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that's what counts most. Then too, we kin give them dried fruit, apples
and bananas, and things like canned tomatoes. I never could buy all them
things at retail prices, especially the way prices is up now."

He paused for a moment in thought, then resumed: "Then, tendin the
store gives us all work to do, and it's better to keep tryin to work than
to give up and sit down and do nothin, ain't it mam?

"The young-uns can all help too. They can farm, help in the store
and with the house. And believe me, they do it! I was raised that way,
for my pa believed that everyone should work. So I'm raisin them that way.

Just then a large car stopped at the store with a raucous blast of
its horn. Mr. Denman excused himself and went out to see what his customer
wanted. I heard a petulant voice demand a Coca-cola and a five cent box
of crackers. When he returned there was a wry twinkle in his clear blue
eyes, he said: "Well I made three cents that time. When I seen that fine
our stop I hoped they'd buy out the store, but it never happens. They
comes here and only buys five or ten cents worth at a time."

"My folks useter tell me I had a head fer business, but it don't look
much like it no more. I reckon if I'd had a better education I mighta done
more. I think I went as far as the sixth grade in school, and that ain't
much. But it was different in them days and nobody cared much whether
they got an education or not. I can remember when we had a little one-
room schoolhouse with only one teacher for all of us. Every youngun
brought just any kind of school books he had, and that's what he studied.

"I never did care much for school and was always glad to stay at home
and help with the farmin, for I loved that work. Yes, mam, I had to stay
home a lot and work. Sometimes pa had a nigger come in to help, but you
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