748
he got a percentage out of taxes
that's where he got his pay
I didn't tell this man I owed you o-
ten dollars
when he didn't owe but five
take five puts it in my pocket
he gets those together
{NW}
he had nothing there
{X}
and he always say
if I've done anything now wrong
I'm gonna give a stone back to you
{NS}
{X}
said he was a nice man
{NS}
you know a lot of folks cheap now you know that
place above
short weight measure
a lotta folks
you know uh
try to
they couldn't lend you out a bushel come on
uh
they won't
they they won't feel their best if they go
{NW}
my bible say shake it down shake it down
let it lie low.
see?
that what my bible says
{NW}
and uh
another thing
they wouldn't do
they go into
{NW}
You have so
you have so much to know about what bought your Boppy's land
{D: man is selling pieces}
{NW}
don't have that many gonna say one
{X}
don't have any
any orders
field be seventy
seventy yards wide
don't have a man to go out there in severe though
uh
sixty people I
but maybe it's seventy
no I kinda like it older
so there's a whole lot I'm telling you the truth when you
look at things and
think about things
well
we got a whole lot to think about
Well
{NW}
just just better if you just
lover boy
I'm a man and you's a man
{NW}
and uh
maybe I have some
maybe coming on
Well I'll tell ya about different types of people
{NW}
Where'd that come from?
that come from uh
when Noah
let's see
{NW}
after the flood
and uh
let me see now I get that right now
{NS}
well anyhow I-
the people
at one time
they wanted to make them a god
now now I get I that that part I get that part from?
another god not the living god. Make them a god
Only god. Make them a god to suit themselves
and they
{NW}
built and built and built next they want to build him a
a temple or a monument to him
and uh
God tore all that stuff down
and here's what
here here here here's what
oh here's what what here here's what
made 'em
couldn't have
if if
if he just or
{NW}
they couldn't understand
{NS}
if if the man said bring me some water
{NS}
he'd bring him something else.
He he couldn't understand
{NW}
bring me some
bring me some
some bricks
he'd bring him something different then
see that that that that
change the language right there
change the language right there
change the language
poor people to talk different
different languages
{NS}
took a whole lot
{X}
Uh
{NS}
about that
about creation about the old mind and about the world
everything
{X}
What's that?
Oh I'm a Baptist.
Missionary Baptist
{NW}
{NS}
When I joined the church yes
I joined the church when I was about
well let's see how young
I was about eighteen years old
when I joined church
No sir I'm not a preacher
I've had a lotta folks who
I've had some few folk now who thought I was a preacher but I'm not a preacher.
Fact I ain't got an education
{NW}
I'm less than what you call a s-
a full
twelve room
third grade
fourth grade student in school
{NS}
I tell in my church all the time
I've told 'em that
told them we got some smart alecks you know
smart alecks
you know cause they
supposed to been to school
like that in all like that
course you ain't got to thinking you ain't got no sense
but listen
{NS}
I told that um
if one thing my God has blessed me with
I got no education but he blessed me with this much
he give me enough knowledge to
to know how to read enough
{NW}
that I can read anything printed in English
Now we've had some nice smart people in our church up there
I've served in my church up there years and years
I've got-
{NW}
Uh I've got a history
{X}
of it right now
{NW}
it's suiting to allow Sunday school.
that's truth
{NS}
suits and a Bible Sunday school
I'm not perfect.
I'll do a lot a things wrong
{NW}
but listen it
uh
I told them up there one time I was on the phone
{NW}
uh
about uh
I do a lot a things wrong but I says
that fine with me
God's made
{X}
with blood
I say I got a tree a builds-
I got a tree a beat out there
{NW}
something I do wrong
yeah why sh- do wrong
{NS}
That fountain that come on
he said it can give you anything except sin against the holy ghost
everything except sin against the holy ghost
{NS}
Do wrong confess it
confess it to him
if you do wrong do your
your future brother-in-law
Confess it him I treat you wrong sir
{NW}
Well my early days at school I'll just tell ya
{NW}
{NS}
Hmm
one of the first day I
first time I went to school
little big ol' kid of about six years
start six years old
Well
in first grade
First grade
Yeah primer.
and uh
{NS: bells ringing}
{NW}
one thing about it
I I was staring up at a little fellow and and
and wanted to pee and peed all over the
pee peed all over there
{NW}
{NW}
I'll tell ya another thing. My schooling
{NW}
I remember five years that I got to go to school five days
I went four day one a them years
them one
{X}
well here's the reason why
{NW}
My father was a poor sickly man.
He had asthma and sometimes
Uh
you could hear that old man
get his breath oiled out
couldn't lay down
just
he's had to sit up
care how cold it was or how hot
{X}
And the only thing that
he ever did get for that
{X}
What's that?
No he couldn't sleep
nothing all of that
The only help he could get to that asthma
{NW}
that's what he used to do
was a little bit of dry powder
poured out over the head
and sitting the
{X}
{NW}
and inhale that
got over
but anyhow
it makes a long story short
Now he wasn't down all the time
but I had to work
when I got up
big enough to learn how to plow
got a horse up and down the road and plow and all like that and
{NW}
take a hole and cut the grass out there
{NS}
move the cart and the corn and stuff like that
I had to work and then listen
{NS}
Oh
we worked on share
and when we laid the crop by
in a year
times are hard
my daddy would help me out.
see
need a little money to live on
I couldn't even get to school
{X}
I didn't get to go to school
{NW}
I stayed with the old man no I didn't pr
I didn't run off and leave him
I stayed back there and he said
{NW}
He he he told me man
{NW}
I tell you son you can go
how come he told me?
I
wasn't mean now to him because now
{NS}
Uh
as his second
he had his third wife
and she was
you know poor thing
Both died.
My mother died
and he married another woman
and uh
now the next one he married they separated
the second one
{NW}
{NS}
and then the third woman
and they didn't have no
he didn't have no children by his uh
second wife.
{NW}
But the third wife
they had a bunch of children
little
great big bunch a little children you know and I then
and I had to work over there
that's how I went to get my education
{NS}
Oh
he had about
eh about
oh lord I'm a tell you the truth
{NW}
Um
let me see Tom
{NW}
Eddie
and uh
{X}
Mary
Willy
and let me see
Anyhow I I know there's there's several more
{X}
{NS}
what's that?
No I mean they couldn't have anyone named Martha
I have a sister named Mary but not Martha
{NS}
Got a half sister named Mary
She's a half-sister
I never did have but one whole sister
What's that?
Well I never have heard the
{X}
the definition
you won't hear me trying to tell you something
uh
Heard of a girl's name
begin with H?
Well sure
I got a
I got a niece now
lives
in California
name's
her name's Haley
{X}
And then I know plenty other folks
names that start with H got a got a got a got a got a got a got a got a
half
{NS}
Got a cousin right down the street sure his name start with Henry
his name his his name Henry.
his name started with H
Got this girl Haley was talking about my
my brother-in-law
that oh
his name starts with Haley
Al is his name you see?
Well
What?
Well I've heard of I know people named Nel-
{D: Naday}
and all like that
an older white friend a mine
her name is Nelly
Nelly Good
Do not say white men
some some folks may not
{NW}
at least some I know some colored folk would
may not like the way you say it but I say it well I I say we're good friends
{D: among white folk now cause}
{NW}
Lemme tell you another thing friendship
ain't just for the now
friendship is what you do
That's right
a friendship a friendship a friend
if he see you in need
help regardless of race creed or color
He comes to
{NS}
he come until he help you
just like a
{NW}
I was down at Kroger store one day
{NW}
and I stepped over that step and down I went
couple of white boys
{D: damn it}
{NW}
white boy
I didn't know them they didn't know
if that boy hadn't have helped me up there
I know I'd have
{NW}
see
humanity
reach out for humanity
didn't do like him
like that old priest
Not what we'd write down
When they saw that
poor republican
{D: thou commit sin done wrong}
Priests now
{X}
{NW}
Oh my goodness they religious folk
he saw him didn't do a thing about it
{NW}
another lesson
officer and the
and the church
{X}
He saw him didn't do a thing for him
But listen
{NS}
{NW}
I can't come up with the name
{X}
{NW}
yeah there god samaritan
yeah when he passed by
listen
when he'd look
{X}
he went and done something wrong.
see
I had a friend
I had a friend.
{X}
{NS}
right up on that road there
he had a wreck.
I mean
that road out there
uh Ivory circle
they had a wreck
right up that road there
and I goes up there one time
{NS}
well
down here just about where where you go turning off coming into my house
well
What's that?
My home you mean?
Well uh
the east
I don't know what you call it road or
east
Well we call that a side road
Well anyhow
there's a bunch around him people of course they
of course they was white folks of course
um
just a bunch around.
helping helping.
I goes on up to see
who
who was in the other car I didn't know who was in the other car
I goes on up there I see
{NW}
and I got up there and there was a negro man
laying down didn't know he was in the world
and a white man
listen
a white man and then he tells us looking
nice looking white man w-
he's down on him
{NW}
you see humanity
but reach out for him now.
Regularly he said to me
He says well listen
he says I got him
to now
he says you hold your hand here just a few minutes
he'll be all right
I'll go around here and see if I can help some other folks
see
that's what you call a friend.
there you treat the whole lot of people
{NS}
So I won't have time to talk much more now
cuz I've got some other things I wanna get done.
I've got to go to
{D: ducktown}
I'm about to get my
{X}
But I'm glad to talk with you
{NW}
Well lemme see now. Tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow.
let me see
Tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow.
{NS}
I'm a have to keep myself together now
see what
what's gonna be done whether
I could
tomorrow here sometime but I don't know
I got a sister coming sometime tomorrow but I don't know what time she coming
She coming from California.
Coming from California.
Well
it'll be
it'll be
I'll tell ya they have to be around say around 4 o'clock
Because tell you why
my my appointment
with the doctor is two thirty
{NS}
well
{X}
{NS}
my doctor don't do it like some doctor used to do
now back one
{NW}
{NS}
who taking a
{X}?
{NS}
now that's true
my doctor wanted to do that
{NS}
lemme tell ya one thing about me
{NW}
I was up there in the doctor's office one day
I didn't have one didn't go on no appointment you know.
I just went up there to see him
He just told me to come back in about two weeks or something like that.
{NS}
well I didn't have no hour appointment or something like that.
Well
when I walked in I was sitting down and there was a colored man
she had had a
place for the colored and a place for the white.
I was there in the colored room.
The colored man was sitting there and oh my lord that man he
just sitting up there talking and he said something said
{X}
wait on the
wait on the
wait on the niggers just took on the white folk.
after a while that man was
{X}
You know what I said to that man?
here's what I said to him
I said listen
mister
I didn't know his name
{NW}
I said there's one thing I want you to remember
{NW}
that we poor colored folk don't even have a colored doctor in Union County
That's what I tell him
A long way we got to go.
a long way we got to go
we don't have a colored doctor in union county
now that {X}
he listened there and he hushed too
and here goes his brother then now listen
plenty white folks sitting there they they rather come walking out
{NW}
he there talking up about
this nigger {X} Satan Satan Satan
there his brother comes walking
{NW}
I wonder if that nigger think about that after he left after what I told him
but I stopped him
and I told I said we don't have a colored doctor
we used to have them
we don't have any a colored doctor in Union County.
not El Dorado I'm talking about
Union County
hmm?
wha- who who my doctor
my doctor you know
uh
Well I'll tell ya about my doctor
{X}
the more I go there
he's just said well
{NW}
I'll see ya in
said don't don't go
{X}
he said I'll see you
see you in
in a month
I just to the
to the
to the desk
and I tell the lady there
and she's a
clerical
I'd say
{X}
Yeah secretary but anyhow
well I'd say a secretary
could call a sec- anything
tell you what
{NW}
and she said
I said well
doctor
well I'd come the end of the month
and she'd look over her books
But uh
listen boys see
B-T
What about such and such day?
I said well that'll be alright.
Such and such hour?
That'll be alright.
She'd throw the card and all I gotta do when I go in is stick the card in there
Now some people go to a doctor now that's another different thing
some folks don't think about
some people
you go to a doctor and ain't got no appointment
and folks without appointments they won't
they not going to take you without no appointments
you know that?
{NW}
you know what that back in there is?
{NW}
I be
a spirit
hanger spirits we call 'em
What is that?
{X}
Yeah
come here I got to go back there.
You're going to kill him now
the smoke
my goodness oh Lord
I had to hold the doors and the windows
and let it out
and uh
I have some ribs cooking
{NS}
{D: they done burned black}
{D: done burned white with burnt on black}
and um
and that
{X}
what did you think?
that too
Well uh
I come
{X}
and I'm glad I did
after I found out
better late
one story I know is
he's got a
some neat little cooking thing you can carry around
but you have to use coal
see?
and now they got some electric ones now
uh
them the same one I got sitting right there on the table right back there
I can put a chicken note right up there on the board.
put them by a cup a water
{NS}
couple of couple cups of water
and uh
{X}
you see
{X}
they don't live here.
come back
Well I'm gonna get on
look right there
bit of that little water still in there
{NW}
boy little ol' thing back here right now.
I don't blame it on him now
I bought me one a them things
{NW}
yeah
but I didn't yeah
what I had to cook on then I didn't have in that thing
but having
um
uh you have and said somewhere there's a smell
and I went back there and that
the water just
just just just cooked off
{NS}
we didn't have that in the cooker
{NS}
Well I'll tell ya
{NS}
We had a
had a cloth they call homespun.
homespun cloth
and uh
they made shirts folks made shirts.
Women made shirts out of that cloth.
women made dresses out of that cloth you see
need different colors
and uh
say uh
they had a stuff they'd call bleaching
and they had another cloth they call domestic
that was white and
that's uh uh
bleaching uh uh your white
cloth.
buy bulks of that see
you could make uh
under cloth things like that
As a kind of
a pattern or a
what do you call that a kind of a
some
uh
I don't know what you call that
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well
you get a
bar a soap now
you could if you mean get the bar of soap or just
through the mail
out the mail
If I could get a bar of soap
{D: for fifteen cents}
Yeah.
I've had
I've had soaps and I've had uh
just uh voluntarily sent to me.
and I've had uh
Yeah well free gift
in other words its an advertisement
{NW}
you can get another {X}
buy
buy something
go buying
uh uh uh a sample they want you to
I call it a sample
a sample you prove it out yourself.
Send me a bar of soap
You take that soap and you you
that soap is good
{NW}
you know that's good there that's
good soap
well
uh
thing about that you know then
uh
I'm gonna buy me some that then
oh just kind of funky you know I'd say
{NW}
Well my wife
got to her
{X}
made me get a
{NW}
and I saw an advertisement
didn't get a sample now
but I saw an advertisement in the paper to get
this here um
uh
It ain't it ain't
{X}
think it's called it but there's uh
you know I got some of the soap in there and I can't call the name
and I bought her some of that soap
and I be washing with that soap you know smell that?
take all that scent
just keep it all you have to do is just keep cleaning with soap.
see
Like uh
{NW}
{NW}
like way back yonder when folk didn't have any washtub didn't know
didn't I mean
that like these bathtubs
now a whole lotta them got it now but
{NW}
didn't have them things to get of
uh
some of 'em just
take a pan and water yourself
some of 'em take a little foot tub
or a little little something like a tub
little tub you know
Well some of 'em get out
and some of them uh
kind of like a washtub
but uh
uh
you can't reach
well they had to get one little rag you know
use this one
rag on uh uh this one rag on it
and so
{NW}
I walked in one day my wife was taking a bath like that
and there's places she couldn't reach there she couldn't reach 'em
she couldn't reach 'em the back
I don't know
{NW}
That's just what I'm saying now
whole lotta ways to kill a cat besides choking them to death on butter.
{NW}
now that's just an old saying
{NW}
{NW}
apron.
she should have that apron
tie that apron around
on you
she can
well I don't want to get that
nothing on that
on the dress you know
and my my
{NW}
my my nice dress maybe they come to church
maybe sometime don't wanna
go and put on their everyday clothes.
nothing like that maybe they ain't got time.
{NW}
Just get an apron and put it on you see.
Tie it around.
And that
keeps all the stuff off
{NS}
b-better
prettier
Well that's what you
yeah.
{X}
You see that all the time
some look better
Well a man we wear I'll tell ya what we wear.
We usually wear coats
and pants
shirt tie.
Things like that I'm not talking about your underwear.
Well folks used to have vests
I tell you what you know
folk gotta sharp way of uh
they make you buy things you know
course people
{D: and of course want you know be stylish}
{X}
{NS}
I can remember way back yonder
{NS}
that they made a
They made a thing that you put over
over your neck
around that way and put it down the {X}
put your coat on and then you look alright
Yeah I've seen that
{NW}
men go used to buy suits
long time ago with a vest
{D: but not up here {X}}
{NW}
Well
the folk go a way a knowing wanna make you buy things
then they quit making vests.
{NW}
Well
folk buy them a suit without a vest because they keep saying no.
Now they done gone back to making vests
{NW}
you see that don't you?
{NW}
I went to a store there not too long ago.
no I went to the store not long ago
{NS}
and I just happened to have a vest that you could buy
you could buy you a vest
course it may
it won't be made it may not be the color of your suit
but you can buy you a vest of any kind
the man told me uh
{X}
{B}
said we just sold there one of
{X}
{NS}
{NW}
B-W
{B}
man had a
good old man to me
Oh me me me
{NS}
and that man was a man to me
and he had a son
I went to the funeral.
there's some
colored folks don't do much about going to white funeral
white folks don't do much about going to colored
but then some do
he had a son pass young uh
I thought it was this year
yeah
must have had
{X}
I was there too
and when I went there you heard that
have you seen that paper where
where that nigger want to do?
uh uh
uh
{NW}
uh
{D: part of them}
called the church didn't you
{NW}
{NW}
No but
You know the man?
the one that do that?
Well.
he was just wanna
{X}
Well
It's like this
Uh
If he and I were standing in line.
Well I don't talk to him
won't let him come inside
Well he want to come in and tell him
act like he's taking over
well
uh
I mentioned to these folks I said well I
would like to be to the funeral
and here's what they told me
they said man come on
we'll see that you're taken care of
{NS}
They didn't send me way up down the back nowhere
{NW}
immersion
{X}
{NW}
uh
first baptist church there on the main street in El Dorado
they rushing when they seen me coming
they come and get
I came all but come and get the old man.
help me on up the steps
{NW}
skirted on down the aisle.
skirt this old black nigger on down the aisle!
then listen
{NW}
down there
well I'm not gonna sit
say I sat on a reserved seat
I wouldn't say that
going to tell you a reason why.
{NW}
but the next seat ahead of me I was reserved but I had a white friend
you see sitting
on the seat
that was was was behind me
{NW}
{D: and then the rest of pass him}
we went to pass him
he just
said man here
uh boy sit down here
and I sit down there with him see.
{NW}
well I got ready to come out of the church
them ushers
took the old man
{D: on and out}
{D: and on and out}
on down and out
can you make it now? Yeah.
{NW}
aw
lemme tell you this another thing
When my wife died.
Lord have mercy
whites men that know me.
{NS}
come to
compliment me
They done it.
They done it.
They done it.
white folks was at that funeral that day.
boy I have a cold alright.
they're a delight
get along with them
get along with them.
{X}
little old something you see
see sticking up right over there under that picture?
I went to
a Myrtle Grove I
worked at Myrtle Grove for years as a janitor.
Myrtle Grove was a school you know.
and it's up here all through
west or north
{X}
but anyhow.
uh
they wanted to have a reunion
at school.
and they said man
we want you to be there.
said we'll see to it that you get there and see that you get back.
I went.
and I the only black bird in the bunch
but let me tell you the truth I never enjoyed a
a social in the all the days of my life than I did that day.
{NS}
Why?
Because so many of them folks
friends now.
{X}
Now listen.
Some of them pats do it just cause
it's there's somebody up there.
You know that?
{NW}
but some are being honest.
some are sincere but
some of them folk come up and
shake hand man because
somebody had done it here.
To that
you shouldn't here out in this country
a white man shook the hand
shook the hand of a nigger know what you do?
look around see
{X}
the other white people
them white folks
shook hands with a nigger
{NS}
White folks will be treating you whether or not you you's the man
if you's a woman
if she's a woman
it'll prove it
they meet you anywhere
The crowd don't get so big.
Nothing
My goodness alive
{NW}
See?
{NW}
Well I'll tell ya about that
Well lemme tell you the truth about me
If I want to go to a wedding and I had to go through all that
I just wouldn't go
I'm a just tell you the truth I wouldn't go
I ain't going nowhere
{X}
If I can't dress up in nice old
clean clothes well
{NW}
Well maybe he was going to buy me some pants
he get me some new pants
{X}
{X}
coat you know but but at the same time them pants
or we'd be needing pants.
Well on the farm
well
children would need
need pants
some of 'em
little kids
then got to look
{NW}
and sometimes was
was when it had no long long shirt
Shirt tail
{NW}
that's right
Well a man uh
neck tie sometimes
Oh
around the farm
uh he just
a man he'd wear
a
say a shirt and pants
{NS}
and and then a morning shirt.
you know that's what they wear.
They wear pants shirt and pants but they not
it's not I mean one more time
came fine cold weather
might wear a coat
pants and something like that.
wear coveralls
yeah coveralls
Yeah.
Well now listen
Coverall
I never seen coverall until
several years ago but
and uh plus you wanted to have
something they made
overalls
Them overalls have a long
{X}
{NW}
Just like them pants you got on there now they got a long
something like that need a
{X}
or whatever
{D: you have it rolled up now}
yeah I just call them
Yeah britches britches yeah
but
when they made when they made old old
{X}
men wore
{X}
{NW}
Why they there you seen men wear overall and I said well
uh
as I said they got
on up there and maybe got some pockets up there and they got
Yeah b-
buckles
you know the pants
taking it back out.
Well
shirt's got buttons on it
buttons
{X}
a new one
a a new buy another yeah buy a suit
{NW}
well just say a new suit of clothes
a new suit of clothes
just like these pants wore out
I had to
buy me another pair of pants.
Well now I'll tell you about that
I got a bunch a stuff sent to me from California
a man had a l
had
had a
showed him he he had to lose a lot of weight
see?
tell him to lose a lot of weight
and uh
he he didn't want to
throw 'em away and he
he sent them to me.
Course he had to
go to wearing
smaller clothes
like that old foot there I used to wear
I used to wear uh
number tens.
Whole time my number.
well
my toes got bigger now I wear elevens
I think well
he just had to buy some that fit him
I mean by gosh
{X}
it's like if I
if I buy a belt.
and uh
in other words
Well
well uh
some of 'em just says leather belt so uh
leather belt
Oh well yeah
talking about yeah leather
well if it was guaranteed to be leather it ought to be leather
if it's
nothing not don't put no guarantee on it
what
{X}
{NW}
I I've got a belt
{X}
well his clothes fit him they're just too
in other words too big
they don't
{X}
They fit him
or they lost weight
just like another thing
if you gain weight
sometime you wear sometime
when I wear clothes this fits this time
and about what picking up weight
getting too tight I'm a have to get something bigger.
I'll start to get something bigger that's all
{NS}
all there is to it.
well according to
{X}
make 'em bulge out
{X}
draw up
well I'll tell you cotton don't wad up
it's wool will.
yeah wool will cotton won't do that
yes cotton you can put that in water it ain't going to draw up.
no
here here here you go
see see there's a certain way you gotta wash wool.
Don't you
don't you.
You'll make it go way little
you can't wash it the same
you can't just take wool and just
and put it in the pot and boil boil it.
You can't take wool clothes through that.
It'll swell up or or or stretch out.
lose its shape.
{NW}
you try to do it that way.
No I said
no I I would again
I said the thing that goes keep them together
one thing would be all the church
revival
first of all first find an organist
next thing is bring the folks together
with dances
next thing was
school children programs.
well just say it's going school employees they have a program out to him in school
when the
school closed you know
have a program there
and um
folk singing and
children having
{D: speeches and speeches} one thing or another like that.
{NW}
and uh
that's one thing little like that.
Well I'll tell you about that
I told you I never go dancing
I know
{X}
I never been to moon land or anything in my life
I didn't go dancing I don't know about that
but in church
well sometime they wanna go to
church and wanna put on their best clothes
getting ready and all
looking around
them other
{NS}
Uh
brushing them up
see if it's clean
and uh
and pressing if they need pressing
things like that
Well they getting ready for that
Yeah yeah that's right standing forward looking in the glass
you know combing their hair.
and a
{D: brush through the room when running all looking back to see how they look.}
sometime
put on their dress and turn around look in the glass.
look around see if its see
see if it's fitting all right in the back
what's that?
Well after she get all dressed up
sometime she say well I'm ready to go now.
Well a man tell you what a man would do.
He's going out.
He's gonna go out
take his bath
shave
get him up some clean clothes
put them on
he's ready to go
Yeah I like to do that when I'm
getting ready to go places.
I went
I went to the doctor yesterday and
I went to church Sunday
I said I went to church Sunday.
I got up and
cleaned up everything got everything up
Got ready to go to church and went to church
had a good service.
Went to church
Well I say a woman was primping up you know
seeing how her dress fit and how her hair was all
brushed up and everything like that.
a man
he's
wash up shave up
put on his clothes
and see how he looks
Then he's ready to go we're getting ready to go to church
I'm go hear the service yeah.
Well she got a handbag
a handbag or purse whatever you want to call it
{X}
{X}
sometimes if they have them they'll put a wristwatch on
if they have it
Well a
bracelet or something like that yeah.
I have seen that
well around the neck?
a woman usually has
nice beads you know
beads
thing of beads
hanging around her neck.
Well pearls would be her
nice beads you know
Well you know
poor folk didn't have them diamonds but they
had nice pearl be-beads or something little like that.
See that's what they had
well rich folks
they have them diamonds things like that.
genuine diamond or pearl or something like that.
rich folk would
well
he wore suspenders.
sometime or some suspenders or a belt.
just like I got on a belt now.
hold my trousers.
Sometimes they
and suspenders they pull them up over they
over they uh
up on the shoulders you know
put on the pants
pull them up over their shoulder.
{X}
{X}
something they call them
{X}
{NW}
yeah
{X}
well when it rains
she should have a
she'll have an umbrella.
{X}
well
we have some pretty fair land here.
However we have to
use fertility till most of it if we want it to do well.
yeah it ain't got enough fertility or something in it
I done went to
had to buy stuff for your fertilizer
fertilizer
see
had to go that you know
well if the land is
if the land is good we don't need put nothing in it.
Sometimes stuff will grow too fast.
is very productive.
just just say good or I call it.
Woodland.
yeah.
Yeah I would you say fertile.
flat old flatland is on the river
why
it wasn't good to cultivate.
I want to say that land was good
just to
grow timber.
cause uh
down flat and wet you could whack them down.
well because it uh
there's two things about it
if it's down around the river in the bottom like that
two things about it.
one of them is that it's
wet the next one is a hard now.
A hard pack now.
cause the
and the soil won't won't produce nothing but timber.
Well timber
bush anything like that
water?
well water
uh
we have had some springs would get water
just spring water running out the ground.
Make a hole there for the
something in there and
and tote all that water out of that spring.
Good water I've seen some of the best water ever I've seen come out of that spring now.
Go on and get some spring water those big springs {D: flowing we had now to to}
to a lot of about about
two three hundred yards from my house
well sure man my good
{X}
that's some of the best water
ever ever you can take
sure you could but they not here now
I mean uh uh the water's alright
I said if you had some you could drink it.
But ain't none here.
I told that spring maybe two or three hundred yards from here.
I'll told the woods out
and and they're
down in in the end of the banks.
in the back of a {D: land}
where that spring runs out at.
we we
we going to we call it the back uh
ol' big spring.
I'll tell you what a branch is
a branch is a thing like a small stream of water on over here
and after the water runs off here like the creeks
and to another one
that makes a little bigger creek.
then it runs off
into a little ones
where two creeks come together
{NW}
we say a river.
well I tell you I've seen
uh
rivers
forks
where that's concerned I've seen
I've seen little
might say little mounds or something where like that go up
the river
the water has to go around it.
Your little mound there and um
stuff growing
and uh cattle oh not the cattle but other vermin and things
squirrels and things like that
play on it.
and uh
course not on the river forks why
we just
name it something else
see?
just like we got a river here we call it here
we call it Wachitaw river
well we got another river we call Selene river.
and the other rivers different names you see
just over the hill
Well that bridge there we call it the Mathus Mill Creek
and how come we call it Mathus Mill Creek
it was a creek
a bank like formed well
here about a mile or two up
here up
over the road
and uh
and that bank
made a good big tree.
big big branch
and he'd run over and down and how come we call it Mathus Mill Creek
because uh
it
uh Mathus owned that land back up there where that
branch started there.
A real nigger there.
you see
Called it Mathus Mill Creek.
well it
kind of on a
yeah that fan was
{X}
fan on that door.
so it won't be blowing over
no no I don't I don't want it open.
Just shut it there.
Now
Then we won't get no racket.
{NS}
we down in some kind of flat why we call it flats.
over here in a flat people {D: call it} a flat.
that's right.
rolling land.
well I'll tell you.
it plays a
{X}
because uh
uh
it takes out right
right out in front of my eyes that's flat down there.
well
you see it
{X}
out there
when you cultivate I can't cultivate that down there
too wet
but if it raises up you know
your cultivating ground
where I've raised some of the best stuff I I've ever grown in town.
take my brother in law last time had to buy a tractor down there
uh if anybody wants
{X}
beg for time
he ain't got to even go to the warehouse
{NW}
he's our brother in law. He knows how to read
He specializes in truck
{D: pulling}
which I've raised a lot of truck stuff myself
but he's raised it to sell.
and he specializes in {D: truck pulling}
and he raises uh
he don't raise cotton
he raises corn
for sale
{X}
{X}
he raise peas.
different kinds of peas.
in his garden
he raises
the hot potatoes
sweet potatoes
well hot potatoes is just a
all I know we uh
all I know is just ice cream
a sweet potato is something you bake it and it uh
it's good you know to eat
raw I mean you just bake.
hot potatoes are the
{X}
you have to cook them
I mean have to boil in them.
well we've got several different types of them.
we we used to have we used to have an old tin heavy foil
well I'll just take a two.
oh with Spanish yam
and then we had uh what you call a yellow yam
and then we got uh
let me see
red red potato
just a red potato just a big ol' red potato
and when it made why
you could cook it it was good but
if you bake a bunch of it it almost turned like cornbread
through heating
them red potatoes.
yellow potatoes I told you about that
they're good to bake you bake them they're good
you kind of
what's a yam?
Well all I know we just call them
uh
{NW}
just uh
potato
{NW}
pumpkin yam
you know like
that's just I don't know what the yam mean
yeah pumpkin yam.
and we raise a pumpkin now
we raise a real pumpkin
they're big
they're big things
and peel them
{X}
and cut them up
cook them
and make pie or anything else you want
then
just as as a as a as a dessert meal dessert
or you make pie and things like that
red vegetable
well the only red vegetable I raised I raised beets
beets is just uh
a vegetable that comes up
and the only way
you
and the only way that
particular vegetable is used
is is is is boiled
get it good and done
then you put
{NW}
vinegar and salt
stuff like in it
then
{X}
just like you buy a
a beet pickled out of the store.
cucumbers the same way cucumbers uh grow
out on vines
where you take them the cucumber seeds
some folks take
get little big ones
and put them in
vinegar
shred them up
and then you heat them with salt
to take the eat them eat them raw if you wanted
just take a little salt and
{X}
do it that way.
Same thing about onions
you take onions and
{X}
yeah onions in usually different ways you know we got up there
we have there
we have a
a little bitty
I call it a little
{X}
you might say.
then they have
the
big onions that grow big you know
and you can serve them
eat them raw
or you can cook them
they they good cooked.
in a soup?
well I tell you what I like in a soup.
best.
I like uh
say
well like okra
some okra
{NW}
and I like uh
uh
little
little
pepper be little pepper cut up in it
street pepper or
or hot pepper
cut up in it
and uh
and a little uh
well you might put a little lettuce or something like that in it
that's about all I
lettuce?
well you plant it down and it grows just like
just like any other greens you know you
you don't have to plant a whole lot
you can plant a
row or seven depends on a whole lot
lettuce you need a lot of folks
{X}
some of them they just
{X}
the head up
and just like the head up just like a {X}
you just take that
and get ready to serve it
just cut it up
and you can make pickles out of it
you can make a salad out of it
mix it with onions
tomatoes
put one thing on it or another
make a salad out of it.
well uh
well if I want to go to the store and buy lettuce it depends I decide I want to make
I want to use now I don't want to use
say make a small salad
then you get the small head of lettuce.
a bigger head of lettuce.
that's right.
you you buy two or bigger heads
they come in head of lettuce they come in different sizes
you you you can buy lettuce in different sizes
like
just like you can buy a cabbage
you can go to the store and buy
the cabbage
remember the head just like that
then you get a good
head like that.
Like for a small fa-
you going to small cook for a small family you get you a small head
and if you want to cook for a big family get you a bigger head.
lettuce I mean
uh lettuce
I raise a little bit sometimes
cabbage?
yeah I've raised some cabbage
sometimes I was telling my
I'm trying to grow some now said I almost went and planted some.
to have some later so they {D: won't it won't but one time.}
see?
growing some now I'm
trying to get some of these
some of these some of these plants
I'm just finding some knives and set them out.
why he'll he'll he'll put a {X}
what's that?
well
well the cabbage is just growing the head up I use it
and then
then and I I plant some
so I can have some later
you know we'll have some or
or coming over the same time what I'm talking about.
well the sides of cabbage?
the sides it
varies
now
say take here
it depends on
uh
the richest spots of the ground and the seeds
don't get seeded on
you've got to have the rain and the water and the temperature.
and uh
the fer on the to the fertility plant
but maybe you have a big head here
because it's a
somehow another plant get a little more moisture
a little more fertility or something
and uh
maybe that down there you can find up some more head
and uh
that
that's due to the fact I reckon because you
just didn't get enough fertility or something.
What's that?
well they will grow big
some of them you place them but some of them as I said a while ago.
some of them cabbage grow big and some little.
yeah we we we we uh we used to have those little oh
you see I forget what you supposed to
little deal with tomatoes
I'm just trying to think of the source.
{X}
no I don't know
don't know it by name
I'll just be honest with you.
well that's what I'm trying to think what we call those
little tomatoes all I know right now