ll these long years. For a bite to eat and a sleep-under cover.

I reckon pretty soon she's going to tell where to dig. When she does,
then old Uncle John won't have to dig for the eats no more!

[Illustration: Charley Williams and Granddaughter]

Oklahoma Writers' Project
Ex-Slaves
[HW: (photo)]
[Date stamp: AUG 16 1937]

CHARLEY WILLIAMS
Age 94 yrs.
Tulsa, Okla.

Iffen I could see better out'n my old eyes, and I had me something to
work with and de feebleness in my back and head would let me 'lone, I
would have me plenty to eat in de kitchen all de time, and plenty
tobaccy in my pipe, too, bless God!

And dey wouldn't be no rain trickling through de holes in de roof, and
no planks all fell out'n de flo' on de gallery neither, 'cause dis one
old nigger knows everything about making all he need to git along! Old
Master done showed him how to git along in dis world, jest as long as
he live on a plantation, but living in de town is a different way of
living, and all you got to have is a silver dime to lay down for
everything you want, and I don't git de dime very often.

But I aint give up! Nothing like dat! On de days when I don't feel so
feeble and trembly I jest keep patching 'round de place. I got to keep
patching so as to keep it whar it will hold de winter out, in case I
git to see another winter.

Iffen I don't, it don't grieve me none, 'cause I wants to see old
Master again anyways. I reckon maybe I'll jest go up an ask him what
he want me to do, and he'll tell me, and iffen I don't know how he'll
show me how, and I'll try to do it to please him. And when I git it
done I wants to hear him grumble like he used to and say, "Charley,
you ain't got no sense but you is a good boy. Dis here ain't very good
but it'll do, I reckon. Git yourself a little piece o' dat brown
sugar, but don't let no niggers see you eating it--if you do I'll whup
your black behind!"

Dat ain't de way it going be in Heaven, I reckon, but I can't set here
on dis old rottendy gallery and think of no way I better like to have
it!

I was a great big hulking buck of a boy when de War come along and
bust up everything, and I can 'member back when everybody was living
peaceful and happy, and nobody never had no notion about no war.

I was borned on the 'leventh of January, in 1843, and was old enough
to vote when I got my freedom, but I didn't take no stock in all dat
politics and goings on at dat time, and I didn't vote till