to the Capitol all dressed up in that cutaway
suit, I meets Mr. Templeton Houston and he recognises the suit and says.
'You sho' look fine in Mr. Tom's new suit,' 'bout that time Mr. Tom
walks up and, you know, he give me that suit and had him another one
made for the party! I wouldn't live where there wasn't no good white
folks.

420218

[Illustration: Steve Conally]

[Illustration: Steve Conally's House]

STEVE CONNALLY, 90, was born a slave of Tom Connally, grandfather
of United States Senator Tom Connally, from Texas. The family then
lived in Georgia, and Steve's master was a member of the Georgia
Legislature.

"I was born in Murray County, Georgia, and was a slave of Massa Tom
Connally, but they called him Massa "Cushi" Connally. He was a member of
de Georgia Legislature. I stayed with Missy Mary Connally till I was
sixty-seven and Massa Cushi died when I was sixty-nine.

"My mother, Mandy, weighed two hundred pounds and she was de Connally
cook. When I was born, she took de fever and couldn't raise me, so Missy
Mary took and kep' me in a li'l cot by her bed. After dat, I'm with her
nearly all de time and follows her. When she go to de garden I catches
her dresstail and when she go to de doctor, 'bout eighty miles away, I
goes with her.

"I mus' tell you why everybody call Massa Connally Cushi. Dere am allus
so many Tom Connallys in de fam'ly, dey have to have de nickname to tell
one from de other.

"Back dere in Georgia, us have lots and lots of fruit. Come time, de
women folks preserves and cans till it ain't no use. My mammy take de
prize any day with her jelly and sech, and her cakes jes' nachelly walk
off and leave de whole county. Missy Mary sho' de master hand hersef at
de fine bakin' and I'd slip round and be handy to lick out de pans.

"Dey didn't have no 'frigerators den, but dey built log houses without a
floor over de good, cold spring, and put flat rocks dere to keep de milk
and cream and butter cold. Or dey dig out de place so de crock be down
in de wet dirt. Dey sho' have to make de latch up high, so de bad
chillen couldn't open dat door!

"De plantation in Georgia was de whopper. I don't know 'zactly how many
acres, but it a big one. Us make everything and tan hides and make
shoes, jes' like all de big places did. De big house and de weavin'
house and de tannin' yard and de sugar mill and slave quarters made a
li'l town. Dere used to be some mighty big d