d
her husband, George, who works at the Holman Hotel.

Reclining comfortably in a cane-backed chair, with his walking stick
conveniently placed across his knees, Anderson was enjoying the shade of
a wide spread oak tree in the tidy yard. His costume consisted of a
battered old black felt hat, a dingy white shirt, dark gray pants, and
scuffed black shoes. Asked if he remembered the days when the North was
fighting the South for his freedom, Anderson replied: "'Member fightin'!
Why, Lady! Dey ain't never stopped fightin' yit. Folks has been
a-fightin' ever since I come in dis world, and dey will be fightin' long
atter I is gone.

"I dis'members what was de name of de town whar I was borned, but it was
in Hall County. Lydia and Earl Strickland was my Ma and Pa. All of deir
chillun is daid now 'cept me and Bob. De others was: Abe, Bill, Jim,
and Sarah. Dere ain't much to tell 'bout what us done dem days, 'cept
play and eat. Dem what was big 'nough had to wuk.

"Lordy, Miss! It's lak dis: I is a old Nigger, and I done been here for
many years, but dese last few years I sho' has been a sick man, and now
I can't git things straight in my mind lak dey was den. I knows us lived
in log houses what had great big chimblies made out of sticks and mud.
Why, dem fireplaces was 'bout eight feet wide, and you could put a whole
stick of cord wood on de fire. Us slept on high-up old timey beds what
had big posties and instead of springs, dey had stout cords wove 'cross
to hold de mattress. De last time I slept on one of dem sort of beds was
when I was a little boy, sleepin' wid my Ma. Pa and Ma was both field
hands. Ma's mammy was de onliest one of my grandmas I ever seed. Her
name was Ca'line and she lived wid Grandpa Abe on another plantation.
Ma's sister, my aunt Ca'line was cook up at our Old Marster's big house.

"Money? Yessum! Dey gimme a little money now and den for totin' water to
de field, sweepin' de yards, and a million other things dey used to make
me do. De most dey ever gimme was 50 cents. I never spent none of it,
but jus' turned it over to my Ma. Chillun warn't 'lowed to spend money
den lak dey does now, 'cause dey had evvything dey needed anyhow. Old
Marster, he give us plenty somepin t'eat, such as it was. Dere was lots
of cornbread, a little meat now and den, collards, whip-poor-will peas
and dem unknown peas what was most big as a dime, and black 'lasses--dat
was lallyho.

"Us cotch lots of 'possums, but mighty f