4

Isaac Slaughter 4

a fire and looks at my picture books until daylight, and den I goes
to town and gather up my slop, and den I comes back and eats my
breakfast and goes up in de field and builds me a fire and starts
diggin' in my ground."

"What church do you belong to?"

"I belongs to de Primitive Baptist, but I been a member for ober
twenty-five years. I wants to say dat my long life, I thinks, has
been due to not eating much meat, don't drink coffee or any other
kind of strong drink. I neber had laid out at night or exposed myself.
The only time I been exposed to de weather is working. Most of my
eating is buttermilk and cornbread and some light bread. I won't
eat without my milk. I drinks my buttermilk three times a day, with
sugar in it. If I eats three times a day, de sugar bowl hab to be
filled three times."

Tura said, "That's the onliest thing papa is extravagant 'bout
is his sugar and candy. Twenty-five cents worth of sugar won't last
us a week, and papa kin eat twenty-five cents worth of candy any day,
and he hain't got a tooth in he head. I don't think its wasteful
though, long as he enjoys it like he do."

"Do you own a cow?"

"No, I'm just milking this one for a neighbor who is away. I'm
going to try and buy her if she will let me."

"I guess I'm de oldest person in town," Slaughter said, "and
can see jest as good as anybody without glasses. Guess I must hab
my second eyesight, case I can remember when long time ago I couldn't
see so well. My hearin's good too. Most that's wrong wid me is jest
old age."

We were again interru ted by a knock at the door.

"Why, come right in, Uncle Arthur. Did you have a nice Christmas?"

"Yes, yes, did you-all? Did Nora (Slaughter's granddaughter) come

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