ut in the cold world without home or friends. I would often
ask myself, "What am I living for when there is no heart beating
for me?" I began to drift with the current and even thought I
would take to drinking. Then the thought came to me that I would
be a coward to come so far and then give up. I arose with this
thought and determined to act like a man. I entered school in
Morristown Tenn., thinking that all my troubles were over. I made
low grade with small children. It seemed funny to them to see a
man who knew so little. I was there about four months and was
beginning to lose my fear when one day I saw the same drummer
again. When he caught sight of me he called out, "Hello, nigger,
I thought you were in New York!" Never will sinner tremble in the
presence of the Almighty as I did in the presence of that
drummer. But he seemed only delighted in spending some time
talking with me. He said one of my sisters and several other
hands from the plantation had run away and the boss thought I was
the cause of it all, and, he added, "If that old man gets his
hand on you, they'll take you some night and skin you alive. I
told him I saw you in Chattanooga and he said he would make me a
present of $200 if I would let him know where you were if I
should see you again. But I would not do you that way for
anything. I'll tell you what I will do for you, however. I'll get
you a good job up North where you can go to school. I would not
stop here." I replied "All RIGHT!" As he was going away he threw
me a quarter saying, "Get you a drink, old boy!" I lifted my hat
and scraped back my foot as I thanked him for the money. But I
was not so easily fooled at that time. I knew just what such
sweet talk meant. I saw that it was my move. I had learned then
to get on the train. I left Morristown that night and next
morning was in Lexington. Being afraid to stay I went to
Wilberforce, Ohio, then to Frankfort but finally came back to
Lexington again. By that time I had found out that my boss could
not carry me back to the plantation, as its laws were not so
large in the world as I had thought. I found out that if I
violated the laws of the State I could not be carried back
without the consent of the Governor of Kentucky. I entered
Chandler School without money but happy.