a great big fa'am an' a lot er sheep. He put me to herdin' dem sheep. He of'n say 'Ize all de mudder an' fadder you got, John .' He was so good ter me, dat's why I love him. Marse promist Mammy to eddicate me. Soon atter we got to Texas, he writ Mammy dat I was doin' well. In jes' a little while, Marse he seed anodder nigger boy dat he took a fancy to an' he bought him. He name Lewis . Marse Murginson had a sister an' she was better to me dan my own Mammy ebber had a chance to be. She put me in a tub ob warm water w'en I was 'bout to die. White doctor say 'Dat boy's got him a bad kase ob Typhoid.' Her name was Mis' Kathryn De Graffenreid . Her husband got himself all shot to def. He an' a renter let de hogs in de cornfiel' an' de dogs got one down an' dey had er argyment an' den dey shot de question out an' bof' of 'em git shot. Marse Murginson come to Texas to take care ob he sisters property. She had consid'rble stock, 'bout fifteen hundred head ob sheep an' odder stock. Marse had me herd sheep a-while, an' den he put me to brandin' cattle an' countin' an' sortin' 'em out to git de sizable ones fer de market. No'm, I didn't go on no cattle drive, kase Marse 'pended on me to kinder see dat eberythin' go 'long right. Marse git him a man to teach de chillun on de place. He done de teachin' on a Sunday, but I got very little schoolin' furst an' las'. Kase, come lesson time, I had to roun' de odders up an' kinder see dat noddin' goes 'rong 'bout de place. An' my mind was on de pigs er de sick calves an' whedder de sheep herders had done jes' right 'bout de lambs an' sech an' my hands was too clumsy to write. Come time I gits still, an' er book in front ob me, an' I'ze fas' a-sleep. De white man, he gits plum disgusted an' he say, 'Dat John , he no good fer to study, he wants to stay in de woods atter de cattle, er in a sheep pen.' I did'n kare, but now I wish I could tell more 'bout what de newspaper say. It would kim in handy. But pshaw, my eyes are too wore out now eny way.

I got married to Alice Powell in Colorado County. Us had Johnnie , Stella , Addie , but dey all dead now; an' Jobie , he libes in Houston; an' Katie Diggs , she libes in Detroit, Michigan. Tell 'bout my weddin'? Well, dere wuzn't no lot ob folks 'roun, kase us 'loped off an' got a white preacher to 'form de ceremony. I had on a black Prince Albert coat, double breasted, wid a velvet collar an' casmere pants. Alice had slipped out her mudders white dress an' big hat. W'en us gits back home, dat woman jes' comes a-tryin' to snatch dem close offen my wife. You see, Alice, she is jes' fo'teen years ole, an' her pa an' ma dey don' want us to git married. Dey say she done too young. I went to a neighbor, Mis' Tellison , an' I say 'Dress my wife up jes' ez fine ez you can, an' I'll pay you.' Dis my weddin' day, an' my gal she gwine have a purty outfit'. So, Mis' Tellison , she dresses Alice up in de purtiest clothes an' a great big hat, jes' like de w'ite folks has. Us has a big supper but no dance ner noddin'. De nex' day, Alice, she goes to wurkk to cook fer Mis' Tellison an' she stayed an' cooked fer Mis' Fanny Tellison a year. Oh, long atter de war, fer some years, I branded an' herded cattle; sheared sheep, tanned hides an' sech. Sometimes, in de muddy weather, de cows 'ud git bogged down in de bog holes an' die 'fore us could find 'em. Den us 'ud snake dem out an' skin 'em an' sell de hides. But 'fore us did, dey had to be fixed so dey wouldn't rot. I had a trunk an' I allus kep' hit in Mis' De Graffenreid's room an' I kep it locked, but I gibed her de key to keep. I put my money in dat trunk. Marse Murginson , he tell ebery body dat me an' Lewis , us is bound ober to him an' dat he's sponsible fer us. He allus gibed us jes' what we wanted jes' like us was he own chillun. But Marse Murginson , he git tired ob de De Graffenreid fa'am, an' he gits himself a big business in Austin. Dats whar he was when me an' Alice git married. I wukked fer Mis' Kathrine De Graffenreid a long time. Atter I married, my wife's fadder, he want to go to anodder fa'am to wukk fer a Mr. La Toole . Mr. La Toole had eight or nine renters. An' later on, I tended to Mr. Holden's things. He had thirty or forty milk cows an' a big apple orchard an' lots ob fowls. I'd 'tend to de butter an' eggs an' see atter he things fer as much as three er four months at a time, while he was away in Colorado fer he heatlh. I'd put up pickle cabbage, an' salt down de eggs fer de winter, an' sell de butter an' milk, jes' like he bin dare. De ole man, he gittin' ole an' he cain't see no more. He hobbled 'roun wid a cane. Alice, she tended to de things in de house, an' I took keer ob de outer doors an' waited on him. He had a big barn an' in dis barn was a big drive way. He kep' he kerridge in dis drive way. He allus fergittin' an he think it still slavery wid a lot ob little black chillun under foot an' eberywhar. One day dar was a lot ob chickens er roostin' on de wheels ob de kerridge. An' he a-hobblin' a-roun. He see 'em, an' he say, 'John , dere a lot ob little niggers on my kerridge, go drive 'em away. I'll feed 'em, but I don't want 'em all ober my kerridge.' I say 'Marse, dems chickens, dey aint no nigger chillun on dis place.' Den he say 'My eyes shore deceive me.' Yassum, I 'members well dat trip to Texas. Us come to New Orleans by de kyars an' dare us took board on a steam ship from dere to Galves (Galveston) an' den us come by mule an' ox-waggin' to whar is now Weimar in Colorado County. Hit was 'bout twenty miles from Columbus. I'se herded sheep a-many a day all ober whar Weimar is now.

My wife, as I tole you, was only fo'teen when us git married Her pa, he so mad 'twill he go to Mr. Tellison , he say 'What de United States put togedder, an' de United States put 'em togedder an' I can't 'vide 'em now.' Den my fadder-in-law, he say 'You put dem chillun up to git married kase your wife.' she want er cook. But dat was a day er two atter Alice done started to cook fer Mis' Tellison . W'en us furst come to Texas, effen you wanted to kill some beef to eat, jes' so you didn't kill a two-year ole. Effen you wanted to pen a cow an' milk her, dat's all right, jes' so you take care ob de calf an' see dat hit don't git no worms an' ob course, you mus' feed de cow an' calf. But noboddy gwine say noddin'. Dere was wild deer, an' turkeys in de woods an' swamps. Hit was purty thinly settled in Colorado County den. Mis' Kath'rin' De Graffenreid's fiel' was one mile each way. She had plenty ob rent houses an' barns. De houses mosen all was box houses by dat time, kase dere was plinty ob lumber mills. But back in Tennessee, de Thompsons had a big fine house in Nashville. Hit warn't mor'n a block from de Capitol building itself. Dey shore had fine goins on dere, but I was too small to know much 'bout de details ob hit. Dere was big kerridges, an' er lots ob wimmin an' men all dressed up. But korse, I don't know 'bout dat much. Atter I got bigger, Marse Murginson an' Mis' Katherine De Graffenreid , dey likes to hear me sing an' likes to hab me call out de square dances. I larned de ball-room dances an' I teached de white an' kullud girls fer an' nigh. I kould step off de heel an' toe polka an' de waltz an' de squar dances. Mis' De Graffenreid , she had a bou name Jack. He was a torn-down fiddler. He was sont for from long ways off to play fer de white an' de kullud dances. He allus 'sisted dat I goes 'long to call de figgers. I could teach de Seven Step Schottish an' de round dances too. De squar dances would hab sixteen in a set of sometimes eight. Yassum, I kinder 'member one ole squar dance. Dey called hit de Arkansaw Traveller. All eight balance an' all eight swing, a lef' alley-mond, And a righ ha' grand, meet your partner an' promenade eight till you come straight. Furst couple balance an' furst couple swing, Down de center an' divide de ring, lady go right an' gent to lef'. Den de call 'pends on how meny couples is on de floor. An den you say 'Now you're home an' all eight swing, Swing on dem korners lak a-swingin' on de gate, den your own effen hit ain't too late. Lef alley-monde, right hand grand, plant your taters in de sandy land. Meet your partner an' promenade dar, lead your honey to a big sif' chair.'

Us had picnics an' barbecues jes' like de white folks. Come times w'en Mis' Kathryn 'ud hab a lot ob white company. She had er big fine two-story house. She'd git all de com'ny down under de trees in de flower garden er settin' 'roun an' eatin'. Den she gwine er call me an' she say 'John, go out on de upstairs gallery an' sing some fer de folks. Sing some cullud folkses songs.'An' atter awhile, dey asks me to sing some white folkses songs. I wud do dat eber sence I was a kid. You want de name ob some ob dem songs? Well, dar was "When I Can Read My Title Clear to Mansions in de Sky." Dat was my Mammy's fa'vrite song. A white man was dar an' he say 'Riah, stop dat song! Don' song dat no more.' Hit hurt him to hear hit. Anodder one dat I sings now-a-days an' I shore am fond ob is "When De Mists Hab Rolled Away," an' I likes "God Will Fix It Fer You." I wukked fer Mr. Holden nine years an' looked atter his things jes' like I done tole you. I allus has nussed de sick folks an' w'en enyboddy be sick in de neighborhood, dey mos' usually 'ud come atter me. Whedder dey white or cullud. An' den I drove de kerridge fer Mis' Ida De Graffenreid . Dey had a bank w'en I wukked fer dem. Now you know, Mistis, dat white folkses don' believe in no ghostes, at least not quality folkses enyhow. You is jes' foolin'. Well, I'ze heard an' I'ze knowed fer a fack, some mighty queer things in my life. Now, a white man tole us all, Mis' Kathryn ' an' all ob us about a ole house down in de bottom like from whar us all libed. Hit was a two-story cedar log house. Hit had been dar fer years an' years, 'fore I kin 'member. Campers an' furst one an' 'tother stayed dere. Leastwise, dey meant fer to stay dere but come de furst night, an' dey allus lef' dere 'fore de night was through. Dis man was de furst one dat I members tellin' why dey don' stay all night. Guess dar was odders, but he was de furst one dat I 'members nuff to know what he was talkin' 'bout. Him an'some more men had been huntin' an' hit begins to look like a storm. So, dey 'cides to git out ob de bottom 'fore hit gits too dark. An' 'long dey comes to dis house. Well, dey staked dere horses, an' some ob 'em lay down to res' while de odders git de supper. Dey was a-cookin' away, an' all ob a sudden dey heard des as plain ez kin be, a coffee mill a-grindin'. Dey lissened, an' finally, found dat de sound was er comin' from up-stairs. Den dey heard some boddy say 'Hurry, hurry, dem folks want some coffee' One man, he say, 'Dar's sumboddy up dare, mebby dey got some kindlin'. I'm er gwine up dar an' see who's dar.' So, two, three ob 'em went up dere. Dey went through ebery room, an' noboddy dere eny whar. Dey search, an' look high an' low, an' dere's noboddy dar. Dey scratch dere head an' talk an' wonder an' go down stairs. Dey haint see noddin' but some old chairs an' a few rotten quilts up dar. No coffee mill an' no folks. By-me-bye, dey et an' all lie down in front ob de big fire place whar dey got a little fire. Hit done begin to rain, an' de wind blow an' thunder an' lightnin' er makin' a racket. But agin' dey heard dat coffee mill an' some boddy say 'Hurry, hurry, dem folks want some coffee.' One ob de men, he say 'By Gorry, don't know how you know it ole feller, but some hot coffee, hit would shore hit de spot.' Kase, you see, dese here men dey didn't hab no coffee. Anodder man, he say, 'Shut your mouf, didn't us go up dere an' I tells you fer er fack, dar ain't noboddy up dar. Dat ain't no humans an' I'ze a-leabin' here'. 'Todder feller,'he say 'I'ze not gwine outen in dis here storm, ghosts er no ghostes.' An' den dey hear someboddy come bump-bump-bump a-down de stairs. An' de odders say 'Jim , effen you are fool enough to stay, I ain't an I'ze er gwine now. I'ze ain' er gwine ter stay whar dere's eny sech a-goins on.' An dey took to dere heels quicker dan scat. Dat's all de ghoses I knowed about.