“De biggest time in all de year was de Commencement Day; evvybody got busy and fixed up for dat.  My Marster allus had lots of company at commencement times, and us had de most good things to eat.  Out in town dey was ’pared for it too.  Tables was all along de sidewalks whar you could buy any kind of ’freshments you wanted.  Course dere warn’t as many kinds of ’freshments den as dey has now, but dere was allus plenty of de strong sort.  One time durin’ commencement week, Ma give me a whole quarter to spend.  I was de happiest and de richest boy in dis town; jus’ had more money to spend dan anybody, and I walked de streets from one table to another tryin’ to see whar I was gwine to spend all dat money.”  Here, Ike laughed heartily.  “Miss,” he said, “you jus’ never could guess what I spent all dat money for.  I bought a whole quarter’s worth of ginger-cakes and lit out for de swimmin’ hole.  Us chillun had a fine time down at de swimmin’ hole dat day.  De Cobbs and Lumpkins owned all dat land in dar ‘round our swimmin’ hole den.  Dey owned from de Catholic Church straight through to College Avenue.

“I mighty well ‘member de fust wuk I ever done.  I was still jus’ a little fellow when Miss Belle Brumby told Ma she wanted me for a butler boy and dat she would pay me $2.50 a month.  I jus’ jumped up and down and begged her to let me wuk for Miss Belle.  Why, I jus’ knowed I would git rich right away, ’cause $2.50 was a mighty lot of money.”  Ike laughed as he said:  “How many boys would wuk for dat pay for a week now, let alone a whole month?  Ma did let me wuk for Miss Belle and I was happy, but I know my Mist’ess had a time wid me ’cause, when I got on dat white coat dey let me wear to wait on de table, I knowed more dan evvybody else put together and dere couldn’t nobody tell me how to keep de flies off de table.  Miss Belle is one fine ‘oman, dey jua’ don’t come no finer and no better.

“When I was fourteen my Pa hired me out to be a shoemaker.  De shop whar I was ‘prenticed was down on Broad Street, jus’ about whar de Bernstein Furniture Store is now.  Dat old buildin’ was tore down long years ago and evvything ’long dar is changed now.  De Athens Hardware Store is de only Broad Street business of dem days dat has stood in de same place and endured through all dese years.

“When I went to wuk for Mr. Joe Barry in his shoe shop on Jackson Street, right in back of whar Mr. Lee Morris’ store is now, I felt lak I had got to be a real sho’ ’nough important shoemaker.  I wuked for him ’bout 12 or 14 years.  He was a good man to wuk for and he was de only shoemaker I ever knowed to git rich at his trade; he really did make money in dat shop.  I’ve been a shoemaker ever since 1874, but I never have been able to git far ahead.  In spite of all our trouble for 85 years atter de war, it seems to me dat times was much better den dan dey is now.  Course, folks didn’t make as much den as dey does now.  Carpenters, bricklayers, shoemakers,