to start life on; they better stay on with her.  So my father and mother kept on with her; she let them have a part of what they made; she took some for board, as was right.  The white ladies what had me between them fixed it up that I would serve out the time I was rented out for.  It was about six months more.  My parents saved money and we all went to a farm.  I stayed with them till I was 19 years old.  Of course they got all the money I made.  I married when I was 20, still living in Georgia.  We tried to farm on shares.  A man from Arkansas came there, getting up a colony of colored to go to Arkansas to farm.  Told big tales of fine land with nobody to work it.  Not half as many Negroes in Arkansas as in Georgia.  Me and my wife joined up to go.

“Well, ma’am, I didn’t get enough education to be what you call a educated man.  My father paid for a six months night course for me after peace.  I learned to read and write and figure a little.  I have used my tablespoon full of brains ever since, always adding to that start.  I learned everything I could from the many white friends I have had.  Any way, miss, I have known enough to make a good living all these years.

“Now I’ll get on with the story.  First work I got in Arkansas was working on a farm; me and her both; we always tried to stay together.  We could not make anything on the Garner farm, and it was mighty unhealthy down in Fourche bottoms.  I carried her back to Little Rock and I got work as house man in the Bunch home.  From there I went to the home of Dudley E. Jones and stayed there 28 years.  That was the beginning of my catering.  I just naturally took to cooking and serving.  White folks was still used to having colored wait on them and they liked my style.  Mr. Jones was so kind.  He told his friends about how I could plan big dinners and banquets; then cook and serve them.  Right soon I was handling most of the big swell weddings for the society folks.  Child, if I could call off the names of the folks I have served, it would be mighty near everybody of any consequence in Little Rock for more than 55 years.  Yes ma’am, I’m now being called on to serve the grandchildren of my first customers.

“During the 28 years I lived in Mr. Jones’ family I was serving banquets, big public dinners, all kinds of big affairs.  I have had the spring and fall banquets for the Scottish Rite Masons for more than 41 years.  I have served nearly all the Governor’s banquets, college graduation and reunion parties; I took care of President Roosevelt—­not this one, but Teddy——.  Served about 600 that day.  Any big parties for colored people?...  Yes ma’am!  Don’t you remember when Booker T. Washington was here?...  No ma’am.  White folks didn’t have a thing to do with it, excepting the city let us have the new fire station.  It was just finished but the fire engines ain’t moved in yet.  I served about 600 that time.  Yes ma’am, there was a lot of white folks there.  Then, I have been called to other places to do the catering.  Lonoke, Benton, Malvern, Conway—­a heap of places like that.