Lebronze Davis (LD): There were 9 of us at home at one time.
All the boys was in one room, we had 2 beds.
Two slept at the head, and two slept at the feet.
And there was one thing about them feet, you washed them feet
before you went to bed!
Arguster Davis (AD): We only had one cash crop, which was cotton.
And we were just breaking even.
You had a hole in your jeans, and Mama'd put a patch on it --
LD: And you kept right on going.
AD: You kept right on going.
LD: And the kids today, AD: Yup.
LD: they take jeans out, hang em out on a line,
AD: Yup.
LD: and shoot 'em! To put holes in 'em.
AD: My first lesson in economics,
Daddy taught it to me.
We had worked and made a little extra money,
and we wanted to go to the fair.
I had made six dollars.
Six dollars, man, I was on top of the world!
I played games, I ate cotton candy...
I came back home, and Daddy asked me,
"Boy, how much money did you spend at the fair?"
And I just held my head down and said, "Daddy, I spent it all."
He said, "Boy, you spent all your money, and haircuts
gone up to seventy five cents."
[laughs] So I always keep me enough money
to get me a haircut.
LD: Daddy was, um, warm.
If he got it, he'd give it to you.
If he didn't have it, he'd tell you how to get it.
AD: Do you remember when Daddy started the syrup mill?
LD: Yes. AD: Yes.
And people in the community would bring their cane and
millet for us to grind up and make syrup.
And people would pay with buckets of syrup.
I said, "Daddy, why don't you let these people pay you,
'cause, we got enough syrup to last us for a long time!"
And he looked at me, and he said, "Son, these people
don't have no money to pay.
That's the only way they can pay."
LD: Daddy taught us all how to do the right thing and wanted us
to do the right thing.
AD: Mm-hmm.
He kept me out of school one day 'cause he was delivering lumber.
The directions that were given to him were not very clear.
And, since Daddy, you know, he only went to the third grade,
um... he couldn't read the address.
And I said, "I, I'll help you, Daddy."
I couldn't have been more than eight or ten years old.
It, it, it was just heartbreaking.
You know, there are things that I try to pass on to my son:
There's only two things in life a person actually owns,
and that is his name and his word.
And in his own way,
that's what Daddy left me with.