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1 R4AeDike Ih. TAAAd tollAT 1 JOWAD YU*
A Depression Violas: Awry
itten by: ers• Ada Aadtord
Augusta
Sditbd by: ere. stis ii.iserris
:AlposevisIng editor
Giorgio iiriters' Project
Area
Auguste, aloorea
te
-.411 lLfl hOWI
',:ktortija
AA.i...414(..i iclai
"hit, again .a)J1't, tninx you saould drink so muck'. wine.
.ihy aren't you at work'r"
"i worr,ea last nigut; SOW.0 new gurts oi the macninery had
to be installed aka l'm off today.'
a home and go to bed, boyt You look like a
,ae foragoiug conversatian was a groat surprise to me.
nod known rr-inceu t,:urter tor years and tnougut her absolutely
,inulfierent as to wt became oi anytning or anybody.
)11e turned to soak to me au the door closed beuind the
young man and alter we had exchanged greetings, I remarked ulion
tae unusual situation of a 3tore4.eeper rafusing to market nor
wkA.rds. .t Lae sanie time addint„ a word ot commendation for tne
etwld SIJO dad tus-an.
,ue loo-ced at le rat,A„or .,trunely and sai
"on!A. guess I'm not so bad at neart. Jf course I'm in
business to sell and also tor the money I can get out ut it.
4Lowever, l'd muca re,tae,' not 381.4. to a youug MAU like nim tor i
know ni3 physical conuition."
rxes„irter and aer son, were busy waiting on an
aver-iucrea:sin :Jtres3.1 of customeri,-, that poured into this
srocery and liquor store. Ohe time tais NUJ one of
tie outstanding businesses in .hugusta's environs.
had arriveo at a very unpropitious time. it was pay day
at tares of the nearby Lianufaoturing plants and everybody seem
t)( eager to spend money.
client was muon tau oucupied to pay me any attention
and my interest mitered upon a negro boy wgo walked in briskly
aha as4ed for a package of esterrieid cigarettes.
"1:aere stands tile macuine, boy. ire. rter said a
littie iu,paLiehtly. '1.A:it your noney ih tue slut dIA2 learn to
operate it. ,a t you
Very muctl crostiolleh over tue ordeal of manipulating tae
mac.ine, tue boy said. —eokly:
"Ilse 1;.)(, two nickels anu a
"rut your money ih the slot dna pull the lever wuere you
see 1nesteriie.Lu cigarettes.'"
rignto tis iraiices. But milieu one 01 these nules
uoesi. ut my uie,tel
;ith muua kinder manner Ulan I would have tuought possi-
ble sae explained tufa intricacies oi tue macaine. ae puilod the
levor very Iirtly with an almost terrified expression on Llis
face as tuou6h ue expected sometaing to jumi: out ana grab him.
wJW rolieved no ap,)eared *nen he saw tile eigarettes in tne open-
,,)uk and see if your change is in tne pack." said kilra.
6urtr. Le looked and so aid _Aire enough the correct
ohange *us tuere. I coulah't ;Alsip remarking:
tua mauaine operates witu aLost aumar intelligence.
reit certainiy does." ..;artor answered. "it also hunus
out matcaes, out we arc ot er taem at eresent. 4nd aay,. does
it save me dellare: I don't sell cigarettes. The machine handlee
ail of tne ealee ano
nobedy can. aek for credit rnat device's
motto le 'no money no ci-arottes.'
"Befere buuc,nt it peoi)ie would come in, buy a pint ot
wnieke.j aed utter teey paid tor it tney'0 want a packaos of
cig rettes on oredit. 46 iitO3I 01 them never remembered to pay,
Lore went ray profit as well 11.3 some or my principal, for i
haven't ever learned tu aay,
.111
Tne iarlux cuntinue „Arne were payin6 bilis end all seem-
ed te be buyin6 arintze. tee center of tae roual u large pool
tbie wi4h its two player:1i wus surrounded oy spectaturs.
ear:;;..
Certei. (seem over and started to tai tu me but only
ror a MUMiJ41., for aar te.tIoi was attreoted by two LAW Wo au
COMJ jt
A.1.1 y.).L4 excuse le?" uae as ed nurrleUly. 'hen they
ceaie in we alwaye play oUr, ior oaca-colas."
c•f,ed as tie played. eae lost ancl tae-drins were on
aUUse.
.Ars ju t laughed and 34ia
Just fay luc, boys. %hat will yuu
..;ae ta' ed to me ULU explained. ''ee play oards four or
rive titties a da.y for drinks
Liu Ot aiwuye lese i ased.
'ul n iwici £uito often 41.1U enjoy the run oi playing.'
"ere fl&ier roue o.L ,tot,ers errivea a;Id. 3110 W43 Oil
to ›erve taom. dr t,ie time re,iieteu tac.t pay day WUJ the
Iroug time to try to telv, to anybody AIO VNUS uoin: bAt011 a rue-
iig 011iiLOSZ3, 00 J. ae4ed if afgat return on ,oaday.
"lieL11, reelly Vain', it would be better fer on pay days
are very busy."
aud and quite 301110 time to lo44 around tau old store
,Nita its aujoinin6 residenee. one corner wa-tIrtitioned orr
iar a liquor store, whose 1ixtures iiJel4a0a a feot-rail, so
,r vaient i tile 3Z-100/13 at previous yeere. In tue rear of tae
e4ore a stairwuy ieu to wnat Jearaed _Later, was a larre din
nail, x -ore Oarter Lau ieruerl;,' o eratou a Li1TLt cleo.
).20 ha eatered to partiee WILJ iaae reservations fer an evenia6
at uencin, anu iun. eecause J1 ill aebiLA ,iae hnt. eein ferceu to
close it. T e entrce to c,,e reside.e3a is taroutei a long hail
tut leaus to the (lining room ewe Adtchen on tae iirst lloor.
Jetner stuirway gives on to a SOOoilti fluor wore teere are Lair
tee,. rooms al -Al a btu. The entire Ileor is hanneuxely rurnieneu
ant) ral,,rosents a., outiad Ja4,1111 dollars.
jrluot eue early
enuay .„.arnin:; WUJ tsere This
tire rter was seated by an electric heater, crocheting
beuseread 1.-er aer niece, viku is to oe married in JULO.
rter is rater attractive witn tier wavy, blunde, bobbed hair
and siling, blue eyes.
-0-
-a0 coatinueo to crooaet as we t-iked.
"I Waz bora oruary V, Ibb, at a.ad.,svilia, avoryeies
Louisiaha, eldest in a family or six ohildren. My fataer, Wiley
Cain, vas a 1raler dilti my mutaer, Terresa Cain, taught a private
school waiea add an enrollment of 46 pupil. i received such a
goou foundation by studying for my first three yeare with my mother.
"When I nus nine yeara old my parent;3 moved to ;..ugusta and
my father aecured a job with the city whieh he retained until Lis
deatu hi 1016.
,purcuts were Cataoiics dna I ttended the ored Leart
aaaaemy.
."Ro, i din 't finisa Liga oiooi. ix montas before gradua-
tion my father died and I iiud to stoa aria go to work. I worked at
tae ,aagusta Joe hive uutil I married Lerbert Carter in lCi0O.
'My Ausband, who WaS a cotton buyer for the ilantera' Com-
press Company t tile time or our marria6e went to work t4e follow-
ing year for taa jeorgia iiallroaa. ie diou't like railroad work
and in a very snort time ae gut a job as warehouseman at tne
;i.tlantie 'aura OU3e. he wt s mantler t!Jere for a number of years.
"i eoneelved t e iea that I would like to launch out into
tae.busine v,orld doout the time Lay husband went to work for the
eorgia Railroaa, 63 opencd a grocery etore on 4rigataboro aoaa.
"1,ro.. the very first i aad a turiving OUSiD0415 aud before
very ions I aad to enlarge my store. Then 1 add been in business
for about three years my sOL .1k, born.
"Op with taut time my business was purely an experiment
something l just
but now waited
money could give
business. iraid
wanted to do.
to swell it.
him.
Tnen A.
threie clerks
I already add a good bank account,
iJy boy must nave every advantage
began to study and plan fur big
and enou6h business to keep two
delivery trucks and several bicycles busy. 14 sules averaged
a day on week days and from .ilbU to 42o0 on iti.turdays.
"in 1907 fire destroyed my place and A. had very little
insurnoe. Tae owner decided to build an apartaent house on tile
lot anu if i opened a ain I would nave to find another location.
-y nusband was still at tile 'Ltiantic iCarehouse making a good
sulary andI deoided to just keep my home.
"i longed to be in business aGain, however, and in liii we
bougnt this corner and rebuilt tile pla00 at a coat of *16,0o0.
7;o put in leZ,uOO worta of grooeries and installed a barroom in
tae roar. VA* had a room fur games eehind the saloon.
%el had a prosperous business from the beginning. Our custom-
ers, waiter enu colored, wored in tae plants nearby and tatty
bougnt their groceries and drinhIs from us. On pay day the managers
would oolleot and we never lost a aiitle.
oash business.
"Our bank deposits were froa e4Uo to --bt) a month. This
represente clear pl'o'JAt and Wa3 frum taa grocery business alone.
husband handled the finunoes from the bar. T'huse were indeed
days of prosperity.
was just tile same as a
"one by one tee plurits olooe 1:tien t e Internatianel
agricultural Uori,ortior cloeed
tn rermers couldn't get
a dime. opie were out or work with nowhere to go and noth-
ing to out. The only plant that remained open WO8 tile BUOiLeye
Uil jjj, and
re, of them
"1 aaa
a number or their employees were
worked only three days a weeis:.
a mixed trao.e, same of tae rolks
out off and the
had epent their
money with ma for yours and 1 couldn't refuse to help them now
teat they needed ma. 'he all taought tne trouble was only
temporary and that the plarits would open again in a few weeks
or month at tae longest, and then business would aujust it-
self.
"I never dredaied it would last until my shelves were empty
and my drawing account dwindled. tiLi hoding against hope 1
kept on buying and s ilinç on credit until my last dollar was
iLoue. I nad 46,U00 in diamoncie; one riag alone was worth
1 sold all ot theai wttr ne exdeptidh of my engagement and wedding
rings.
"'rain oe day my ausbana itanered into the store and asked
me to isw: him a clonal.. J. complied gledly out he never lived to
spend it. ne just sat down in one of the ohairs and died a
broke, disu pointed man.
"Yes, I buried nim aria I tiaI to do that on credit. You see,
he wu still my husband anu tne ratner or my child, regardless of
divorce laws."
"Valet happened to him, how did he boo all of Aia money?"
"cell, it's n long, peirlui story Chet 1 don't like to
thine about. Vihen tee warehouse closed he had nothing to employ
his mind. iumarried one damn crook, quit her and went to Cali-
fornia wite enoteer. For tales last offense he was put in jail
for vioiatioe of the 'ehlte elave Law. Phi d cost him plenty be-
fore he rue free te return to laigusta.
"Then he 6ot in witn fiurrett and Company and we all lost
tide time. 1 hed 4_ CO(. invested and had endorsed notes for him
amounting to I am still paylnc on
"hew ie your oueinees at tee preseht time?" 1 asked.
Eotteill 1 texe in around 44,20e a month and my overnead is
appratel uC. I am nearly orazy ene don't know which way
to turn. The dame chain tOres have juet ubout ruled the inde-
pendent ones. L,ueig the Weit people buy from me ou oredit,
then waen they 6et their cesh on atereay they i;o and spene it
at the h r aeu ogers.
"Aoout two year o ucen d a night club and inetelled a
heating system UFA, oust me eriQu. 1 really made 600d and would
have J-OUL, pule my debt, bet it ceee near killin6 Dia, 1 couldn't
buru the candle at both enue. i. triee to wore. in the store all
day wee in tee club at night."
"Why couldn't your Son nelp you't" I asked her.
"You see, he is far from well and thee, too, he is not de-
pendable. ne stays urunk for weeks at a time."
"That's terrible fur you. It must keep you worried all
tae tim
tt
"Yes, it does." ...he said somewhui; sadly. "Iut had it
coJting. 'ben he began to talk, we would sit him on the counter
it the bar ano give him wine anu someti:aes whiskey to drink.
lso taught nim to curse. it was runny then, out have liv-
to regret it and am reaping in tears what i sawed in fun a
row year Ref).
"m), he flew never married. he has been going with a girl
,•gsven years anu al,e is line. like aer and ane thinks a
lo o. aim. Out he will never marry her. ne 13 the only child
4.liti asr :11W- r i i idov, who dips snuff and ia absolutely
ignqr4ut. Ly bo,, just couldn t marry and mix me up with a woman
it taat."
Uarc1r, you nt.ve '1 liquor store here. How did you
t the license' D) they issue liquor licenses to women;"
"h o, tL1 license ts th 27w son's name.
t4ink eau;eu the dspra8iOfl We, i don't
i.-Laveost ,lve, it gqich th,ui„ht. waa too busy trying to
I: gat my way out ant.i make a dol ar for myself. ali owe kraal-
uerL t treamnuous debt fur pulling us through this far
end we wat Jr anotr trri. II we don't get him, or someone
if ttt were possible, whJ wiii carry out his ideas and
piano, we aruuu r i 1,,-nty of trouble.
"Ana you say t.„.e final quostiun is what i think al women in
busiuess. ell, A. thinX they make i,:oad managers. As a rule they
use more judgment and are much ittora considerate, especially ix
the liquor busine3.6. EJacut 7, of the homes were saved during
the de ression by wives, who planned and sacrificed iu order to
ICJep a roof over their heads. ''.heh h man gets 1D trouble it
t -a wor;hd to pw_l him out. Pak e we for example. My husband
Ui3 to Lae for help and died under the roof I had aaved for myself
arid my boy.