Wasn't afraid of them--didn't have sense
enough to be, I guess. Looked sort of pretty to me, dressed all in blue
that way. And they was riding fine horses. Made a big noise they did.
They was a'riding by in a sort of sweeping gallop. I won't never forgot
it.
Guess Confederates passed too. I was too small to know about them. They
was all soldiers to me. Folks told me they was on their way to
Vicksburg. I heard tell that there was lots of fighting down around
Vicksburg.
I was born on a place which belonged to a man named Thad Shackleford.
Don't remember him very well. They took me away from his place when I
was little. But I never did hear my mother say anything against him.
Awful fine man, she said, awful fine man. I had lots of half sisters--5
of 'em and 6 half brothers. There was just one full sister.
Farm? Not until I was 14. Just stayed around the house and nursed the
children. Nursed lots of children. Took care of them and amused them.
Played with them. But for four, five, maybe six years I helped my mother
farm. Went out into the fields and worked.
Then I went to myself. Yes, ma'am, I share cropped. Share cropped up
until about 1908. By that time I had got together a pretty good lot and
bought stock and tools.
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