as go'n pass Town Creek on de
way to Sparta, and on from Sparta to Warrenton, and from Warrenton to
Augusta. I lost record after dat. Some said it was go'n be 15,000
soldiers passing th'ough. We all wanted to see them. I axed old Miss to
lemme go to Sand Town to see 'em. She lemme go. Hit was a crowd of us
went in a big wagon. We did see 'bout 5,000 soldiers. I was 'bout 8 or 9
years old. I 'members jes' as well how dey looked--some of 'em had
canteens. Dey was tryin' to git back home. Dey seemed all bewildered
like. I had alluz been skeered o' soldiers, but after I seen dem I
warn't skeered no mo'.

"I had alluz wanted to own a little piece of land, and have me a one
room hut like other niggers had. After I started to cookin' for de white
folks at de Central depot, I 'cided I'd buy me a home. So I got my eyes
on a piece of property I wanted and I started to 'vestigatin' it. It
seemed like a heap o' money and me making sech a li'l' bit. I found out
Mrs. Ann duBignon owned de square I wanted, so I went to see her son, de
lawyer. He say, 'Snovey, you can't buy dat lot. You ain't got a chance
in de world to pay for it.'

"I warn't satisfied wid dat, so I walked out to where old Miss Ann lived
at Scottsboro, and I talked to her. She say she was anxious to git a
buyer, but she didn't want to worry wid small payments on it, and if I
could finance it, she'd sell. Well, I studied and studied, and I
figgered and figgered, and my little wages for a whole year, even if I
didn't spend a penny for nuttin', was mighty little. So I went down to
see Mr. Samuel Walker. He owned jes' 'bout all de land in Baldwin County
what he had got by loans to people dat give de land as security and
never could pay off. So we talked things over, and he let me have de
money to pay Miss for de square. Mind you dis here was all jes' a field
and woods den. Look at it now!" She proudly pointed out the modern homes
and streets.

"At de end of dat fus' year, here come Mr. Walker. 'Well, Snovey, how
you gittin' 'long?' he say.

"'I'se gittin' 'long fine Mr. Walker.'

"'Well, what you go'n' do 'bout dis land?'

"I was ready for him. He thought he was go'n' come down and take de
land, 'cause he knowed I didn't have de money to pay off. But I was
waitin' fer him.

"'I'se ready, Mr. Walker, to settle up.' Was he surprised! He sho' was
disappointed. Lot o' folks has wanted my property. Finally Judge Allen
persuaded me to sell him enough to build his home.