6

Alabama 6

"Him and yore granpa was runnin' a store over here. He stood good, Mr. Epps
did, fer some stuff. I was a-goin' to pay hit, but I didn't want to when I carried
some cotton in there. I didn't have but $8; Mr. Epps, he stood fer $10. I
carried some bags of cotton in there when yore granpa was out. We were back in
th' back-end of th' store a-weighin'. We weighed hit out, and Mr. Epps,he said:
'We'll jus' put this here cotton on this here 'count of your'n. I weren't half-
way willin' 'tall. Some peoples calls us sassy niggers. I told him no, no.

"He didn't say nothin'. I got watery in the feet and knees, fer he was
awful quiet. He got off his knees where he was stuffin' cotton in a bag out'n
the weighin' basket. I can see his hands a-grippin' the basket. He went away,
and I heered him up at the front-end o' th' store. I got back my good feelin's,
and I thought shore hit had plumb blowed over. I went ahead pokin' at that
cotton, thankin' I'd git me $8.

"I weren't payin' no 'tension then, but I knows now he was a-lockin' and
a-barrin' th' front door. He comes back:

" 'Hit goes on yore ' count,' he says.

" ' No, hit don','' I says, needin' that there money.

"He jus' shoved me back over that basket, an' I tries to kick myself up.

But he comes across with a long rope, with a iron pea on th' end--one of them

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