pplication to cotton picking, he
saved money enough to very nearly pay his medical account, and his
fare to Booker Washington's School at Tuskegee, Alabama.

The work of this pupil of Booker Washington,--carried on under
adverse circumstances,--is worthy of emulation. He has, and is
now, doing much good work for his race. He has won the confidence
and esteem of all the white and colored citizens of this section of
the country. He is a remarkable man, a great benefactor to his
race, and it affords me great pleasure to testify as to his history
and character. Mr. R. O. Simpson, on whose plantation he lived and
who aided him materially,--is one of the Trustees of his
Institute."

GEORGE W. KEYSER, M. D.

Richmond, Dallas County, Alabama.

CHAPTER 3.

A RAY OF LIGHT.

For three months after my first operation I could not walk. My aunt
would come from Snow Hill once a week to bring my rations and to see how
I was getting along. I always cried when she went home.

During my first month's stay on the doctor's place, "Aunt Lucy" George
with whom I lived, was at home most of the time, but when the cotton
season came on, she had to go to the doctor's field, which was a mile
away, to pick cotton. This left me alone for five days in the week.
"Aunt Lucy" would get up early and prepare her breakfast, take her lunch
to the field with her, and would not return until night. She would also
leave me something to eat, and I could crawl about the house and get
such other things as I needed.

The first few days that I was alone were the most miserable days of my
life. I tried to walk, but fainted once or twice at these attempts, so I
had to be contented with crawling. Soon, however, I began crawling about
the yard. I found several red ants' nests within about twenty or
twenty-five yards of the house, and soon made friends of the ants. I
would crawl from nest to nest and watch them do their work. I became so
interested in them that I would spend the whole day watching and
following them about the yard. I would be anxious for the nights to pass
that I might return to them the next day.

I found that the ants worked by classes. One class would bring out the
dirt, another would go out in search of food, another would take away
the dead, another would over look those that worked, and still another
class, though few in numbers, would come out and look around and t