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10.

took some old rusty chains, and hid behind a tree. When he was
near I began rattling the chains. He snatched up a long rail and
growled, 'Nobody's going to scare me.' The joke was on me. I
had to be mighty quick letting him know who it was, and did he
laugh at me in my mother's chemise!

"Me and Matthew had been on the road for a good many days
before we finally landed in Marfa. After we crossed Trinity River
in Texas, every little town we passed through was well decorated
with signs that read: 'Niggers, don't let the sun set on you in this
county.' Seems like those Westerners didn't like free Negroes! Not
much.

"I hadn't been in Marfa long before one morning when I was
standing around in one of the stores, blowing my harp, to keep from
getting homeside, and I spied an organ. I went over and started
playing an accompaniment on it to harmonize with my harp, and while
I was playing the harp and organ at the same time, the proprietor
of that store walked up. 'Are you the boy that came over here from
Alabama with Matthew Hamilton?' he asked. I nodded assent and kept
right on playing my harp and his organ without missing a note. 'I
can give you a job,' was his next remark. 'I'd like you to drive for
me. I travel around this country continually, and this section's
wild as the devil. Are you afraid of stock?' When I had convinced
him that I was not afraid, he said, 'I'm not going to tell you what
I'll pay you. When I find out what you are worth to me I'll pay you
that, and I will not ask you to do anything I wouldn't be willing to
do myself.'

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