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The Unweloome Caller 2
Wr. Mooney was lying in bed all drawn with arthritis. He had been a suf-
ferer for five years, unable to make a living for his ramily. At times he
can get around with the use of a crutch or sometimes a stick but is never free
of pain. His eyes were bright and he displayed a cheerfulness that made me
wonder if it was assumed.
By the side of his bed was his radio, with which he could get the current
news. A magazine stead filled with reading matter was in reach so he could
pass the time away when unable to be up and about.
"It is good to see someone from the outside", he said. "Sit down and
tell me some war news". Since I had not seen the morning paper, there was
not much that I could tell him. After we had chatted a few minutes his wife
and I went back to the trout porch.
Mildred gave a faint sigh as shot sat down. */t seems to mo that if I
could ale** ane whole bight without being disturbed I would be a new person.
Yesterday was an unusually hard day with me. No one seemed to have any money
and, since I only get a commission, my day's work did not prove very profit-
able. I cams home tired and discouraged and, of all nights, John had about
the most restless one in a long time.
"Well7 I said, "if I had to make ray living collecting bills every day
would be hard".
In spite of all her responsibilities and years of hard work to maintain
the family, Mildred has not lost her good looks'. She is around forty -flee
years of age, has brown hair, eyes that fairly beam with enthusiasm, sad
limes in her feels are visible only under close scrutiny. She always makes a
neat appearance. The small sum with which she has to clothe herself obviously
in spent to good advantage.
Tbe Unwelcome Caller 3
The family consists or Mr. and urs. Mooney, a seventeen -year -old daughter,
a Liarried daachtur, aeparuted frow her husband, aad a little granddaughter of
four.
"1 1,:arried young", said Mildred, "and, while I don't regret it and I love
my family, I do think young people should th'ilk more seriously before jumping
into a thing that can bring so many cares. There is Laura", referring to her
married daughter, "married to the sorriest man in the world. Be has left her
now and doesn't even support his child. Well, one thing is sure. I'll take
care or her anti the baby, but he had better not put his toot back here."
Mildred Shook her head vehemently and I could see She WAS getting rather
warmed up over her son-in-law, so I thought best to lead her out along other
lines.
"how is fismar" I eked, speaking of the young granddaughter.
"Oh, Nancy is just as meddlesome as she ever has been. The child just can't
keep still. And dirty! I have never seen a child pick up as much dirt, and a
girl at that. It's just a blessing that it doesn't kill. And her mother is
so busy trying to do our housework when I'm out, and sewing for the family she
just doesn't have the time to care for Nancy as she should.
"I'm (wow about my family and my grandchild. I didn't use to believe in
limiting your family, but I declare to you when troubles come and money is so
hard to get it's a blessing I didn't have any more.
"And there's Laura. S'pose she had had more with that sorry husband of
hers. I tell you no matter how much you love your children, if you haven't
had 'em you don't miss ,am.
"Then, too, there'd not only taking oars or them while they are little but
‘hey have to be educated. bow, ae for me, I didn't have so much education but
I've managed to got by. I NUB one of a large family and my parents were not
?he llamas:tome Caller
4
able to Give ee more thee juet hieh school educatioL. Ane we Leve not beeh
able to eduebte our owu euch. Caroline:, here, his hea eome busiesse *reining
eud is eorked auwa but is out of work right now. We dc expect to do our
beSt for lietie Neucy.
"ea want a house, though, first of ill ad, by the wee, we are eixing to
move. This house is shabby Lad tee street so dust/. I'm tryind to met a
large houeo mid rent some rooms, for we are just obliged to have mare mosey.
'le hey- never oaned a home but we used to live le better houses. Air. iiieeney
made good money :hen he worked, but our emcees ace is so little we abn hardly
live. In ether eords we juse pay :eat lad heve a little to eat. Ay, one
hundred dollar e a month would seem like a gold mine.
"Of course, I need a oar in weework but I can't have it, se that's that.
I walk everywhere I so. That's on. thing about ey job I like. I'm in the
open aad I et lots of exercise. Of course there 'a plenty of work /id like
better hut don't seam to be able to eet it. It's honest but not always so
pleasant. I've cone other work before I begin
colUctimd. whY, I clerked in
one store for fifteen years. After the& I WAS without work so I ePellod for
work on ITA end I worked on several projects. The first was a canning job.
Let me slice you something."
She vent in the house amd brought out a picture. "Here I am in my uniform,*
she sai,‘" They made us wear white. See that eat on that bulahe" I looked and
sure enough there was a big white cat perched up on piece of shrubbery.
she said, "that cat died two hours after thet picture was made. Guess it was
the shock.
"Weil, the next project worked on was the sewing room and, boy, howdy,
that'e where my troubles began. It was this way", She continued. "I like to
work when I have a good supervisor and one who lams the work, but sometimes
The Unweloome Caller 5
they'll put some little upstart over you who just doesn't knoN what it's all
about. %Fil it r-ces to their heed too, and turns th, fool. 4411, we had one
of them things. To st rt itli I wIsn't anle to s—OLL r,alohine, so they put
me and We. ravis to cutting. 'le gor on fine. They zenerally cut sloe but
the way we did we folded the cloth several times and would cut a lot at one
time. le turned off work fast. One day thLt hell cat came and told us we'd
better slow down or we would out ourselves out of a job. 'Fool along,' she
would say, 'don't be so smart.' I flared up, so I said, 'There's not a lazy
bone in me and I'll be damned if I'm going to lace around here all day', Then
Mrs. Davis and I decided we would out a lot, then rest our backs awhile, so
we tried that. That woman oeme around and found us sitting down. 'Well,' she
said, '16 you csn't find -omsthing to do you'd better go home'. said, 'I
won't do that either,' so she sent for the head of the whole thing. She came
and listened to that gal's tale. as didn't tell it straight, by the way,
so kilve. Davis and I had to set her right. The big boss told us to cut any
way it suited us beet lust so we kept ahead of the machines. 5o we began
*Pah. After that she picked on us aorae than ever. To start with I had for-
gotten more about cutting tkun she would ever have sense enough to learn. one
day she tried to make no cut a collar wrong so said, 'To hell with your collar.
If you want it out that way, out it your dam self!' So walked out mid that
was my last ?PA job.
"Another time I wee collecting some bills for two or three non burs and
0111* or tides one of them came up to the sewing room to see no on scow business.
I found out some of them women were mating catty remarks about no, so I had
tt get them told. No, I guess I don't make a very good wu worker. can't
*stretch it out' as they say. I meat to do what vs. gonna do and apt through
with it.
The ftweleame Caller
understind", she sail In a ,lore serious mod, PI thiuk the W. is
doing a lot tc help people who need it but, of 00111-60, it's only to give jobs
to eol io calet gat them.L1 I can keep in a Job I doutt want anything
from the government.
",:olyway after I uit, tney cactiiicd Caroline and gave her wor&. so that
gib. all the hme. aho'e orZ right AQW. jhe wam with the boil conservation
but hur jQb just played out and. she's Apt been put um again.
'wail, just look coming up the streati", ahe said in u.suxyrided tone of
VOLCU. "If that don't beat all, there comas that buznara' poking beak here.
That's my sun -in-law I'm LO proud of. Wall, one thing sure, if he gets hin
a job end goes to work, okay, but he'll not lay around bare for we to aupportw.
I decided it best to discontinue my interview for the present so after
arrangiag for another visit, I took: ay departure.
The following Tuesday afternoon, I went beak. On the house was a sigh
YOR ;;IL I viliva Aldred, had moved. I inquired next door and get her address.
I went :aet a few blocks down. the street dad Sound her number.
In the yard there was a sign which read BOUND, and I knew Aildred had
started on her new venture, that of renting roma.
This house maw a largo rambliag affair in need of repair but very eom-
fortable looking. The yard, although nableoted, was apeoious and cool look-
ing. I raag the bell and again Mildred net 440 with the dust cloth end broom
in her hands. "Well% 111114 laughed, "I guess you think In always after soma
one with a broom. I'm oily raising cain with the duet and dirt. Goma in
though; I'll stop a while and talk to you. ',isnot going out collecting today.
"You know collecting bills ir a funny businese. You have to use real
Dsicholov7-. Tf you hit a person in the right mood they will pay their last
"he UnwHlcomot Gailer 7
penny an a bill, but if you most them when they are in a bad humor they
wouldn't give you a dine if they had all scats of money. I had a funny ex-
perience not long ago. I had a long past due bill for an optometrist to col-
lect out of a mill worker. vent and went and every time she woad put up
a hard -luck tale, so I left off going for about three months. Finally one
morning I decided I would try Win. /t was a terribly hot day anti a long
way and I walked every step of the way. T knocked on the door and a child
answered. I asked for her mother and the little girl invited me in. just
stepped inside more or less to mat out of the heat. The woman at l'irst tried
to hide, but when she kaer I had seen her she came up the hell fl ay mad.
17/hat are you doing in my house?', she asked.
'T was invited in', answered.
yet' ken git right out agia'.
I kept calm but was burning down inside. t/ wont get out and you can't
put me out. I'm not so large, but you put your hands an me and see what will
happen'.
Then followed acne nasty words. 'Let no tell you something', T said.
I came inside for two reasons: first, to get out of the heat; second, to lamp
the neighbors fran hearing you. I was trying to protect you for I knew what
kind of a tongue you had'.
She kept trying to get so out. 'I'll call my husband', she said, Her
husband caste out and was an insulting as his wife.
"I told them, 'row here T an. You can't kill no and if you did you can't
eat me and if you could eat me you rould have more brains in your stomach
than you have ever had in your head'. 7ell, I don't have to tell you I didn't
get any money.
The 771welcom3 7F,...11er 8
"Another time I had was collecting a florist bill from a rich womail. She
had been denying it for some time, but finally she admitted that she owed it.
0119 zorning I went to her house. She came to the door cad tried to shut it
in lay face, but just put ay foot inside the door end stopped her. 'Now
listen', I said, 'this ia my way of making my living and I've treated you
nice. Now you be as nice to me. When you bought those flowers the man didn't
slam the door in your race, did he? Now you treat me with the same courtesy'.
Well, I collected that one after so long a time.
"Most of the time poor people pay up better than the rich. Funny to we
how people will buy flowers when they know they are not going to pay for them.
I have more florist bills than a few, and they are always hard to collect.
"Of course the wealthy people can always send a maid to the front door
to tell you 'e ain't home'. One day I rang a door bell and a dumb looking
Negro came to the domr. In answer to my inquiries about her mistress, she
said, *No, no, she say she ain't hams. Anyway hoard her say she didn't
have no money. Lady, she don't pay nobody. Igse quitting her mylegf'.
"Oh yes, I forgot to tell you abruptly getting off the subject of col-
lecting Laura's Vusband has a jab. It's WPA, too. HO's going to Atlanta
today to take a course in Safety Driving though he will come back and work in
Clarke County. That will be a big help. Now if I can just rent those roams
maybe we can make it.
"Are you keeping up with the wax/ I just wonder if we are going to get
into it. The President says we won't. I'm crazy about Peosevelt, but T don't
take much part in politics. Governor Rivers sure did have thirps in a mess
awhile, but maybe if he gets the right kind of help he'll pull out.
"Yes, we all go to church when we can. Of course, I don't take any active