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David ;-41th
226 ,Alsoola trait
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;Aussiber 22, 19$6
Lillian Lteadman
The nttha live in a small foariproomoottago that is typical of
the houses inhabite4 by industrial workers in ths Aires surrounding the
Jaaksoavills railway shops4aeds. I wade through the loose ankle-deep
grey sand, and vett at the front door for an invitatton to enter. A
straggly, mange -eaten Little dog is tied to the banister, and wags his
tail vigorously.
Debbie, about mine years °i4 answers mr rap aa the door. lis is
ragged, dirty, ohiperful. "Come in and have a seat," he ways. "I'll
Call mama. --Mama; 4vmpbody to see you.. A lady*"
1 sit in the only seat available, a broken and soiled davenport.
The floor is rough and bare, but shoes grit:Some" of frequent and rewind
sorabbing. A sewing wahine, old bureau, and a tin hote-blast hooter
oomprtse the furnishings of the roma*
Ris mother, a;parently it. thy, enters slowly. She is neatly
dressed in a blue uniform* I tell her that I understand she and her
family have renently oome from the strawberry -graving sestion of the
state, and that I would like to have her toll as something of her
life, as I believe it would be interesting*
"Yes," she said, "If lived in Tarebialar (Fauchula) Florida
shareoroppin a tars *boat 12 years. we couldn't make a Livia clause
the strawberries only lasts a short time and we didn't have enough land
to make anythtng a -tall. e only had a three-WM Awe. My old man
would* liked a bigger farm, about 14 acres --maybe we ooulda made wampum
e) hal 08-
4T
Shea. Snittaitty's sr old mon.he thought maybe if we Goma tO
Jasksonville we could make a livin. re thought maybe he ool4git his
a steady Job her*.
"Yea know we got five nhildren to feed and it's kinds hard to git
along on so little. toy Imo oldect helps um out a lot; ay bey Jia is 12
tad he some up here to try and git a job tee but couldn't so he's went
bask to Warohullere He said he knowed he could piek stringent*i if withw
La else. HY oittect eirl she's in there LA the kitchen, she helps
no a 100. -Ls 17 and in the ninth grade at sehool. She's the any ow of
my 'Madre* that likes school. The others don't oar* a tALain-tail &Wei
gittin a edoestion it look, like, but 44m,lia she will go *ten if she don't
have nothin to wear.
"Slattty has vas out to the pukp giapir t4) mire it he easywit
oat there. The city omacilnan of this ward has be** s...peakin for hia4
he seems to think a right smart of *Atty. 1 are 4* beig he dits sift alt
there so we won't have to go bask to strawberry pinkin. LS were is a
shame strawberries erws so low to the erooad it'. aLghty hard MA ne
cause I san't stoop over so low like the others do --I have to *reel along
on mr hands and knees.
1$ didn't live continuous on the strawberry farm. Tee or three
times Alain the season we want to Hamilton County, Georgia, and worked a
tobacco WSW There's ecod money LA that, but it on't last very long and
it's awful hard work. M., fillitty, Jim, and Ainslie all worked. Max paid
us the dap we sash made a dollar and a half a day.
"I like the tobamse farmin bettor than the berry I believe, but
sure don't like suoccrin the JULIA*. ....Suleorin is puLU off the little
viaes that grow up on the %oboes° plants. You have to reach doss and pall
up the vines by the riots. Alceorin is terrible--reglar niggersmaa
work."
beautlful104/enft, but tousled and dirty little girl entered
the roes. she vilified her head in her mother's lap and began coughing
and sniffling. Nor cheeks were flushed with fever.
"Betty's got the croup." her mother said. °Bill used to have it
too...411 the tine worse than this. -but I Just kepi on givin him kora..
sone till I final4 cured hisu as Ls sell end hearty now. and oan play
out. Yea know kids don't never keep their coats on, but it don't hurt
3111 no more a bit in the world. -Betty, you run tell Bill to come in
here. You talk about a moon hatin to go to school. well. Sill hates
to go worsen all the rest of en."
She arose and went to the kitehent after asking to be excused to
supervise the opal which Amelia was preparing. he continued to talk
to se from the kitchen.
"We don't never eat till saitty cones in. AP try to keep it hot
for him. Leeks like ho arta be eosin in purty soon now. The dinner is
about ready. too. Amelia allays helps me keep house and cook --I guess
she's kinds bashful to meet strangers, she won't ecem out to set with
you I guess you OKA moll this bees* and sweet*potatoes. We cook
tisouits too all the time; smitty *mot eat that store-boughten bread.
Be says it's not good for you."
She re-enters the room, holding her twelve year old son Bill by the
hand. Bill does seem to be in robust health. you're the dirtiest
boy I ever seen. Looks like you would wash your face and heads aometims
without me a-havin to always tell you to. I wanted the lady to see what
a big fine boy you are and you are so dirty sad nasty that Val ashamed
of you. .....1110s been a-hoipin mo put out the wash today. I always sit
him to keep the fire to the pot when I with so Rapt* that's why he's so
black and dirty now."
Bill doesn't soon to share his mother's embarrassment. "Would you
liks to sea my doe" be asks. "I found him this mornin and I've tied
Wm up so he can't git away. I don't know who be,belongs to but gonna
keep Una/m*1W
Mb goes to the porch to bring in the dog.
*Mama* Biro comes daddy:" he shouts.
She and the shildren gather about hica,
"Did you git the Job daddy? Did you git the job daddy?"
"Yes," he Utlibille "daddy got a Job and he has to go right bask to
work," Mb is shorter than hiu wife, and wears hermit/awed glasses.
His wife vs:plains that I want "some information about our lift
eo as I Gould write a story about it."
"I always did want to writs a ;$11F7 of my life just for my own
satisfaction." be says. "Aut you eon git most all of it from ir wife
this time as am a.goin to have to ge putty soon to my new Job out at
the pulp papa, mills I thought I wasn't gotta to make it —I had to stand
the doctor's ozamination and he was fixin to not pass me on ageount of
my eyes. Re wouldn't have passed no thin my friend the city. eouneilama.
Mt &west hadn't phoned him and that made *earthing all right. It sure
in mighty good to have a friend liko that to stick up for yout
"Then I got out to the mill I net a man who was a-fusein about
quittin and drawin his pay and sigh Like. He said, 'Come with ma and
I'll ask en to let 70* hen ny job if you want it. They &leap, vay they
are gain to rail* youlnd thoy never do. I been horeaneath and I
started on 30 seats a hour and I,* still gittin 30 cents a hour." I vent
inside the anon and a son salt, 'ay iaiky, is your name Smith?'
"I told his sure, and he told no 'Yam go en inUmvAtherArttims-mtd
I'll make arrengenonts for the doctor to musing yow4 Councilman Sweet
sailed yp oho** yoe4*
"I wont on in the other office. Never did see the feller that
wanted to give. no his Job amymeme like sone people don't know when
to be satisfied. I as. afraid the dostor was not a-goin to pass as, my
ape is so bad. But I told him I oould do *nything so long as the work is
not to* slose. Bo passod ne and I got a 'Attu toe --the rutin gives no
$5 Goats instead of 30 cents a hear. Pavan to run the elevator. I
guess Sweet oallin Snap get -no the jot and retie all right.
"I'skatighty glad to git this Job. I sure don't want to go back to
eroppin berries. That's what I'd a had to do ifen I hadn't got this Job
unless I got on the WPA. I never yet got nothin from the ra and I hope
it won't never be somas I have to, You can't never toll when then WPA
Jobs is goia to give out, neither,
"Iona geed farmer and do right well with the land I crop, but it's
mighty hard to make even a livin to git along on wben ywa're workin for the
other toiler. Bb just won't give you enough to lime on and roa have to to
all the work, toe, and then net have enough to get along on. It** mighty
hard on a feller with a family to Usk out for. If it vas Just a amn sat
his wife it would be different, but with kids it's pretty bad and the old-
er kids sits the harder they are on you.
"I would lib, for my kids to go on through sehool and be able to
fat along i4ho world without a•.bavin to vork so hard like we *leers
have had to. Maybe they could amount to samosa ocooder if they would
go on and git a eduaation. They all hated to go so bad. *opt Amelia, and
she likes to go moron any child I ever seen. Oroppin berries and tobaeoe
like 101140 WON the kids hafts help out durin SOisoni I guess you've
hoored tell of the struwherry sehoole in titrehuller. Thesehoole closes
down durin season.
*2014 I wish* I had mere time to talk to you. It's alsoys pleasant
to talk about yourself even if you don't have nothing mush to soy for
yomrself. I get to go and eat so as I Gen git ready to be on the Job to—
night. Won't you sons on and eat with 's*? Ton are **looms to *Mat se
havol sin* mush but Li will keep a—bedy from gots hungry. I alloys tells
ovorbody that they are **looms to eat, 'IMO we don't know when some of
us soy be hungry. and if you always treat overbody like you would lib*
to be treated yourself, life might not be so bad after all.'
I thank his for the invitation4 but ask to4o,allOved to.wait-cfor
thin to finish. while they oat La the kitchen. I observe the furnishings
of the other rooms. In the beak bedroom I goo an old washstand which
holds a numhyr of bottles. Them is a plain quart bottle with a 1meg nook,
and a Cosa Cola bottle with a paper stopper in it; both battles *eon to
contain home romsdles. her. is alms a large bottle labellod "Tdatkinis
Liniment." half tall of dark red liquid. In the opposite corner of the
room there iCebsall iron WM, un—mado, and a high —post bed wIth a Loath.
or mattress. The mattress is turned up to the window for sunning. Ilse
window shads is badly torn and hangs eroOkedly. flinging on the witll
the tinto are several drosses, which judging from the else and youth-
ful lines. are probably Anellese They are of whoop Cotton material,
sad obvioualy hosanna*.
Just inside the kitehon door I moo an army cot, piled with fresh.
10 washed linen. In the bask yard tilos, are vathliass full of clothes,
blowing in the wind. Tho beak dor: is soeernloes. A rush of aster is
beard as the ohildren go and eons !loathe toilet betimes the two beds.
TOMO*
In the front bedroaa an old style wooden bed is savored with a
homenado spread. A hatterod steamer trunk supports photocraphe Of the
foxily. One pane of the window is broken out, and the hole is stuffed
with newspaper and burlap samaings laths are visible where shanks of
plaster have fallen.
The house is sold and damp, and even though I vear a heavy oost.
I am far from oonfortable. All Of the doers are open. and the sal, heat
is from the stole La the kitehen.
As sash of the family finishes oating they return to the living
roes. Jmitty prepares to &mai
I go on at four and git off at twelve.' he tells his wife. "Will
you haw. ne so ne hot supper ready when I some home"
"Ile; I'll havo you comp hot tapper all right. but I don't prelates
to be settin up s-esitin for you though at that tints of night."
He kisses eaeh of the ohildron and then goes into tho kitshea to
tell Amolla goodbye. Amelia's volos sounds soft and gentle. iimitty
wife walk to the door togethor, and embrace each other. he kisses
im loth ohooks and pats him on the book.
slake sere of yourself. Roneyilske says.
"I'mgoin to Shave tomorrow so you won't Os ashamed to kiss your
old nano" After another *Abeam, and pattiagher here and there, he asks
me to some again sometime when he doesn't have to be leawinif so soon.
She leeks t htfuliy after him as be walks down the street, ob.
lieloas of v. prom/nee. As she terns her eyes 40804
°I do hope he gits en vell end ean do good. I'm glad hes gonna
be runnin the elevator -he &int so strong anyemme even if he is only Se
years old. Pa older then him but I can do harder work then he can and
hold cut at it better too. I use to help him eat when tines get ester
hard. I,have worked in a laundry and a shrimp fluttery. The shrimp fneeer,
use Where they ean shrimp, but my Job was oleanin en takin the beads and
hulls off. 1 didn't like that Job so nosh. It Was awful to have to
smell then all the tine...made ne sift to mor stossiek• Yea elan git nighty
tired milli* shrimp all the time. The juice was awful on your hands, toe.
"The laundry wasn't so bad as the shrimp fastory, but it's not a
aloe Job neither. I use to do the sorting with ewe other girls before
the olothes was washed and again when the; was clean and ready to be
ironed. %non.they were clean it wasn't so bad.
w2he shrimp factory paid me 20 sents a hour and if I worked as hard
as I could I eould sake nearly ten dollars a week. Mut I had to work
steady eight hours without siowin ups or *lee the foreman who was eatable
um would yell at um and dock part of our pay. The laundry didn't pay so
geode but I ain't have to work so steady and hard like ln the shrimp
fnecovy. The lamm40 paid no eight dollars a week for parkin eight hours
a day but I generly managed to get a little rest period while the clothes
were in the washin machines.
"Saltily don't like for me to work allay tronhoste. De thinks a
wawa should stay at hams and to her work. That's why ve would like
to have a oleo floarn of oat oval we could be together then.
"One tine 3mitty did go up to the aft °Moe and ask than for a Job
and they told him they woad have to pond somebody out to see us and
then they would mail us a turd so he would knew tem to °ems book up to
the office to seso them again. You soe. there is so monh red tape, and
the 'irk they would give him wouldn't pay nothin hardly. All the good
monky goes to the big shot:, so smitty says.
"The WPA aint never dons nothin for any of our kimpeople. and Milittel
got a lot of elk Mee got a daddy in Adel, Georgia, who is a—faruin snit
he ham a young family —his sesond at that. Ris first set of youngune
all have children, and there be is with another young family of his emit
at his ago. tho's gonna be 13 next April. and his youngost bah, Ls imagers
ours, and ours is six or seven. I reckon he meet believe in large families,
or maybe be don't believo in em but got estaarkoo. I an the bah, of 14
children myself; don't know where they all are though.
"our health is generally pretty good, I ream; aura, 1 don't know
whenever we did have a doctor to any of um. I always doctor than myself'
and manage to keep SWom pretty well. I didn't have no trainta at dostorins
it Just comes naehel to as,
ft* all use to go to (thumb right reglar like, but we done got out
of practice gain a long tins ago. rnitty took up the Noliness Ohurah one
tine and it looked for a while lib, be was &again to he one but we moved
away from that neighborhood and so faraway from the ebursh that we are
clean out of practice now.
-10-
r01 had a car, a old piece of a oar it was, but we could go in it
to M:itirch and to pi Lice and oion like. &int Ot non u-tall now.
:estms like if you got one thoueh jOIL can always make a little money with
it somehow, is?urs was a asdan Vat -mItty cut it down and aatie a truck out
of it so he could hata eood feut hale thataeay. feller Ian A.ok up little
jobs hare and there Dotter if hate got a trueek.
alwaye vote democratio-like• fo.L.s W r ticsore me was
and :Zesitty's too, •o -natty atwaye pic4s ouA hie n frost! ty.
don't ao no deoid n bout the votin; I let Aeitty do it ORUAI I don't think
women..fokes now a groat deal abeut that. Ae picks am out and I vote
like he 113 to. Ton see, ..tzatty read the papers and ne use to listen
to the radio —a radio is a g ty fine thing to have round leetion time, you
can toll 4hat' s goin on so ood, v had to turn ours back to the store
cauee we
with the amount we paid on it on another radio when :mitty gits steady work.
'244 biev an ct them now IA-4.1;io parties is much oo4. „,mitty
gays that all they are good for is to make anther toir if they are let
alone. beiLliste and 3olsherteto are all the tic tr;,in to stir up trouble
in big inoss, so .ciitti thinks, and we don't wont anything to do with
anyt ing out to make a. n.)nest iivin and ralwie these 4i46 t1,4- right.
Loatly we hsvo ourp/easure right her, at home -with the younguns.
oouldn't keep up the payments,
are happy when
from.
They told
us they somle oredit us
have fsUICV cotele sets and unow where more is a-eomin
thing
don't care a .n the world &Scout them picture shows, but
the kids are Just crny abAit them. 'Ae ti,ink it's a waste of good hard-
earn money, out when oan afford the or,ildren the m:2ney we don't mind
them coin.
"The thinc that would make us happiest of all would be to bawl out
own littlo
oou4 row our own vecet'les and have a cow or
two und a ouse that w,- d keep us warm in the col eatter and 4o rent
on to pay. I think everbody ought to have a home so when they it slang
in years they can feel free and satisfied...like. The ohildren would feel
a heap better too; mNyte they would take a interest in our own house and
try to p it better then they do a broken—down ,)lace like this.
"There's a good livin t a cot out of a farm and you don't have the
worries you do in a city. But sLaet !itty has :at a Joh we won't have
no complaihts to 7.
t hope everv:Inc turns out all right.
The children are all out, and the house it silent. Thowhts of the
evening aoores seem to irritate her, and she (lulls to Amelia. "Bun out
and brine in the clothes uf the line and tall Billie and Bobby to it
wood. Lad call Betty and tell her it's time to come tame." And
:AMMO like Betty don't never know when to coal home. I do
believe she sculd stay out till black dark if I didn't call her iieme."