me out with money. But what in the world would
I want with money if I didn't use it? I can't take it with me when I die
and I could be gettin' the use of it now while I need it. I could have
what I want to eat, anyway. I'm gettin' a little pension, but it ain't
near enough to keep us. I've got these two grandchillen here, and things
is so high, too, so I don't have enough of anything without skimpin' all
the time.

420312

ELVIRA BOLES, 94, has outlived nine of her ten children. She lives
at 3109 Manzana St., El Paso, Texas, with her daughter, Minnie. She
was born a slave of the Levi Ray family near Lexington,
Mississippi, and was sold as a child to Elihn Boles, a neighboring
plantation owner. During the last year of the Civil War she was
brought to Texas, with other refugee slaves.

"I jus' 'member my first marster and missus, 'cause she don' want me
there. I'se a child of the marster. Dey didn' tell me how old I was when
dey sold me to Boles. My missus sold me to Boles. Dey tuk us to where
dere was a heap of white folks down by the court house and we'd be there
in lots and den de whites 'ud bid for us. I don' know how old I was, but
I washed dishes and den dey put me to work in de fields. We don' git a
nickel in slavery.

"Marster Boles didn' have many slaves on de farm, but lots in brickyard.
I toted brick back and put 'em down where dey had to be. Six bricks each
load all day. That's de reason I ain't no 'count, I'se worked to death.
I fired de furnace for three years. Stan'in' front wid hot fire on my
face. Hard work, but God was wid me. We'd work 'till dark, quit awhile
after sundown. Marster was good to slaves, didn' believe in jus' lashin'
'em. He'd not be brutal but he'd kill 'em dead right on the spot.
Overseers 'ud git after 'em and whop 'em down.

"I'se seventeen, maybe, when I married to slave of Boles. Married on
Saturday night. Dey give me a dress and dey had things to eat, let me
have something like what you call a party. We just had common clothes
on. And then I had to work every day. I'd leave my baby cryin' in de
yard and he'd be cryin', but I couldn' stay. Done everything but split
rails. I've cut timber and ploughed. Done everything a man could do. I
couldn' notice de time, but I'd be glad to git back to my baby.

"Log cabins had dirt floor, sometimes plankin' down. I worked late and
made pretty quilts. Sometimes dey'd let us have a party. Saturday
nigh