9

James Kerby Ward

-8-

furniture in the living room was upholstered in dark green mohair, bad-
ly soiled. The piano was an old upright with numerous photographs and
several old hymnals on it. The electric sewing machine was placed at
the front window and over this was a scarf of hand crochet. There were
more pictures of the family on the machine.

"Now, that's Mr. Ward's pa and ma a-hanging up on the wall. I
got one of mine, but it's a-needing a frame and I keep it put away in
the cedar chest. His pa is a widower and mine is dead but mas is married
again. She lives at Lulu right on and there she'll stay I reckon. But
his pa is a-living in Miami. He's been there about five years, a-stay-
in with his oldest daughter. He calls that home."

We turned back to Mr. Ward. He was sound asleep in his chair.
"You see," she said maternally, "he usually takes a nap when he comes
home for lunch."

At that moment the sound of an automobile horn wakened him. "I
get so sleepy every day about this time, if I don't drop off a few
minutes, I almost die. That horn means that the ladies that 're a-goin
to the funeral with my wife are here. They don't know the man that
died; they're just goin to console his sister who's a member of the
church we all go to. I don't get to go regular, but the folks go right
often. The girls and the boy go to B.Y.P.U., but the boy can't go so
regular now that he's a-workin where he is. He makes most as much
money on his job as I do. He makes $25 a week and I make about $30.
He works for a package house and of course mixes drinks too. He wants
to quit and go on the road as a salesman for some good company. He

1344