<TITLE>10. Par 34-37</TITLE>L-34  And we had a table and didn't have very much furniture in the house. I can remember two old beds, the old great, big...?... high post beds and old walnut, I believe they were. We had straw mattresses. Did you ever sleep on a straw tick? Yes, you know what I'm ta... Oh, I'm not the only country boy, am I? So an old straw tick... And they had an old wash stand, mother had, right between them. And it had marble in the middle here, and two little things on the side, little drawers you pull out. I remember that. And over on the other side they had an old trunk that had those little...?... in it, you know. It was them little tick-tack or ever what you call it on the--on the--the metal. And mama's safe, out in the kitchen had the same kind of stuff on it. And papa give us a--a bench that we set behind the table to eat.

L-35  And look, I never will forget. Did you ever eat on a old wooden bench in the kitchen? Oh, my, my. And I remember mother used to holler at dinner time, and all those little Branhams would wash their face, and under the table, you know, and up on the bench on the other side. And we'd have a great big pot dinner, Mulligan stew, mainly. And each one would get him a plate full. And we baked our bread, mama baked it in a--in a--a bread pan, corn bread. And she'd cut it in the middle and put it, and set on the table, and... You know Jesus broke bread and blessed it; He never cut it, so each person broke his own piece of bread. That's Kentucky, brother, a way down there.
So she'd get this unbolted meal and make the flour. And I used to set right next to dad, where the bread did, and I'd always manage to get a corner of the bread. It was brown and crusty, you know. I'd get that part there and then we'd have--had bean soup and I'd... You'd crumble the corn bread. And you know, that wouldn't go bad right now (That's right.), just to think of it; it'd be fine.

L-36  And I remember we'd set there and eat. I've eaten many places since then, but, oh, brother and sister, if I could only go back to that one more time (That's right,), to those old times back there, and all the loved ones. How we'd gather around there.
And I remember when they moved from there to another place. And how dad used to take us down to town on Saturday night. That was a big night. They had a little old Jersey wagon, drove a little mule. I remember his name: "Cootsie," they called him. And a little old mule, and dad would go get it. And I seen him come in when he... My dad was a small man, was about my size. And I used to see him when he would roll up his sleeves. We had a glass tacked on a tree on the outside and a wash bench. You remember when you used to have that, and the... Mom would make the hand towels out of an old meal sack, pull the hems of the strings out, you know, make a little fringe on them. They was rough. That was...?... When she'd get my ears, I thought they were all rough. And she would stand me up and make me wash myself, and she'd use it rough, and...

L-37  And I remember seeing dad when he'd roll his sleeves up and--and wash, and I thought, "Oh, my, my daddy; he'll never die. Look at those big muscles." He was a logger and great big strong arm. I thought, "Oh, my, look at him; he'll never die," but here we have no continuing city. He left, a young man, a lot younger looking when he died than I am now.


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