Finally I hear dat you could make more money in Hot Springs, so I come to see.  My mother was dead by dat time.  De first year I made a crop for Mr. Clay—­my granddaughter cooks and tends to children for some of his folks today.  When I went to town an I washed at de Arlington hotel.  It wasn’t de fine place it is today.  It was jest boards like dis cabin of mine.  An I washed at another hotel—­what was it—­down across de creek from de Arlington.  Yes ma’am, dat’s it.  De Grand Central—­it was grand too—­for dem days.  An’ I cooked for Dr. McMasters.  An’ I cooked for Colonel Rector—­de Rectors had lots of money in dem days.  I could make a weddin’ cake good as anybody—­with, a ’gagement ring in it.  I could make it fine—­tho I don’t know but two letters in de book an’ thoses is A and B.

I married Mr. Walker.  He was a hod carrier when dey built de old red brick Arlington.  I remember lots of things dat happened here.  I remember seein’ de smoke from de fire—­dat big one.  We was a livin’ near Picket Springs—­you don’t know whare dat is.  Well, does you know where de soldier’s breast work was—­now I git you on to remembering.

Den, later on we moved out an’ got a farm near Hawes.  I traded dat place for dis one.  Yes, ma’am I likes livin’ in de country.  Never did like livin’ in town.

I don’t right know whether culled folks wanted to be free or not.  Lots of ’em didn’t rightly understand, Ol’ miss was good to hers.  Some of ’em wasn’t.  She give ’em things before an she give ’em things after.  Of course, we went back an’ we washed for ’em.  But one mortal blessin.  Ol’ miss had made her girls learn how to cook an’ wait on themselves.

Now take de Combinders.  Dey was on de next plantation.  Dey was mean.  Many a time you could hear de bull whip, clear over to our place, plop, plop.  An’ if dey died, dey jest wrapped ’em in cloth an’ dig a trench, an’ plow right over ’em.  An’ when de war was over, dey wouldn’t turn dey slaves loose.  An de Federals marched in an’ marched ’em off.  An’ ol’ Mis’ Combinder she holler out an she say, ‘What my girls goin’ to do?  Dey ain’t never dressed deyselves in dey life.  We can’t cook?  What we do?’ An’ de soldiers didn’t pay no attention.  Dey just marched ’em off.

An’ ol’ man Combinder he lay down an’ he have a chill an’ he die.  He die because day take his property away from him.

Yes, ma’am, Thank you for the quarter.  I’s goin’ to buy snuff.  I gets along good.  My grandson he hauls wood for de paper mill.  An’ my granddaughters dey works for folks cooks an takes care of children.  I had a good crop dis year.  I’ll have meat, I got lots of corn, an’ I got other crops.  We’re gettin’ along nice, mighty nice.  Thank you ma’am.”

Interviewer:  Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed:  Henry Walker, Hazen, Arkansas
Age:  80