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homes of their own. If the poorness of the hills and unoccupied lands is all that keeps the river bottoms from being deserted by the laboring classes. And even that does not and will not prevent it. This the Stricklin place is all the one I know of which is fully manned, and many of these are here for the last year. The planters are feeling very blue over the prospects of there being no labor in a very short time. And some are offering to sell their plantations to the freedmen And all are wanting schools for them I get bids every little while to come and teach and they offer to board me just to have me on the place.
Quite a number of the hands stayed here this year so they might go to S. at night and send their children in the day and many send their children