the war!"

James had no fear of the Ku Klux.

"Right soon atter the war we saw plenty of Ku Kluxers but they never
bothered nobody on our plantation. They allus seemed to be havin' heaps
of fun. 'Course, they did have to straighten out some of them brash
young nigger bucks on some of the other farms round about. Mos' of the
niggers the Ku Kluxers got atter was'n on no farm, but was jus' roamin'
'round talkin' too much and makin' trouble. They had to take 'em in hand
two or three times befo' some of them fool free niggers could be larned
to behave theyselfs! But them Ku Kluxers kept on atter 'em twels't they
larned they jus got to be good effen they 'spects to stay round here.

"Hit was about 40 years atter the war befo' many niggers 'gun to own
they own lan'. They didn' know nothin' 'bout tendin' to money business
when the war done ended and it take 'em a long time to larn how to buy
and sell and take care of what they makes." James shook his head sadly.
"Ma'am, heaps of niggers ain't never larned nothin' 'bout them things
yit!

"A long time atter the war I married Lizy Yerby. I didn' give Liza no
chanc't for to dress up. Jus' went and tuk her right outer the white
folkses' kitchen and married her at the church in her workin' clothes.
We had 13 chilluns but they ain't but two of 'em livin' now. Mos' of our
chilluns died babies. Endurin' slavery Mistess tuk care of all the
nigger babies borned on our plantations and looked atter they mammies
too, but atter freedom come heap of nigger babies died out."

James said he had two wives, both widows.

"I married my second wife 37 years ago. To tell the troof, I don't
rightly know how many grandchilluns I got, kazen I ain't seed some of
'em for thirty years. My chilluns is off fum here and I wouldn' know to
save my life whar they is or what they does. My sister and brothers they
is done dead out what ain't gone off, I don't know for sho' whar none of
'em is now."

A sigh punctuated James' monologue, and his old face was shadowed by a
look of fear.

"Now I gwine tell you the troof. Now that it's all over I don't find
life so good in my old age, as it was in slavery time when I was chillun
down on Marster's plantation. Then I didn' have to worry 'bout whar my
clothes and my somepin' to eat was comin' from or whar I was gwine to
sleep. Marster tuk keer of all that. Now I ain't able for to wuk and
make a livin' and hit's sho' moughty hard on this old nigger."

ALEC