Document text
0:1.TTINUITY
LIFE HISTORY
February 7, 1939
Mrs. Texie Gordon
363 E. Hancock Ave.
Athens, Georgia
Boarding House Mgr.
Grace McCune,,44,
THE BOARIfNG HOUSE
-SIArting out on an erly assignment to get an interview with
the city judge, I found when
at home sick and would not t down for the day.--ntelaIded to try
someone else.
if24/240(3t,
his office, that he was
,jainted brown and trim:ned in yellow._
house read(Olrooms and mealsery reasonable.
....0
.44.4.44A 1 j-.' '4'.-4
*partpeoplethebusiriF-ss'oftenvenientforthetP4e4.060mii and
ilialimi. students. 4 yard
r.".''4"-sPade and a -.Cw flo,Aers hi44—-trttt
ii. i..).•
Z'
/./.,,,,,.3,-•
AC -1w4
-oame.....4,Q-4, large two-story houseevio
1.
sign on the front of the
ed,"Z4"1
Thp house is near
A
The ol.yn. I knotted—an-th-scren door, pnd a
.f
aftwept4,401
4 -Jslender black.headed tv the door.
i
#.4,4144fe
/Awl A J 4-014e.s
..4411i4WO the manager of the boarding house:' thatilts mother
r'
41.43he,Xs in town.now, but will be back in a few minutes. won't you come
aemor
di
in and 'ait for her?
stairway 1,k -k -ding to the second floorr.
zio 3i.4f ,314.49.0,
koidininL roxa. 'She .4).11.1#.4 a rocking- chair near the heater,
and asked if I would have 4 seat for it was rather
("1A.
(3:)01 out; She excused herself, sying that she had to ordRr some
46t.
thing, from the store that the cook neede‘d to .finish up 411-er dinner.
ent through a narrow
4/0 AV
,4
I ex,lained ly visit
,roblems in r.2aalaew,a.Lari., She lawhed heartily,
't4
"4e11, after sixteen yer ' s of 14,.. I still have -.1.enty of prob1,-ms)e,
4
And everybody ese.that is in this kind of 7Pprk hes them. But I've
been able to rfike a livinc„ and make ends meet, so I Fuess I 14.io.ue done
pretty well.
"I was 444W on a farm,
\After my husband diedal-ge4-GJAP--iteett.-., as I
son was large enough to help me managel4 farm.
(44
3
and lived ,foai044 until Itown
4-144 ‘erwt.
owned +t, end my
4404.
414.1. he married.
14)1 I moved to town, for I didn't see how I could run a farm by myself.
My oldest daut;hter w -s also married and my other two iris were too
small to help. had my mother to take care of na like every
a .44r ili444 1
one else I came to town. f
fiThe.....i..t.-6fiever-ttrat-r-ir",.44*-1„dawal I di pralf,ic nurs n9? I
was busy all the time and of cours 1 idnitiggel anything near.1131144
aokgraduate nurse. But I did make 1rs a week and board, alid
with that I was able t0 suport my mother and two 0.rls. I don't know
ri—
if you know anythint; about nursing, but its,..1) hard work.
'4 /Ad:,
Uoi! I away fi'om home all the time, day and night, I hated to
leave mother and the children by themselves, ARK especially at.night
for .:1:,.ther was old and her heath was very bad. After thinking about
everything that I knew how to do I realized the fact, that I was
better at cooking than anything else, and that is when I thought of
a boarding house.
"But still I didn't really know anything aboutIlikInd to get
a little experience in this I worked seven months for 'a woman who r)an
a large boarding house0 am* when it was time to think of starting my
children to :=.ch9o1 agalAI rented a large house and started to taking
boarders. I .6ues I was lucky5 for I soon had a house full, but even
st that, it was a hard pull for I had gone to some expense in getting,
more furniture and linens thaw I had to have.
"After getting it started and running very nicely, I got a good
cook, and then I went back to nursini:-.:..esettivok I worked for one of
the doctors here for a long time. Of course, it wasn't regular, most-
ly just his maternity cases. In this way I was able to keep going
until I had paid up all my bills. Yes, it was hard, but I have always
been used to work, and I -110,d rather work hard any day than sit down
and wait for some one -lse to do for me.
"I stayed there In that place for a little over a y-ar, and then
I rentad a larger house ,a little near in town. I w really making
good there, and sta::ed.4iAmelme for about two ye==rc
4P-.1
all the time as well hs just the 3rt.cthat tk their meals with me.
I had a full house
But even tparding houses ike any other kind pf business. Some
one is always trying to
:Aired .,/,his WES in my case.
il4;').14.4.01,t,415g0101,1
ri".L.SiQa*
ng 30 a month
vimilsor rent wasn't as high then as it is now. iL woman just below me on
the same street was 23eo running a boardinE housqr., She was always
wanting to now no I manaLed to well, and no could I keep my board-
ers so long, as hers were just ,oming or going all the time. 1--wirriree
-1-mr45-41-toldherthatIdidmostofmy;Ork and that my children 41.1100 aw
helped wher the- were out of school._cow~,1.-444.71.7
'244 40)tit, 40:0141? alAdiai1.44Z;,44.s'e44.44Y 7.;
Even at hat she wadi -lit satNyied, and ti the man I was
she would give him fift44w4o1 s mow a month -2,14t,
renting from,
than I was paying. he came to me and told me of her offer, and said
that could stay on if I wanted to pay the extra money.
able to do that, so I told him Ii.akitid just move and she couli have the
I didn't feel
house, I rented this house and have been here ever since.
"The other woman moved in took part of my boarders, as I did
not have room for all of then ere. -5tr,t--",iril44.4. it never pays to try
MEM
was
almost without
of hiA imOrthatr,fs the only time I -Awe eve had any one like him„
a
4.P; 441. —4- Cet4i-2
J.WF I hope that I won't ever
to undermine any one, for in very short time, she
any boarders at, all. My old ones that Iileft with her had allAID4
4444•4UL
ame
many got rooms near enough tak. thpir
/1,4 4144.4
meals 44e22r: It looked like bad luck hit poor old womaI wai
really sorry for her, for she just kept going :nom bad to worse, and
few years ago she was so up against it that she drank poisole and died
before they Duld get her to a hospital.
let me tell you one thing,. I do not have any drinlang in my
house if -L know it. have had plenty of them to think they could get
44.M 4_,:c4 -444Y) ,r,441.41,
by, but they soon find out that I mean business, for they have to get
out, and if they don't get out when I tell them to-u&eitr.clalt. Then I
show them that I cariput.aut. But.' have very little trouble,
4
for in all of my •sixteen years, the law has only been in my house
three times.
9,zi.0%
"One .of those times 1 had to call tliqw,to get a man. I didn't
no what was wrong with him, but the knew him and 4/
said
ae 4 e,i,41 4,..4.640
he was a dope fiend. ;,e thought he was crzy and 110 all afraid
4r4.4.142
4444111-4-1".
"One of the greatest problems in this kind of work is keeping
_0!?
4/Jaad. helps tailect—reir-rrarr-r}erer. For this 1s4 hard. works they may 44144„‹.
41.1
414?
g-ct ff trllt afternoons'but how they do hate to come early in the
1
mornings. "ost of my boarders are all working people, and they 41ezerkizi,,,,Y
breakfa,stip not later than even o'clack. My days' work starts around
five, tirr to in the morning. I usually get the breakfast started
before the cook gets here, but she's ,„)retty good and its never
much after six when she ,444.ts.—L.a.r...e.—
te
have dinner from 12 to 2, as e have a good aany
uaents
for meals, a/nl of them et here by two o'clock,' t whii hey can't
she fixes theigeeplatePand putstt in the arminp closet on t.lag..112LP
until time to start the supper.
wood burning range. She is 4:4mn off every afternoon
4,*
is smart and a good cook, the 1'444 :01
boarde-s all like her and are alays givnE her. pomething.
"1 got sick abouV years ago, and vv..s in the hospitalrt
jf.r.i.i4
major operation, I had to let my boarders all 'o then,
fa' it was a lon,, time before I -1,;FS 'cle to look after the house. cidial 6e
4
44400
really started lock long before I sho;urhavet 4MME tney begL d po
`1:444
to come back, said they would just do any way for it vas just like
home here a *m4 they are all very nice;t
4141614:64
"Oh, yes, !!!tye lost money& many many times, and in large amounts.i;
.00pAi
:then I'aave tried to help them out,especially /44 they were out of
work, sometimes then they have slip d out owing me a montAs board and
SOMe'A More than that, but for every one that does that way. I usually
find some one else that is a good payer.
dialdLortil
",;herl'44.e.""0WV=Maa ulant near hereo opened up again after it had
been clos-d for tio the Idan that ci,me here to
ZetfAY'
„..k.'ad. made arrangements ,for his meals. -jell, I never rot 4enag
But I was not the only one he cau6ht, for he used the firm's money,
gave the help baS checks an owed ever4one in town that had let him
have a.14thi' Yes, he LiOt out of it some way. never could under-
stand 'how. The help finally ot their money from the owners, but none
of the rest of us were so lucky, for he had nothing fo- us to G -et
it out of.
"Everyone is not like tht, only last Sunday I had four ;7irls in
for lunch. I knew the girls /as they eat here qu
run it foofte-.4.6h-aie
often. I was busy
when they went out, and one of the girls put a bill in my Aoket as
6.
she vent out, saying that she was paying for all them. It was some-
time before I had time to check 1-he—LAwAt4e-ye, and then I found
A
that she had gave me a-A(llar bill instead of theldie- that she
owed me. I called her, and tpld her of the mistake. She had missed
the bill, but ala.eet know where she h.d lost it. The .sure did thank
me and said, 'but if you hadn't called I would never have known how
I lost it, for I was sure I ,:a.ve you a 9,140—A*446w bill.'
of
"1 nave some boarders that hsve b -en with me for 4.4.errand
1104AX (4.4.1 P4 -44.M
years, and beople that have just been having meals here for that long.
A,
444
I do!t see much differenceAno J and w en I first started out with
7
a boarding house. I mean in the expenses of it. Somethings are
A
hi,her, rent for one thing. Of cDurse, i-r)ceries ,o up and down all
along. heats are the sane way. I dt have a ta.raen, but I get
fr sh vegetables all the time, mostly from the farmers when I can for
Lavin, lived on a farm I know liDw it is
44.4 44 -144,...4e40
"I also ,et a gpod deal of m meat from/ I like it, for I
do them for I Leti.i.t chea and they,egt the money for -*Vim& things
was us d to W.J.:Imy c.vin m-ats at home a l e ES much as art
4,4P 1 PI *A
(!:44‘4774s
they need. lliteig many of thé send *heir children to me when they o-azie..,
_
.eltA4
11.ere—te school,L., You know I a:Dpr=c134e that6 for it makes me think
they have confidence in ,e, and I try not to betray that rust.
the
ti
have different rates for my boarders.
440,00 ft4 teP Atet
is 410.4e7, but the week/414e is -841e41"1.1-a0.6„Alli by
.01
month 4410Lety Lix.e.forAricke men,-44mn4y for women and loo students.
A .70,3'? .elket4(-
heals are 4.,4440146,X.1..v.e..Laliistwa., and you know I make cood on those meals.
aegobt./
The dther houses around here say they do not see how I can mu anye7
itM-Imps the -ay I feed but I do.
"Yes, its hard ,:;ork. You come in contact with all elasses of
people, both L,00d and bad, but when I g;et some rough one.s in, I get
7.
ed;„41'4'44
them ou I askAt.L4a-tiiE to respect my house as they would their own
home. what .-:lass of people had I rather have? e1l, I think the
workin,L, cl-ss====Dia suitSme the best. They are more considerate.
4P•e4f4-444
I Luess its because they have to work and know how i.4-40, and then
14014-444,•*
the stuents that I have are very uit are all concenial,
_
and min every night they play oarass checkers*, or some just sit' round
and play the radioI 1.4.
'7)
„eff>
"I keep fires in the dinine room and the livingoom fo- them,
but if they have fire/ in their rooms then they furnish that themselves.
04.4.0 Atm 044.4.4.1
I have plenty of hot water all the time. Bathroom upstairs and down-
stairs_, I try to make.them all feel at home. They all like
4 -et .,ed
in iL fri en di jJtnner.
04401?
someone nets the best of me, the don't like it, but
4.64,44.04,441 A-40
they.1•411 tease me.; For in7tanCe, not lone aeo just at lunch time
when most of them weFe hers, very nice looking middle aged man
4-‘4) et;') 7),',:e344r,14 e-4!AA, 014, AL -40t.,
ikeam .4»
tile-e4.4:46-46Er*-40&-e--44-s--a. He said they eeeoing to be in town
but it's
aone
fo:,' a few days and wanted a room and meals.
44c,
"I happened tp have a vacant room9 I showed him, room. He
liked it and sadd theyilooloid take it., ,e11, they had lunch, came
friendly,, that everyone
(40,,oui
back for -;up,:er aria -wens so
likedmOtem. After
sittini; around and talkinL f7)r a hile they said they"ere tir-d and
mist4LoinL to their room. Aitimt that was the last we saw of them For
instead of ,,LloinE to their rooi4. they left.
"Ohl yes, the boys sure did tease me a out that. You see I am
_
a Lethodist and they told me that if had been a Baptist
pre-cher he iiiiattld have paid for his meals. She laughed and
ii
I told them that if they had been Baptist they would'have-at least
8.
slept part of the night, instead- of leaving a good bed like
that. But now, Ill have to stop and help Zt cook get tile.
dinner on the table for these boys of mine are always 'hungry.
1)
I want you to stay and try one of my lunches.
-I thanked her
very much., f
and said if she didn't mind I would like to
1444404
The riztarle began
coming in, every one was friendly and had something to. say to
each other. Several/ girls ..tri4;t work in the stores came together,
and discussed their ork and +he 2icture they ere -oing to see
that evening.
SeVe students same...tiet4 talkeefbout te/ptg they had during
4,
the mornin.4, some thought theyila4.,--it arid discussing the questions
what they had answered, one of them
flunked that test if you .all are right.
told him to do better on the afternoon
said, "Nell, I sure have
They all laughed and
t st.,,alxia4.140;,r blot- came
in and said, ":ell, folks the music mans in town."
Tveryone
looked at Mrs. Brit+,141 and la.-u4hed. I wondered what the joke
was./ Just as fast as one --t-apitle f*1 finished eating the t ble
was -gbecio6- for the next, and they didn't stop coming until about
two o'clock. then laes were -fixed for two students that had not
several trays2-4,
been able to i.,-;.e.tr.-1,44.4re Fn ci th
-iiiagirtr there was plenty to eat, most anything that one could ask for,
e7. -en two d*-S-.4.eiii.orart deS'erts. never 'hactsuch a lunch for
ii
was alucst over, a tte-,7-ss-ed old man came
e
int hewas greet -a by/)them all4 as---1-sitett-t-f-iTe-w•as too late 1#0
z.et lunch. Mrs. BrittA4n told_ him she was sure they could find
/1"
44-41
=A.44..144/ -±1±.N.ad
A4P 46-44." .4.i43 one of the boys said, "put him in the room with
ii
me. .1 e t.wkll be all right. The man Oaid that°,ks all right ,with
f Or. him. He then want,d to know about a -room. That '.41161
A-
•,,,,tAdia ie.-
m,, .44e has been needing a spanking for sometime and
a good chance to ee that he gets it.
e,
After they w..e.X.e.-aiAbe.; Mrs. Brit's daughter laughed
Lrid said, 'thats the music man.. We all like him. He tune
A4!„
iano for the music houses here, and *due& teaches music.
he is a widowers)and ,i,.really wants to get married:
_
t1 -for he stays with
us every time he.ts in town.
)1
1,14,1
440%.
'Pet
444~0 Ala
Mr s Britt/4i 1.4b4-ei'rifel-uenizi----eft-id-, Wel; om that a man told
the other night, I ..iorkil never be able to m rry fl. -1--veekie4
_.--..
;1;1.,i't- 1"1„,„-:?i4.--)Cil ri h4 en .irlii:e-X0'1)1114:44t1 think I told you
tlit, I A.lo..- drinkin here. _ANTImmked a new man 4imitt had
only been here a few (days. .He knew my rules on that matterc-0
-.1344 he thought he would ,,et by
44. But after he €,.04,-,-±-4.= his room, hello:11(.9,er the chairs
404,4,44r,
tables, andfell out of bed.
_wad. got up4,ft) went upstairs,
out. He -id
I heard ,the -4191INIIPita b6'ys laughing .4-0
756.4.44,voCluf.,d„
all told. ,Jalibiet he would have to get.
.4.414—t going out of thaV roomy 1 is 61d
i "I' -01
&It'd -7 et--
itY4o.?%, A'te ro,ot
c•Ut out. fl He finally :3,7TA: Air when he to the door he said,
'It' ain't no wonder t you/..stre a widow. I don't see how your
husband eighteen years, if heThad to stay with you.'' I
40e1-14 hi,." that if my husband had ever been in condition 4st:-
was in, that t have lived that lona.
10.
"I
-askt back
4;
h,ve had many to leave
to me. One man left sometime ago. He had been
Aithout paying,and some have sent
out of
work and owed me over a hundred dollars. He got work in another
place, and he sends me money 9ver:/iweek. I like/ to help people
-hat way 4r I think that -tribal* reallr appreciate
*4, t •LAL/C1
"I do—nAt maxec so much. 'but I do make a living, 't owe
it.
I 0124,1
anybody. Yet, I have had some awful large bills to pay I
thought I would never get through paying doctors, and hospital
bills ;*I lost my mothers) I had to pay e.11 th oe
.11
but the Lord has been with for they are pagtd I sent my
daughter to Atlanta for a business course. That cost me over.
A
three hundred dollars for school and board. My other daughter,
is marrli-d and ther' is just the Iof us at home now.
_4‘.44464,sos.ors,
—4111,14, .Lrstiil don't have tio little to ivide with others.
Not so long ago, there was a family near hered) that was in awful
poor circumstances. The little boy got his arm broke and they
were really up against it. I carried them a box of groceries,
and wen I saw just how badly in need they were I went around to
all the neighbors and we all toether got them the things they
4
really' neede4 food'Clothes, coalmand wood,to nreitc .440,4
t
at.4,41,
nave away my daughter's best coat.
help it. A woman
cold and raining.
I just couldn't
came here, aske'd for something to eat. It was
I gave her something t
Yes, my c1,-.ughter raved, said I would give
wasn't a reek until
have one. I had t
csn think
eat and the coat.
away my head,. and it
she Eave her other coat to a girl that didn't
her another coat, but I,4m clad that she
of ther people also.
11.
"I have had a had time. Although we have never been -with-
out the things we really needed. I just can't refuse to help
_
other when they need it. Some of them around here, say 'I just
don't see how you Eive so much, and especially -When I bought -two
old women a pair of shoes and to ell the truth I had to have one
pair of them charged. But any way I paid for them, ancVhtlpAtt
two boys out in the country get up some clothesthat they
could go to school.
"Then there was the old blind man. He needed an operation
,s
on his eyes. The doctors told him th,,A,-if he could get a place...,
to stay, they would treat his and then aperate,'and not charge
him anything. poor old man, he didn't-hnre anythinF, to ay' for
Nobody else would take him.
So I did, hndhe
stayed here teneeks. I didn't mias the litt he ate. Whenc:
-0
he --ot ready to go to the hoslAtal my boarders and I gotille,
clothes he ne-ded. Now the old man can see how to walk by himself
and doesn't need anyone to wait On him. No, I didn't lose any-
thing by taking care of him. The boarders were awfully nice to
him and looked after him at ni_J,;:ht, and.id-y9u could pe how happy
dit,AA‘
that o d man is Vor he comes to see us, we fel well paid for
3••••
what little we were able to do.
"I don't feel like I have lot anylhing in helping people.
The Lord hcs been f:.004to me. I.iwre.worked yes, but he keeps
me able to work and has looked after me so far and I still have
confidence in him.404p-I know he 7111 still help me if I do what
There is a cotton buyer -04A takes his meals here._ Last
week I said something about buying, some cotton to fix over. some.
12.
quilts. dhen he came in to lunch the next day, he brought la
large 'cox of cotton. Jhen I asked how much it was He Wouldn't
let me pay,fqr it, likettik why couldn't someone d a favor -ope
CA404, 6‘.441,43
timeyTor 4444;* alwayErdoing something, for someone else.
TA,
"Last Christmas there was a family in thisneighborhood,
with five children in it.
The father was out of work. They
aliUMN4s. very little to eat, and no prospects of. Santa
Claus making a visit there. I fixed a box for each of the
children. One of my neighbors said 'Mrs. 7ritt101 how in the
1.,
world can you rive Jway so much: I can hardly meet my billy,
I don't know why it is, I just can't keep any bA.rders, and
what are here don't ay half of the time.
"But this neighbor of mine doerriot take an interest in
her work. 3he will not fix for her board-rs FS I do. She will
et out for her brid e and other pleasures and let her work gokt4v14
I don't now .hich is right.. She or I. But I just can't find
time for much pleasure on the outside.- I go to church6 sometimes)
when I ilem so -ir-d out at night I go to show that helps.. And
t 4
I do enjpy visitng, But it isai.4 eldDm that I have the time.4
„Etar I v busy from the t*me I get up in the morning until I go to
bed at nightAmr I do all my sewing and that takes -.uite a
bit of time,
"I1'Aeve managed to give all of my children a fair education.
11;41-Itg40T"'
The wo oldest girls married young, before they
school, and one of them now is doing the very same thing IgispitrI
„Join- doing. he lost her husb nd and she is here in town running
a boarding house to try to get, her boy and girl through the
13.
university.
As we were talking one of her neighbors, came in and from
the sonvers-tion she was also taking in boarders and I wondered as
2
I listedd how the woman that I board with judges'me; it I am rated
as a Eood boarder or one of the kind that is so much trouble and
expects too much for the money. It was my first time t:o lis„ten
to their side of it and I enjoyed it.
The *=ap.a. Said' "Lirs. Pritt1.441, I never hear you complain.
ss'
about your toarers and I don't s= why. ANL& mine are never
sati ipedo\I can't cook a thing
to please 'em, and. .hey' are
threateg every time they come in to get 'em another plto
stay. I just get so mad I d)n't know what to do. Why, thy
can use more towels, and the laundry bill is tremendous. I
just can't stand it,,
!!fnd you know they even want me to keep a fire in the
t
liting room at night, just so they wont have to buy any coal
01„4
themselves. Its outrageous. A40414,1:I they J'umbleti Turning
to me she said, "Young lady, did you ever have to put. with
-running_ boarding house? "I replied(no I just one of
the boarders.0 Mrs. 7-rit'ian laughed and said, "Well suppose you
tell us just what kind of a board, -r you are. Do you pay your
board without grumbling?, Are you hard to please? Does it take_
a lot of tO3kels for you?
Looking at the merry twinkle in her dark brown knew
why she was asking/all these questions, and I answered in the
same spirit, "Well, as -I board with a policemarifamily I am
afraid not to pay, but as to being a good boarder I am afraid
to say. And as to eating, the biestoub1e there is, they
morning
14.
think I should eat more than I do,- and are always after me, about
that. -M=EZTe many extra things fixed for me to aag.ty. IritgLg
-gg-
tian laughed again, and said, "Well, I should think then that
you rate as a good boarder.
The womaAldid Apt stay very long° After thato-al'e+didn t
discuss her boarders any more 4/140-P she was Ronj,--"Mrs. Brit-
tiai said, "I shouldn't have asked you those questions, but Vfel
jor a pretty.00d judge of people and you answered just as
wanted you to. Jor she really is hard on her boarders.
we do have to put up with a lot of thingsA
'Just few weeks ago, a man came in here one ni'ght,....;mai44.4
supper and a place to :leeP andut had fifty cents. I did
not have an extra bed. He wanted to know if I couldn't fix -him
4 _
a cot in the hall or rrry"wite-P-c that I e.,•YaI4L It was cold and
rainin. I felt sorry for him. I gave him his supper, a d
fixed cot in the hall upstairs for him. The bays laughed
at me and told me I was too easy.
(They were right that ti:4e, for he slipped out the next,
44441 4...!-„4.11
about eight dollars worth of clothes
"ork
to the the boys. Yes, he got away and I made the things
g,00d, for it Was my fault that he was there. The boys didn't
want me to pay for the thingeaid I couldn't help it, bUt I
felt like it was nothing but right for me to Milusxx pay them
JI
for I was the one that put him there.
The Afro boys came in for lun.,,h'Ilaew::_o-4
gr7,420,
Brittikaja
-Triey sad d
A f
e hun:ry Impoidid the cook leave anything for .11iiiive Ers.
"now you know she did for I think you boys must
1)
15.
be her special, pets for she'Alets looking out for your plates
i
before any -one else Z ,, I-4.6 They laughedepreq -eatd, "Don't yOu
side'.
think it pays to stay on the good mix of th:240 ,jiorillr_re,t ...._,..
1
you haven t lost any more egg she went to'get their
5
-'n iii (.1.,-..t,
plates one of them said to me
"Mrs. Britt645111 .is dear old thing and just like a mother to
us all. Shet▪ s p,od to
0..a.
-44Lec'lf !'he'▪ s a Lood sport
everyone. But we do
like to tease her,
can take it. -art: about the
MI*
eggs; our cook was off sick and sent another cook in her place.'
The first night after supper, she asked Mrs. Brit' she
couldn't just take her su,;,er home and eat while 'she rested.
Mrs. Britt said that would be all right, and anxious for
eNteripro,a4 to have enOugh,she went back in the kitchen th
coQ1L-wa-e-i-eaving- and-wala-t-A.a& to give her more.le4.4L
...11The cook insisted that she had a plenty but ',lent to sit
the plate own on the cabinet, and when she did, eggs began
to roll down hr sleeves and hit the floor. She must have had
at least a half a dozen up her sleeves. She was scared so bad,
she didn't wait for her supper. She sold out. Mrs. Britt4
had to scrub the floor and thoZook didn't come back.
ry
Mrs. Frittian saia, "Look out boys, how you talk to this
oman you may Let yourself in trouble,ffor she is gettling a story
-1,
of our boarding house. They asked 4it-or what she had 1.d me, and
said, "Oh, well) Can we tell you a few:things about this place?
I assured them that I 'would be 'a 7YOne laghed
and said, "Nell, he told you about the eggs, tell you
about the wood.
16.
Mrs. Brittian 1104...aaa44&A-e04b=nft-444a cooks with wood,
and having lived on a farm she still buys her wood from the
farmers, am4rkeeps a good supply on hand all the time. She
eJJ
was out one afternoon ar445.-‘4,e cook was here wale' was elping
hersi10' to wood. Yes, mam, she loaded up a wagon full. A
police came by and asked :tow what she was doing. She told him
that she worked for Mrs. Bitti and that she furnished her
wood. He didn't knoA what else to say, but he told Mrs. Brit
about it and -aid he had noticed her sending wood out
several times.
'Then one time she to:k a woman and her sonAin for a couple
of days because they didn't have anywhere else to stay. But
when they left the ro-)m was awfully clean. Yes, main, it was.
even the linen off of the bed was gone. If we didn't have to
et back to our class, we could tell more about this place here.
Mrs. Britti4 is easy in some ways but we sire know better than
to come in tight.
AS the Agra went out he door, a small boy apparently
betwe n two _nd three years old came in calling Granny: She
:Rks
smiled _nd said this is my randson.Ae said he wanted to
see.,:ranny, 'cause I loves my anny and heri,is
;2'; j.,6•111 -1c;'01' r-414.144
7241—liak —4.491t
/K
44,,„)4 4„) .4.0 A 41. orii
-4QAAft, His older sister came in T4..eft,m. ilann=ba,"he cirLd until
4
an
fox terrier came r 40g unning tioft611.134.. the jumped all
4.414e had to bring nim to see -1-ranny and Fritie.A
over the little boy. They were both very happy to see epch
other. Mrs. Britli4n gave him some candy and banana/ and he
went out to p)w,„,,,,',.k/
17.
After the children went but, Mrs. Brit
said, "Te run
up on many problems in a boarding house.- The greatest one is
#440.44,
good help. I heve a E.00d cook..and.Cio ay her f'nti Lowe, a week
.44
feed her and her little boy. My laundry runs from .a dollar up
1444. J
and s been three dollars, -0,f...detkar..a.e..,.. that -44 be I nens
to els.
4111111•
van,'
Our personal things we
wash ourselves. LiOits and water are reasonable, considering
how, we use them.
7
nIrniabLlunche_s-to:•:,00d many of the business _girls4k
and '7uppers I an feed_ so many more than I can keep
here, for I do not have Of course, I Could get a
larger and much nicer place fOrther out from town, but I dons t
really hink that it '::ould pay for so many- of my boarders could
not :r.- out for their meals. I also feed lOts more of the ,stu-
.dents than you
saw today. vim many of them do not come for lunch.
4,--
Pe sidds 44Jiiimr/ caine
the house,
I sent out enolgh lunch-
es last w eek to bring in be twe n nine and t en dollars and that
is dDing pretty E;ood. My dauEhter has been w
government work, but hey put some of them off and
ss she was
one of the last ones to Eo on, she was put off, .hut she hopes
to Eet ':,*ck soon.
out twq years jago, a blind boyttayed here for sometime.
Not long Hgo, he was 44...10, by here and heard me talking,he
recognize 7'L my voice and came back to see me. I was really glad
to see him for be was a nice boy and I liked him. He w s very
little trouble if he was blind, and was never blue about his
trouble,
_
18.
"Some people that( 4Tioes lare the first ones that
4,
will try to beat you out of something. But *see will pay good.
4.1‘.•:\
I in&,(5. a man that boarded here for sometime. He got out ork,
and had to leave ileite. He owed three months board when he leftt
I did not from him for six maths' t1-en one day I re-
ceived a money order for every penny that he owed.
"tt',:outhe same time another man left the same way, ow
me i.f.try- but I hEaen't had a line from him, but that
just shows the difference in the two men. One wanted to pay
toOW'
-nd did pay. The other did-npt9 Still I try not to judge too
hard for e _aver 'mow just what the circumstances may e.
"I had a crowd of brick layers boarding her:e. Their board
was paid in advance. They krilbt my rules on drinking, but thought
if they ,;aid in advance I couldn't do anything ,bout it. But
just ve them their money back and told *hem to getithe next
day. They begged, but it didn't do any good for that was one
time that I was not eas:
have had
ever,y bl,t.„414..-ilin.,45korkraknorererter--treti2421 any
one man tiamt married twice while he wrakawith me and he still
a_
eats lunch here.
He and his txkxt first wife separated and
got a divorce,seve-al years later- he marri d again and this
time it was' a girl that had lunch here every day. He lives
4„44,1,4-.
too far out to go' home foz-limmok, so he still .eatshAere, and
just real often she comes back with him fogets44MMer7-
4)--„, J."1,4L
"Nae- traveling men will get you if they can* quicker
than most anyone lse. I had a shoe salesman here. He seemed
19.
2ry nice. He said he only got his check once a month. He stayed
here while he worked the other towns near by. The cook was doing
his washing. I guess maybe he got his chedk, I.don't know, but
the day he said he was to get it, he went out and did not return.
He had slipped his clothes-. out -ith his samples and the cook
and I were just out of luck.
"I had another couple Ativer4,-40.a.s staying here with me tgaa-t
got married. They both got out of work for a long time and
got behind in their board. He finally R,ot work inV.11,0a.'ne
asked me if he could go and 7end my money back. I told him
to 6o ahead.I o.ne. ,just as soT:la E -,s he could get Amp work he sent
me every penny that they o ed. And they never cOme through
-.hens without stoll,ing to see me.
"I have learned many things in runn*.ng a boarding house.
One is that it is very hard work, work that keeps you going from
the early morning hours until late at night. One thing I ha.ve
not .een able to 1-arn very ell and that is to turn away
people that I feel like really needs help.
"Put I do now n-iuire traveling people and others that I
donit,f-rust very much to pay in advanceentv I 'uess
if I had done this long go AwitaA I 1-0111.(1 saved something. I try
to never worry over what hL-s b done ask that can't be helped.
"I am thankful that my health is so much better and that
I an still rim my boarding house for it means my living to me
t
and my datkihter, ,tnd only hope bate+ I 4411 be able to continue
to work. but I hear the cook in -the kitchen. I did 4reit know
the time had passed so quickly.
20.
Realizing that she ted to see about her supper, I thanked
her for the Trie-e story told her how. much I enjoyed the lunchj 4,
--amemilvery,p1 sa.nt day. As I
she caille out on the i)orc vith me and .said, "Its been .a
;1e,- sure to have you md hope you come back again. But you i11
ttegli
should stay for I e th music man coming.
(Copied by M.3. E.
Feb. 10, 1939)