Document text
DE TBOOLLS II$ SKEN
Written By:
Mrs. Ina B. Hawke's
Research Field Worker
Georgia Writer's Project
Athens
Milted By:
Mrs. Maagie B. Freeman
Editor
Georgia Writers' Project
Athens
*PA Area 6
November 2, 1939.
October 19, 1939
Lucille Jackson (Negro)
260 Strong Street
Athens, Georgia
I. B. Hawke'
DE TROUBLES _I'S SEEN
I went out one morning to get a Negro woman to do some washing for me.
I wanted a certain Negress Who had formerly worked for my mother. so I went
to the address where she used to live. Lil was at hams.
She lived on a steep, rocky street in a very dilapidated house, and
in the side yard smoke was rising from the fire around the wash pot.
"Goodness me, Miss, I shol is glad to see you, I ain't seen you in
so long! Come on in, chile, Ain't you cold? I had a good fire inside."
Lil offered ms the most comfortable chair in the house. "Sit down
here, Miss," she said. "I wants to talk to you a While."
"I really haven't much time," I said. "but I do want you to do some
washing forme this week, will you?"
"Why, yes, chile, you knows I'll do anything for you, but fast let's
talk abut old times. You know, Ilse been kinder worried and seen a lot
since I worked for you. I sho' writs sorry you let me go, but does you re-
member the fust time I ever saw you, chile?"
"I think I do." I said. "but you tell me."
"Well. I seen you comm' 'cross the hill one evenin' with a big basket.
I was wonderin' if you was cominl to my house and oho' 'muff you walked up
to me and said, 'Here, Lil, this is something my mother sent you and your
babies. She said for you to feed them and eat some yourself, that the was
tired of hearing them babies cry.' Then, next day I washed them dishes and
want to yo' ma an' worked all that week for your ma, 'cause she Who' was
Pilaw 2
good to me and you too. Honey, bee she died. Well, course, it is like
this; we lose track o' people lak us did. I iho' is had a bard time tea.
I got jobs anywhere I could, serving as scrubwoman, washwonen, or maid,
earning no certain amount, mai had five °bilious 'to I stopped. My husband,
Sam, was a smart man and he was good to me a long time, but as my &Mune
got older he got to where he stopped giving us money. You know, I couldn't
feed five chilluns on a little fifty cent a week washinl. Two dollars a
month for washin' don't buy such, gills, and I had to pay $1.50 a month house
rent on top of dat.
"Sam stayed on at home wit us. You remember how things was sometimes.
You give us some meat and corn meal to help us out some, Jos' like yo' ma
Lid. Miss. I stood that treatment long as I could than I just got me a man
named Ike to help me out wif my Wantons. Well. Ike did help me, but we
got to drinkinl a lot together. That didn't 40; me took money the dhilluns
needed and so the fust thing I knowed we was fightinl. Then Sam got to
stain' out Nora and more and he got him a woman too. Well. It was all
right for me to have a man, I thought. but whin he got that woman I flew up
and got a devorse. My °bilious didn't like that so much, but I :us' went
on livinl with Ike then, but I was worried about Sam. I stayed &oak all
the time till Ike and as got worser and worsar. Well, I tell yo' this mush
I knew I jos' had to do somethinl. Well, I kinder think God took about in
my affairs about then; my ma and two of my sisters got sick. Well. I went
to sea them every two weeks. Sam coma 'round more than and helped me some
wit the °bilious. My pa' ma &lad and my sisters and Weathers wouldatt help
me with the expenses. even wr only aunt had insurance an her, but would not
Hawke*
Paso 3.
siva as a cent to bury her. I'm still paying on that funeral. My stator
died after several months and the county had to pay that; I couldn't.
oMy oldest daughter got married. too, about then and went to Atlanta
to livo. Bono'', she married a real man: Re don't mistreat her ons bit.
Up to nowthay has got two abilluns. On. little boy died, but she has gat
two left. She helped as a lot after he married and let one of tho ohilluns
coma to see her mad stay so I wouldn't have such a hard tin suppotting
them that stayed with as. Ship put Joe in school there and he got some
learning.
oDis man Ike 1 took up wif was still hanging ground all di. time. Sam.
he didn't know mach 'bout his, but I knowed he was wonderin' all this time
Whore I was tatting help.
olhe other chilluns was growing up now and Bath next to the oldest
girl, got sick. so I had to stay at home after that and wash and iron.
could not leave how to work out any. Sem begin to go out again with this
woman of his. I shog did hat. it too. 'cause I loves that nigger tile di.
dm. My man Ike then begin to help me a little more 'cause Ruth was getting
worse, and only one of the boys was big 'puff to help na at all, and he
worked at a small grocgry store. Re didn't make much and halt the time he
took up all he made by Saturday night in groceries an' we couldn't draw a
cent. Well. Sam got to coming home drunk and busting down the doors an'
raving an' pitching all night. Sonatinas he would run Ruth's fever mp so
high till I would have to hold her on the bed.
°One aw San coin in drunk and was cussing ma 'bout Ike. I told him
he didn't ham* no business 'round here at all; 1 paid haulm rent and vantad
Hawks.
Page
him to git out, but he would not do it. About this tins Sim lost his Job
mad I don't know whore he wont for three months. He and Ike, though, made
it fine for a while. We bought us some new things as you sea.
0On* deer my oldest boy that was workinl coma home. Ike was in the
other room talking to him very loud and I wondered what in the world was
the matter. 1011, I went in and Ike wasskdemanding my boy to bring home all
his pay that night and Frank, ay boy, was tryin' to tell hi. that he had
brought groceries home for us to eat and he couldn't bring any money home.
Ike jvmped on Frank and I thought he would kill him be& I could 'ton him.
I quit Ike then and took in all the washin' I could git. I had four wash,.
ings that brought as $4.00 a week. At night I would to so tired till I
could not sleep. I thought Zito was cominl back to take my furniture sway
from me every day. but I see now he was waitin, to work his way back in.
"I got in with another man one day 'bout a month after I quit Ike.
His name was Harry, but. Honey, I could not stand him. He coma in one day
and said be hoard I had another man on the string and he was gain' to kill
as Of course I did not think Harry maant it. but I want you to know he
didn't do a thing but draw a knits on me and cut my throat. I got a scar
on my throat that never will go 'way. Sam got home that night from Tonnes.
see and I was in bed. He said. 'Gal, what ails you?' I told his. Lawd
chile, that nigger went out of this door and went to look ferHarry. San
found hin all right and out Harry's insides out; I mean all of them. Well.
San left for a while, but they caught him and turned him loose.
'Ruth got well and went out and got married, I guess. I never did see
Raft..
Page 5
no man though, but she sho' had this baby. She was sick all time after this
baby come. finally I had a doctor with her and he said she had a 'leakage
of the heart' and would not live long. I found out later that someone gave
her some whiskey when she was a baby. That's what canoed her to he sickly
all her life. Well. Buth died with this awful diorites. Ohile, she swelled
up till she liked to hulsted fo she died.
NW this time my oldest boy had left home. HO said he just could not
stand things like that no leaser. My next boy, his name is John, got a job
on a beer truck helpin' out.
*Will. I Ins' didn't know *hat to do 'canoe 'bout this time all the men
had left as and this grandchild had to have milk. I could not go out any-
where and leave her. I didn't dream about Ike, that had the trouble with
?rank, coda' back. But, bless your soul one day Ike came welkin' up be...
hind me while I was washing.
'You know, after all that happened between the family. Ike had done a
lot for me and he ahol did lock good, too'. But I was going to play off
stubboa and mike out like I was still mad at him, but be said.. Ton Ns'
put that washin' aside for a while, gal. I's got somsthin' to ear to you'.
Well. I put everything aside and we went in the house and sat down. Ike
begin to tell me that he wanted to come home and he would be good to my
chilluns and especially to the little baby girl of Ruth's. Ike had already
bought things for the houae to make it more comfortable, so I took him back
and he has been with me now seven years. and I haven't seen Sam. My &Mune
is all growing fast and is beelthy, 'cause I wash and iron so I can stay at
Baekes
Page 6
home. Ike is smart and works hard and brings as money home every Saturday.
Be she' has stuck to his promise to me. Como on. Miss, and let's look at
the other part of the housS. I lust want you to see what poople can do
when they want to.
*Oh, yes*, she said, while getting up, *we still has our little par-
ties sometimes, but not rough ones like wo use to. 'cause we found out it
won't do.*
I. walked into the next room which was a bedroom too. It had an
iron bed with a pretty bright silk spread on it, lace curtains at tht
win
dove, a vanity dresser, and a small table with a lamp on it, a roCker, a
straight chair, and a neat small grass rug on the floor. Then in the
kitchen there was a small green and oremmeoflored range in one corner, a
home-made cabinet and breakfast set against the wall, green curtains at the
windows, and a worn rug on the floor.
*Now. I and Ike is paying down on die little ihack, which ain't so
much to look at, but by stintin' oursolf of the things we feels we is got
to have, we is paid a nice little sum of money on displace and soon we is
going to own die little old house and lot.
now you see. Miss, I am proud I did stag. with Ike after all. The
funny part of it is Ike come from the gams county I did."
*What county did you come from. Lil?* I asked.
na both come from Oglethorpe County. Am' we was both farmers. My
childhood days was very happy and Ike says his was, too. We didn't either
one of us have much schooling, but we can write our names. Well, Miss, I
Will be over to git the clothes after while.*