X   XXX




CHARLEY WILLIAMS      OKLA. # 37
     IF I COULD SEE BETTER OUT OF MY OLD EYES, AND I HAD ME SOMETHING TO WORK WI
TH AND THE FEEBLENESS IN MY BACK AND HEAD WOULD LET ME ALONE, I WOULD HAVE ME
PLENTY TO EAT IN THE KITCHEN ALL THE TIME, AND PLENTY TOBACCO IN MY PIPE, TOO,
BLESS GOD]
     AND THERE WOULD NOT BE NO RAIN TRICKLING THROUGH THE HOLES IN THE ROOF, AND
 NO PLANKS ALL FELL OUT OF THE FLOOR ON THE GALLERY NEITHER, CAUSE THIS ONE OLD
NIGGER KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT MAKING ALL HE NEEDS TO GET ALONG]  OLD MASTER DONE
 SHOWED HIM HOW TO GET ALONG IN THIS WORLD, JUST AL LONG AS HE LIVED ON A PLANTA
TION, BUT LIVING IN THE TOWN IS A DIFFERENT WAY OF LIVING, AND ALL YOU GOT TO HA
VE IS A SILVER DIME TO LAY DOWN FOR EVERYTHING YOU WANT, AND I DONT GET THE DIME
 VERY OFTEN.
     BUT I AINT GIVE UP]  NOTHING LIKE THAT]  ON THE DAYS WHEN I DONT FEEL SO FE
EBLE AND TREMBLY I JUST KEEP PATCHING AROUND THE PLACE.  I GOT TO KEEP PATCHING
SO AS TO KEEP IT WHERE IT WILL HOLD THE WINTER OUT, IN CASE I GET TO SEE ANOTHER
 WINTER.
     IF I DONT, IT DONT GRIEVE ME NONE,CAUSE I WANTS TO SEE OLD MASTER AGAIN ANY
WAYS.  I RECKON MAYBE I WILL JUST GO UP AND ASK HIM WHAT HE WANTS ME TO DO, AND
IF I DONT KNOW HOW HE WILL SHOW ME HOW, AND I WILL TRY TO DO IT TO PLEASE HIM.
AND WHEN I GET IT DONE I WANT TO HEAR HIM GRUMBLE LIKE HE USED TO AND SAY, "CHAR
LEY, YOU AINT GOT NO SENSE BUT YOU IS A GOOD BOY.  THIS HERE AINT VERY GOOD BUT
IT WILL DO, I RECKON.  GET YOURSELF A LITTLE PIECE OF THAT BROWN SUGAR, BUT DONT
 LET NO NIGGERS SEE YOU EATING IT.  IF YOU DO I WILL WHIP YOUR BLACK BEHIND.
     THAT AINT THE WAY IT IS GOING TO BE IN HEAVEN, I RECKON, BUT I CANT SIT HER
E ON THIS OLD ROTTEN GALLERY AND THINK OF NO WAY I BETTER LIKE TO HAVE IT]
     I WAS A GREAT BIG HULKING BUCK OF A BOY WHEN THE WAR CAME ALONG AND BUST UP
 EVERYTHING, AND I CAN REMEMBER BACK WHEN EVERYBODY WAS LIVING PEACEFUL AND HAPP
Y, AND NOBODY NEVER HAD NO NOTION ABOUT NO WAR.
     I WAS BORNED ON THE ELEVENTH OF JANUARY IN 1843, AND WAS OLD ENOUGH TO VOTE
 WHEN I GOT MY FREEDOM, BUT I DIDNT TAKE NO STOCK IN ALL THAT POLITICS AND GOING
S ON AT THAT TIME, AND I DIDNT VOTE TILL A LONG TIME AFTER OLD MASTER PASSED AWA
Y, BUT I WAS BIG ENOUGH BEFORE THE WAR TO REMEMBER PRETTY PLAIN.
     OLD-MASTER WAS-JOqN WrLLIjMS, jND-OLD MISTRESS NAME WAS-MISS BETTY, AND \HE
 WAS A CAMPBELL BEFORE SHE MARRIED.  YOUNG MISSEY WAS NAMED BETTY AFTER HER MAMM
Y, AND YOUNG MASTER WAS NAMED FRANK, BUT I DONT REMEMBER WHO AFTER.  OUR OVERSEE
R WAS MISTER SIMMONS, AND HE WAS MIGHTY SMART AND HAD A LOT OF PATIENCE, BUT HE
WOULD NOT TAKE NO TALK NOR FOOLISHNESS.  HE DIDNT WHIP NOBODY VERY OFTEN, BUT HE
 ONLY HAD TO WHIP THEM JUST ONE TIME]  HE NEVER DID WHIP A NIGGER AT THE TIME
THE NIGGER DONE SOMETHING, BUT HE WOULD WAIT TILL EVENING AND HAVE OLD MASTER CO
ME AND WATCH HIM DO IT.  HE NEVER WHIPPED VERY HARD EXCEPT WHEN HE HAD TOLD A NI
GGER ABOUT SOMETHING AND PROMISED A WHIPPING THE NEXT TIME AND THE NIGGER DONE I
T AGAIN.  THEN THAT NIGGER GOT WHAT HE HAD BEEN HEARING ABOUT]
     THE PLANTATION WAS ABOUT AS BIG AS ANY.  I THINK IT HAD ABOUT THREE HUNDRED
 ACRE, AND IT WAS ABOUT TWO MILES NORTHWEST OF MONROE, LOUISIANA.  THEN HE HAD A
NOTHER ONE NOT SO BIG, TWO, THREE MILES NORTH OF THE BIG ONE, KIND OF DOWN IN TH
E WOODSY PART ALONG THE WHITE RIVER BOTTOMS.  HE HAD ANOTHER OVERSEER ON THAT PL
ACE AND A BIG PASSEL OF NIGGERS, BUT I NEVER DID GO DOWN TO THAT ONE.  THAT WAS
WHERE HE RAISED MOST OF HIS CORN AND SHOATS, AND LOTS OF SORGHUM CANE.
     OUR PLANTATION WAS UP ON HIGHER GROUND, AND IT WAS MORE OPEN COUNTRY, BUT
STILL THERE WAS LOTS OF WOODS ALL AROUND AND LOTS OF THE PLANTATION HAD BEEN WHA
CKED RIGHT OUT OF THE NEW GROUND AND WAS FULL OF STUMPS.  MASTERS PLACE WAS MORE
 OPEN, THOUGH, AND ALL IN THE FIELDS WAS pOOD-P OWr !.
     THE BIG ROAD RAN RIGHT THROUGH OUR PLANTATION, AND IT lOME oROM SqREVnPORT
AND RUN INTO MONROE.  THERE WAS NOT ANY TOWN AT MONROE IN THEM DAYS, JUST A LITT
LE CROSS ROADS PLACE WITH A GENERAL STORE AND A BIG HIDE HOUSE.  I THINK THERE W
AS BAOUT TWO BIG HIDE HOUSES, AND YOU COULD SMELL THAT PLACE A MILE BEFORE YOU G
OT TO TI.  OLD MASTER HAD A PART IN THE STORE, I THINK.
     THE HIDE qOUSES WAS-JUST-LONG SHEDS, jLL-OPnN jLONG cHE2bID S&jnD&lOenrEDO
VER WITH CYPRESS CLAPBOARDS.
     DOWN BELOW THE HIDE HOUSES AND THE StORE WAS-J ST&ALITTLE SETTLEMENT OF ON
E OR TWO HOUSES, BUT THERE WAS A SCHOOL FOR WHITE BOYS.  SOMEBODY SAID THERE WAS
 A PLACE WHERE THEY HAD BEEN AN OLD FORT, BUT I NEVER DID SEE IT.
     EVnRYTHrNG kOUGHT WE pOT FROM SHREVnPORT, jND WASBkROdGHT&rNBBY ScAGE jND T
HE FREIGHTERS, AND THAT WAS ONLY A LITTLE COFFEE OR GUNPOWDER, OR SOME NEEDLES F
OR THE SEWING, OR SOME SCRAP IRON FOR THE BLACKSMITH, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.  W
E MADE AND RAISED EVERYTHING ELSE WE NEEDED RIGHT ON THE PLACE.
     I NEVER DID EVEN SEE ANY QUININE TILL AFTER I WAS FREE.  MY-MjMMY-KNOWED-JU
ST WHAT ROOT TO GO OUT AND PULL TO KNOCK THE CHILLS RIGHT OUT OF ME.  AND THE BE
LLYACHE AND THE RUNNING OFF THE SAME WAY, TOO.
     OUR PLANTATION WAS A LOT DIFFERENT FROM SOME I SEEN OTHER PLACES, LIKE WAY
EAST OF THERE, AROUND VICKSBURG.  SOME OF THEM WAS FIXED UP FANCIER BUT THEY DID
 NOT HAVE NO MORE COMFORTS THAN WE HAD.
     OLD MASTER COME INTO THAT COUNTRY WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG MAN, AND THEY DIDNT H
AVE EVEN SO MUCH THEN AS THEY HAD WHEN I WAS A BOY.  I THINK HE CAME FROM ALABAM
A OR TENNESSEE, AND WAY BACK HIS PEOPLE HAD COME FROM VIRGINIA, OR MAYBE NORTH C
AROLINA, CAUSE HE KNEW ALL ABOUT TOBACCO ON THE PLACE.  COTTON AND TOBACCO WAS T
HE LONG CROPS ON HIS BIG PLACE, AND OF COURSE LOTS OF HORSES AND CATTLE AND MUL