4

James Kerby Ward

-3-

suffers, 'cause people just don't ride like they do in good times. They
get out and walk where they want to go; and then, too, more people have
bought cars since I went to work for the company. Believe me we can
tell you how good business is all right, 'cause when times pick up
people ride a-plenty.

"I been on the job steady ever since I started except when I get
off a few days to go up home to fish a little. I got a 160~acre farm
at Worthington Springs where I was born. That's not the place where I
was really born and raised. I was born at a little town named Lulu
about 12 miles from Lake City and that's my wife's home, too.

"Her ma and pa were friends of my pa and ma. We knew each other
all our lives just about, didn't we, sweetheart?"

Mrs. Ward was rocking rhythmically and seemed to be enjoying her-
self. She smiled broadly and replied, "Yes, but we didn't go together
but about 3 years When we decided to get married, about all the folks
around there got married, too. We caused a little excitement among the
young folks. You see his folks were running a cotton gin and we had a
sawmill. We both had big farms and all the kids worked on the farms in
them days; even the girls worked some in the fields.

"But we had our good times, too. When we did turn out, we use to
go to old barn dances and dance till daylight, work all day the next day,
and never think of saying that we were tired. If there was another one
anywhere around we would all turn out and go again. We would have our
good time for a spell and then settle down to work again and go to bed
early for a while. We were all healthier then than the present

1339