The author felt as a boy that his life in a separated neighborhood was casual and cozy.There is every sign of decline at the paper mill now.One reason the author’s father could sit and eat at the drug store was that he didn’t look that dark.Piedmont was a town of immigrants from different parts of the world.In spite of the awful inconveniences caused by racial prejudice, the author’s family managed to live a life of dignity.The author later realized he had caused great distress to his father by asking why he was wrongly addressed.The author took pride in being from Piedmont because of its natural beauty.Colored people called white people by the business they did.Colored people who lived in Piedmont did heavy manual jobs at the paper mill.The colored people felt uneasy at the presence of the whites in their neighborhood.