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00z.:SST1GS 4111i.) GOAL
(4. Zepreasi4n Viotti' Story)
itritten by: s. Aaa Radford
Augusta, Georgia
4dited by:
Mra ei1 harriu
Supervising Sditor
Georgia Writers' Vrojest
Area 7
.4.1104 440/1414
1481 .;Teeitie Jtreet
pril 4 194U
GUAL
"Ours is muoh better opal than you are s.Uin and it
will oerlainly serve your oustomers to grater advantage."
A ma's voio• was saying as I walksd into the offiee of the
Coal and WoOd Compaity.
His high-powered saleamanship mu$t have been very effao-
tive fJr when he left kis carried with him an order for three
oarloads of ooal to be deliverad by May lb.
vase or 1:lowers and a partly finished dress on a sew-
ing maohine evidensea the felninine touch in this office, whieh
otherwise was lilts the usual one of its type.
Ars. Fuller, owner and operator, is a very diminutive
person, who weighe not more than ainety-five pounds. On this
particular morning she was wearing a shirtwaist dress and her
light -brown hair was combed straight baok and arranged in a bun
on the nape of her nook. 'der manner was very brisk and busiaess-
like.
As Ur. kilton of the Tennessee Coal Company left the
office with a "desire acoomplished" look on his fate*, Lr Fuller
turned to me with a sail, as sac said:
";old now, what can I do for you"
"Well," I answered, "Our work at this time *enters around
people who were drastically arrested by the Aconomio Depression
and beeauss I know .that you coma under this oategory, I have
some to ask you to tell no of your exparionees."
She agreed readily but told as that she would need
prompting as she went along in the shape of questions that
would keep her on the right track.
"You're asking quite a lot when you expect as to go
all tne way back to my birth date. However, I'll try.
"Our eld home was on a plantatiOn in Wilkes County.
My father was a native of '61.1kos but my mother same from
Linaoln County. I was born ,Aoptembar 10, 1890, the third
ohild in a family of 12, but only six of is relished maturity.
ni.iy father believed in •dusetlug his children and al-
though we sash had special work to do on the farm, he saw
that we had ample time to attend scnool.
"My mother passed away when I was 12 years old, and as
I was the eldest girl, I fell heir to her work. Jo then, I
not only had to do the cooking and washing for the entire
family but also had to find time to go to school. OX' *ours° I
oouldn't hold out very long under this strain and because my
father was unable to obtain help, school had to be given up.
"My rather finally married again, but the home was never
the same. stepmother was undoubtedly a good woman but sae
didn't understand children. In other words tie maternal instinct
was entirely laokinc in her make-up.
"When i was 16 years old, i married H. L. Lokanus, who
was employea as a loom fixer at the dibley manufacturing Com-
pany. Thus a little green country girl came to Augusta to
establish a home. My three boys were born of this marriage.
"My husband gave me a lot of trouble. Whiskey and
women were aim weaknesses and after fifteen years, even he
came to realise his failure us a husband. One day he admitted
it wad asked me why i didn't leave him.
"I answered: 'if I can't succeed at making our home,
certainly won't break it up.' Well, he had no such scruples
and he left ma with my three little boys, when the youagest
was seven. I didn't know what to do and felt certain we would
starve.
"hen my fattier learned of my trouble, he cams to my
rescue immediately. Tnere was nothing left for me, but to move
to tue oountry wita him. I was very grateful for the food and
shelter but was very dissatisfied eating other people's bread.
"i applied for support from my ausbana. BS agreed to
give me 410 a week and then a little later a friend of mine
sent for my eldest boy to work on his laundry truck at 45 a weak.
now J:eit that i was financially able to nave back to .igusta
and put the two younger boys in school.
"I was almost a nervous wreak from all the worry and
trouble. I prayed every aay for a way to open that would enable
ma to get the eldest boy, Otis, back in school also.
"One ::;aturday as he was working on the truck he found a
copy of the Augnete,Mirald. he could never explain where it
same from and I have always felt that it was an answer to my
prayers. I searohed eagerly for the want ads, and found that
there was an opening for a lady to sell UaIifornia products.
"I Gould hardly. wait until Monday. ...omehow, I felt
almost certain I would get the job and that through it would
cons the soiution of my financial diffieulties.
"I lived through 61unday somehow, and bright and early
Monday morning I was on hand to apply for the Job. Ay spirits
were somewhat dampened when the lady told me I would have to
i)ut up a 0 deposit for the sample kit for that was just about
41,-b more than I possessed.
"I found the proverbial 'friend in need' who offered
to lend me the money and firat thing Tuesday morning I report-
ou for work. I didn't realize how very weak and nervous i
had beoome and at first I was only able to work 3 days a week.
It wasn't very long before I had built, -up a clientele who order-
ed regularly and my average earnings reaehed *bu.00 a month.
"As the mental strain lessened I boom to improve physi-
cally, and 4 began to tool like I was really living again. I
was now able to keep all three of the children in school. I
only. worked frost d:30 i.. to E;0) in order to have my
afternoons at home with my boys.
"von with such short working hours my sales mounted to
4.1,00 a year for several of the ton years I worked for the
oompany. x),:aoh of those years I received a sO bonus as a re-
ward.
"Ior the last two years remained with that organiza-
tion and for sometime afterwards, also sold coal for mr.
Fuller as a side line. tie allowod me a commission or 50 seats
for each ton I sold. 4oms ***sons I mad* as much as 4100.00.
"i had always wahted a home or my own and before long
I located a lot that salted ma on lalis :reet. The twat was
4675.00 and the owners offsrad it So me for a 410.k.40 cash pay-
ment; tne rest to be paid at the rat* of 010.00 a month.
"Jne day Shen I had my lot about'half paid for, I went
to the hospital to deliver some orders. I maw a crowd gathered
at tus emergsney room, but as i was in a hurry to gel home and
have supper, so I could go to prayer meeting, I didn't stop to
inquira who was hurt.
"You can imagine how amazed I was when upon my arrival
at home, my nort door neighbor hurriod out to ask how Otis was.
"'He is all right.' i answered in surprise. 'Why do
you ask?'"
"'Don't you know that he was run ever by a city truck
and rushed to the hospital with a broken leg?'"
"4 before I realized what I was saying A. cried:
God, why did you lot it happen to my boy?' A minute later A.
was horrified at my sacrilege in daring to question what God
had done for after having a minute to think l remembered that
-b
'Jo doeth all things well,' as he showed ma later.
"14 boy's leg was in an awful condition and the doetora
told nie that an operation was acsolutely necessary. They ex-
plained to ma.that tae leg would have to be cut and put back to-
gether with silver pegs.
"I just didn't see how I was oing to stand it and the
morning of the operation I stayed away from the hospital until
i tnought it was all over. When they brought him down frow the
operating room he looked so bad -I was telling myself: 'he'll
never walk again'
"Woy seldom kills but it OtiNS pretty close to it when the
doctor said, wita a Amon lighter manner than I thought suitable
for the oeoasion:
when we put him to sleep, we pulled his leg and
the kneecap slipped into plea. and it was not necessary for us
to operate. In about three months, he be up and walking.'"
"The injured leg is about half an inch snorter than the
other but toe difference ls scarcely perceptible. The city paid
the hospital and doctor's bills and gave me .4.W0400.
"I finished paying for my lot and used the rest or the
money to make a deposit on the house. in a very snort time I
began build-Jaz; my home.
"14(.4 i tell you that each of my boys helped themselves
throug4 schooi by carrying the augueta livald?" dhe asked with
pride.
"I couldn't always tdke up the notes just when tney
were due." Mrs. Fuller went on. "Ilut both of my ereditors
were very considerate and as long as i paid the interest
they were botn satisfied.
",-hid now I want to tell you about the best part of
my life. All through my troubles when I came face to face
with a erisis of any kind 1 first asked God to guide me and
without nis help i would have tailed. Yes, I have had many
trials and heartaehes, but God always helped me carry my
burdens."
"When did you marry Ur. Fuller?" I asked.
"Vie were married in January 1926." answered.
"Aud I kept on selling California products until he died in
1926."
"And he left you the coal and woodyard?" I queried.
"lo, he left a will which gave the executor tne power
to do as he liked wita the property. 1 have never really
known how much Mr. i'uller had. Aiy lawyer advised as to ask
for a year's support and I was given a house, a lot, and
small cash payment. Tio house was in such ill repair that it
took the better part of the money to put it in rentable condi-
tion. What was lert after this was done I used to make the
rival payment on my hone."
"ho got tato woodyard" I asked.
"id.. :Culler's nephew. told me that he had bouglit it."
.43 replied. "1 worked for him here in the oftiee for 410.00
a week. As didn't know a thing about the business and just
at tae beginning of the Depression, I bought the plaee from
him. It took all the sash I had as I also had to pay for
several earleads of coal then on order.
e effects of the Depression upon my venture were
inwediate. I took the business over at the very beginning of
the season and instead of my sales inoreasing they were fall-
ing oft' daily. 1 lost a lot of money on coal that had already
bean delivered on oredit. 1Jilost of this had been sold to rail-
road employees, who had been laid off arter the receipt or the
ooal. It *sewed that the bottom Just fell out of the railroad
business about that tins.
"I didn't realise that the trouble was here to stay and
kept on selling on credit. Of °ours*, there was no way to
collect for nobody had any money. The few cash sales i was able
to make and the very little money derived from those who did pay
failed to net bid sufficient funds to keep ooal in the yard for
delivery. Then the larger ooal dealers out the price of coal to
46.00 a ton, in AL OrIOrt to fores me and another smell looal
dealer out of business.
"I had spent my last dollar and the mines refused to
ship wore than one carload ot soul and %nut Was saipped
borrowed 4175.00 to pay for a earload and when i had sold that,
I ordered another.
'1 had mules to food in addition to the upkeep of tile
wagons and the first two years of the Deprossion only made
4500.00. I felt as though we were facing starvation. As a
last resort 4 mortgagsd my home to keep nY bays in adnoal and
to buy ooal and wood."
%id you continue to sell on eredit-:"
"Ye., 1 couldn't refuse when folka would tell as they
had sickness or that their little children were cold. ('ome
of them 1 knew would pay when they could, others I was dubious
about. And do you know I am still colleoting some of that
monoy`r sometimes time), can only give ms 50 00ats a week, but
at that they are paying."
"how is your business, now" I asked.
"Good, very 600d." She relied. "or a long time now
it ass been increasing. I nave rtiplacod my mules and wagons
with four modern trucks, have paid of all the mortgages and
dove the money on hand to pay for my eoal upon delivery.
"Yes, 1 have a bank account. My average income is about
4500.00 a month and 1 am able to 610111 quite a bit of it."
"Did your boys go to college?" I asked.
"boo but they all finished High Johool. uy eldest sou
is married and has two children. The middle boy is an account-
ant an4 the youngsst works for as. Both of them are single.
"1 am very tired and nervous aud before very long I ex-
pect to turn my business over to my sons arm take a much needed
rest.
"Anyway, as see it men make bettor managers for this
type of busiaess. I know that in a good many eases women are
more sueoessful but miler, you hire eolored drivers, it takes
a man to keep them going and the responsibility is too great
for a woman. I san.notice a great differentia sines my son
has imer. with as. Yes, a man is better fitted to maned* this
business."
Ara,. LuUer, 1 notice that your place is surrouaded
by small houses, apparently oecapied by people of meager in
(tomes. Do you LAY* many sells for holpY" i asked.
"Yes, I do." Jim replied. "Awl up until this winter
I aawe away several tons of seal la sacks. I never turn an
41d person away or refuse to give *gal 'more there's sickness.
I nave amid fewer sails for help this wiater although it has
been tae most severe on record. Times aris really better. The
nearby mills are running full time and are employing three
shifts. 1 toil my boys constantly new very thankful we saoald
be. .411)4,01.11y so, tint% we are Lmerioans and live In a free
oountry.