Sobe wouldn't even speak to Mr. Bill, and wouldn't
let him set foot on the place. He jest reared and pitched around, and
threatened to shoot him if he set eyes on him, and Mr. Bill took Miss
Mary and left out for Texas. He set up a blacksmith shop on the big
road between Bonham and Honey Grove, and lived there until he died.

Miss Mary done took Vici along with her, and pretty soon she come back
home and stay a while, and old Master Sobe kind of soften up a little
bit and give her some money to git started on, and he give her me too.

Dat jest nearly broke my old mammy's and pappy's heart, to have me
took away off from them, but they couldn't say nothing and I had to go
along with Miss Mary back to Texas. When we git away from the Big
House I jest cried and cried until I couldn't hardly see, my eyes was
so swole up, but Miss Mary said she gwine to be good to me.

I ask her how come Master Sobe didn't give her some of the grown boys
and she say she reckon it because he didn't want to help her husband
out none, but jest wanted to help her. If he give her a man her
husband have him working in the blacksmith shop, she reckon.

Master Bill Merrick was a hard worker, and he was more sober than most
the men in them days, and he never tell me to do nothing. He jest let
Miss Mary tell me what to do. They have a log house close to the shop,
and a little patch of a field at first, but after awhile he git more
land, and then Miss Mary tell me and Vici we got to help in the field
too.

That sho' was hard living then! I have to git up at three o'clock
sometimes so I have time to water the hosses and slop the hogs and
feed the chickens and milk the cows, and then git back to the house
and git the breakfast. That was during the times when Miss Mary was
having and nursing her two children, and old Vici had to stay with her
all the time. Master Bill never did do none of that kind of work, but
he had to be in the shop sometimes until way late in the night, and
sometimes before daylight, to shoe peoples hosses and oxen and fix
wagons.

He never did tell me to do that work, but he never done it his own
self and I had to do it if anybody do it.

He was the slowest one white man I ever did see. He jest move 'round
like de dead lice falling off'n him all the time, and everytime he go
to say anything he talk so slow that when he say one word you could
walk from here to way over there before he say de next word. He don't
look sick, and h