Document text
LII4 HISTUta
6ubjeot:
Ars* Sam X. Whelehel,
1391 Uiller Heed AVG.,
Atlanta, Georgia.
hrs. Whelchel might be described as "good stable peasant
stock". "Neliable" would express her in a word. She is tall,
large -boned, and has a definite tandem toward "heftiness".
Though her unooreeted figure is well under *antral at present,
one can see that her firmly -bulging salves are but a prelude
to ultimate general massiveness.
we found her seated in a rocker on the front porch, comb
in hand, finger -waving the hair of her little girl. on the
banister beside her was a glass of water into which she occa-
sionally dipped the womb. With every movement of her body
the chair teeter -tottered over the warped floor boards.
The house itself was a weather-beaten frame bungalow
painted green and trimmed in white. It looked none too sub-
stantial and the aisproportionately large gable that formed
the roof of the poreh seemed to put a threatening strain upon
the slender two-by-four posts that supported it.
Uses. Whelehel pretended to a great show of self -dispar-
agement when we explained our visit. "Lord, what's there to
write about me?" But at the same time she obviously was
pleased that we had chosen her and was Just a bit fearful
that we might take her mild depreeations too seriously*
"Well, what do you want to know," We suggested that she
tell us about her family.
2.
*Well, husband works over there at the Chevrolet plant.*
Is had seen an Whelebel down at the union office. He was a
groat bulking figure of a men, full of laughter, and mash like
a big overgrown boy despite the premature grayness of his hair.
"He unloads the supplies on the docks and before that be was a
buffer. A buffer holds the fenders up against a wheel severed
with some soft fuzzy stuff and palliates off the seratehes. No,
they don't do that any =ore. I don't now why; maybe they
jest don't ears about tho seratehes.
*aan's workial five days a week now. He gets eighty
*eats an hour and works forty hours a week. Jut it's sea-
sonal work, yoknow. They're going full blast now bemuse
the now model** out, but he was off for three months this
summer and jest want beak in September. Tas, you sure do
get behind when there's a layoff. I don't ears bow long
hes been working, if he's laid off for jest two weeks it
rains you. Oksit's bad. it we're gettin' by. We got two
boarders, a couple of men who work over at the plant. We
used to rent out that other side of the house; you see there's
a aspirate door. Bat we jest got these two men now. Yeah,
it helps a lot. We tried to make some money on the ehlikens
but we jest about broke even maybe a little more, I don't
know. We had about fifty, but we haven't got none now. Sold
tem and ate 'en. We lost twenty, but the eggs from the others
made up for it.
*We got a cow too. And a calf. La, sometimes I sell
some milk, but we nearly use it all. There's a lady up the
street that sands down for some and if I got it I'll let her
3.
have it, but if I haven't I don't. SOK stye he 'ants to get
rid of the cow, but 1 tell hie it don't *lost as much to feed
her as it would to buy all the milk we need. Wky I'd have to
buy four quarts of milk a day and that'd be more'n she soots
us. I tell Jam two quarts of milk would pay for her feed.
we're gonna kill the calf, though, in a couple of weeks so's
we'll have some neat.
*Wile got three children. This is Tommy -Ana; obeys the
youngest, two years old. That's Hobby in the yard; he's four.*
The children had fairly nice features. may were dressed
in ordinary play clothes that were undeniably soiled, but no
more so than oomid be expected. Hobby's haircut was of the
soup -bowl fashinn-a thick growth abruptly ending at *lose
shaven temples and rounded across the back of the heed. His
left are was heavily swathed in gauze and supported in a
sling. His mother's voice was full of compassion as she ex-
plained, *He broke it last week. lie was gotta' down the back
steps and fell all the way. It Jost daw/ed, poor little
thing."
"Philip's six; he's the oldest. He jest took the
lunches down to his pa and the boarders. Teas I send 'en down
to the union office and they come over from the plant sad eat
'en there: It's easier on as that lacy than if I was to put
up their lunches in the Liorala'. I don't have to get up so
early. If I had to fix 'ea in the morning I'd have to get up
at five eolosk.
*No, we masatt born in Atlanta. My home's in Banks County
and Scu was raised in Jackson County. Oh, I don't knew whoa
4.
Sas first ooms to Atlanta. It wee years ago. And then he
vent through all the states round about Georgia working on
one job or another. But I met him her* and we were married
hare. I told him he went all around in a etre).* and oome
right bask hers to find we. No, he didn't have nook eduea-
%ion. Ba went to high school all right. I don't know jest
how far he went, but he didn't go through it. Be jest taught
himself bis jobs. Bight after I met him he got on as a line
114u, for the telephone company. dletore that he vas what do
you call it? you know, fixed furniture up at the Western
Union offloo hare. Yeah, that's it, a refinisher.
"Yeah, I fiat -shed high school. I vent to Piedmont High
hool up at Demo:est, Georgia. Bow don't put that Piedmont
College; I wish% it was. I finished in two years I had had
one year before that aod I got five more points than I needed
to graduate. The ehildren? Well, I Jest hope we OKU send gem
through high school. "Course if any of 'en shows any special
talent, we'll try to give 'ea some kind of training. Nnybe a
business school or samethia'."
A visit from the insuranee oolleetor termed the oonverea-
tion in that direction. "lea, we got two polieles on the
children two on each of 'en I mean. We're trying to oateh
up now. 441 lisids'% been pawing none simile imeeaber. an oomeo
under the group insurance at the plant. Yes, there's a doetor
there too, and they've got a nurse that oases around. ..he's
nice, but I don't bother with her muoh. Whenever the child
ran' re sick I call a doctor. :atm came around when they had the
measles, though, and mopped their throats and helped with their
5.
medisine. It was aloe too when I ease baok froa the hospital
when Tomuyaknn was born. ails made regular visits."
'Yes, me own the house. There's seven rooms. Sma's pa
built us a eleopin' porch. We used to live up by the eshool„ beak
over there on the hill. The lady what owned the house teld us ve
could rent it for fifteen dollars a month for a year, but we hadn't
been there six months before she told us she was gonna raise it to
twenty-tso-fifty in two weeks. There's sometkin' I went to tell
you. I don't know whether you're interested or not, but we
used to have a ear but we ain't got it now. When that women raised
the rent we jest didn't like it. It wasn't so such the money
'course that meant somethin' too but es jest didn't like her do-
ing us that may after a-tellin" us we could have it for a year.
Well, we'd boon wairtin' to buy a house and so I jest talked to
sem about it and he figured it was time to do it too. But said
there was one thing sure we wouldn't boy a house and have a ear
too. 'Lou jest can't buy gasoline and have a house too. lien thought
about that and then he said, Moll, I ean't live in a oar, so Zell
Let the ear go and get me a house we Gen sleep in.' lie we went
down to see the real estate nen and got a list of pleats they had
for sale. And do you know, this is the first pines we oome to and
I like it. 'Course we looked at some others, but I liked this one.
The yard was nothin' but red gullies than, but it was near the
plant, so we got a FRA loan and started the payments. In a little
*tile now we'll jest be paying nine -fifty a month on it. Sam
fixed up the yard. There used to be steps here in the middle of
the porch, but be tore osa dom. Be dragged those Gement steps
up trot. the walk and put len there at the side of the porch.
6.
40 like it better that way, it's shorter across the yard.
e asked if we it go through the house and she agreed
quiokly, surprisingly etough without any of the expected apol-
ogies for the looks of tbiwgs.
The living to was small and, although sparsely furnished,
seemed overcrowded. There were three ohairs, two of which were
rockers siragged in froa the front porch to protest them from
the winter weather. There were also three tables, two of the
ll half -circle type. Lin each of these was a vase of dwarf
ehryeantheaums crawling with ants. n the lower shelf of one
was a large brilliantly-oolored glass pumpkin. The bigger ta-
ble held a 13-inoh world -globe, made in the modern manner with
bro.= oceans and gray continents. Are. Whelohel beamed* 'I
was hopin' you'd ask me about that. We got it with a pet of
books asa's buying for the children. It's the aook of Mural-
ed8e. Oh, the set costs eighty dollars and 911 have to pay
four dollars a month forever. We couldn't afford it but Jam
had been wantint to iret 'am as sort 0 books and the man jest
sofa at the right time, so Sam said he'd go ahead and do it.
we sould have ot a shelf for the books instead of a globe,
but we decided on a slobe."
The floor was oovered with a cheap linoleum square pat-
terned in flowers predominantly red. Several tin cans and a
battered °odd -bucket holding planted geraniums, ferns, and
poleax ear, ranged along the baseboards, obviously brought in
to protect than from impending frosts. The remainder of the
floor was littered with dhildrion's toys, papers, and card-
board boxes.
9.
The yells were in a sad state, being of bare plantar
poorly applied and badly °mikado, "We painted the galls when
we first moved in. They don't look it now, but we did** They
were, however, clean in comparison with the dirty bedraggled
net ourtaius which sa6ged unevenly at the windows* In two
corners of the room hung what -not shelvas holding porcelain
cats and dogs, a *Donald Duok", a pimp -cone turkey, and other
kniek-iknacks from the rive-aad-ton stores*
But the chief architectural feature of the room, uhicb
held and appalled the eye, was the large double-deeked. mantel
plea*, basked with a broken mirror. Its sholvos were littered
with various objects; a picture of the two older children, a
tumbler from which dangled several strands of wandering -jaw,
a rod statuette of a dog, an empty aquarium, mad, on the uppor
shalt well out of reach, a bible,* Leaning against the mirror
was a picture of several butterflies hovering above a clump of
reeds. Highly colored, they refloated light in ammonia? which,
though gaudily real, was nevertheless peculiarly metallic* We
had noticed this same quality in a smaller picture of a ship
which hung on the wall* *I did 'en," said Urn* Mbelabel,
sailing broadly and quite pleased with herself* "as been study
lug how to make thee at our Home Arts class* No, it don't oost
no thin' except for the matarials* It's a 0'4. elass and we meat
up at the school. our Mamma's Auxiliary of the Auto Worker's
Union has a Home Arts Committee and I'm chairman of it. We
used to have the class down at the union hall, but that roma**
so dark and you can't beat it well and it seems like the men
want it all the time, ma's we asked the Parent-Teacher Association
if we could m00% at the sehool and they said yes. We have
classes twice a week from ten to one in the mornings. I
haven't missed but one and I sure hated that, but there's so
much to do, what with the Children and the housekeeping and
the Auxiliary. And tonight I've got to go to a quiltinf
party. Monday night we're giving a suppar here to demonstrate
a set of aluminum -ears that 6mis and I are trying to sell some
of. 60 have to have eight couples, the company won't let um
do it for less.
4e went into what might be °ailed the dining -roan, but
the incongruous furnishings Ladieated that it served a number
of purposes. There was a reen drop -loaf table toward one side
of tlie room, and, by the window, a smaller table sueh as child-
ren use for their play-paeties. wJamss pa made that for the
ehildren. The other table isn't big enough for all of us."
Placed in the mlddle or the room, so that we had to weave our
wa4 through, word an electric washing machine and an electric
ironer. In one corner was a massive electric refrigerator with
an old -model portable mato perched atop it. Al remarked on
these conveniences. "Yes, I omoulault do without 'sm. faxrels
always so much wash in', and that ironer will do banfs pants
Jest perfect. te sure ao like that frigidaire. Sem says
we'll never go book to a ice -box, no matter what ales we give
up." A Negro male was shoving the furniture around in an
effort to *Grub the floor* "She livea here. i.e ot a back
room for her." Out of earshot in the bedroom' she continued:
"I've been trying to find a white girl to take her places
since we want her to live right here in the house, but you
ain't find a good white girl for that aorta work."
9,
The bedroom was that of the boarders. The twin beds were
neatly made and covered with yellow candlewick spreads. "I
make those too, but I didn't make those. I make all our sloth**,
even Saa's workshirts.* She was wearing one of her own home-
made garments, an olive-green cotton dress with cherry -red
buttons. Although over-ftne with too many gores and pleats it
was excellently sewn, with fine -stitched seams, cuffs, and hem.
She brought out some more of the pictures she had made.
They were principally flower and bird designs, traced and
painted in transparent colors directly on the glass. "It's
called 'Gypsy -glaze' painting," she explained. "You see,
put this gold or silver paper behind then Her voles
trailed off as she lawman absorbed in the effects thus produced.
*The silver's better," she decided, "...the gold kills the green."
Taking advantace of her preoesupation„ we made obsermatioas
of the room. The one window afforded little light, so that the
ever-present wall cracks did not show up so startlingly. In
one eorner was a table well hidden under its load of aewspapers,
union sheets, and Grier and Swamp -Root alnanaes. Aerosol the
room in another (wormer was a two -tooted wardrobe, flimsily
eonstrueted of some light -weight wood and stained a bad mahog-
any. Directly under the window was a comparatively modern foot
pedal sewing maehine. "Yes, I sow and do all sorts of thing*
in here in the daytime. The men don't ear.; they only want it
at night." Their further indifferenee to the nieeties of good
housekeeping was indicated by the state of the nentelpieee.
It was literally piled with trash: soiled handl:or:Mists, wedded
sheets of paper, an overturned glass from which spilled several
1G.
stubby pencils, two small tin boxes, and a large cardboard
mateh box so piled with cider and eigarette butts, charred
matchstiaks, and ashes that they overflowed onto the mantel
and even down upon the hearth.
We noticed the niee gas heater in front of the grate and
reoalled a similae one we had seen in the living ROM, "oho
we find it cheaper than any other heat. Yes, mmeh cheaper
than coal. We've got three of tea. They keep the house
plenty warm. Of course in real bitter sold weather but
then nothines no good them.40' We remembered the holes we'd
observed in the dining-roma floor, cl-out right through
the linoleum as if for pipes, but we wondered about their
being bored in the middle of the roma. Of course the cold
air rushed in through them and they Should have at last
been plugged, but at the time the Negro maid was using than
as drains for her scrub -water.
The other front room, which opened through a separate door
onto the porch, was merely a catch-all for odds and ends of
furniture, raes, newspapers, broken toys, and solOY picture
frames. Placed in. a "corner*, but actually well-migh filling
the mall roam, was an old fash1omed iron -framed bed, its bare
mattress lying askew and drooping down to the floor. piled
upon this was the slats and side -boards from yet another bed.
Its head and foot-picees, over -bearing Paneled affairs of
dark -stained oak, were jammed up against the front doer. The
springs, originallystaqked along side them, had slid eomfOrt,.
ably to the floor, thereby pushing the Books of Knowledge,
still moaned in their shipping crate, halt under a pile of
discarded clothing. The narks of the avalaashing springs were
moored deeply in the plaster* adding their sears to those of
the oseiipresent cracks. Mrs. Whelebel was at perfect ease
among the confusion. She even mmaged a sentimental touch.
"That bed," she said, "is the only thing San's got of his
mother's. We did have Bobby and TOMMTADU USW it out on
the sleeping porch until he broke his arm, but we were afraid
they'd bump each other, so we put it in here and gave kin an-
other bety-bed."
she led us bask through the house and out onto the sleep-
ing porch. She was obviously very proud of this and was
pleased with our praise. It was well-eoastrueted in an ell
shape. It was all of white pine, unpainted, and still smell
tag freshly resinous. But like the rest of the rooms, this,
too, was over-erowded and disordered, decorative arrangements
being completely saerifieed far lazy convenience. In the main
part of the room were two baby -beds and a large one. A third
baby -bed stood in the *ell" extension, and beyond this, its
white emamel surfaee gleaming in the sun, was a huge automatic
water -heater.
"And here's the bathroom*" Mrs. whelehel was saying, lead-
ing us into a narrow partitioned cubby-hole which housed the
commode and a commuted shower. "When we bought the place it
didn't have no bath and the toilet was Just a lean-to built
on the back of the house. One of the first things Sem did
was to install the toilet and teen we fixed up the shower.
We don't like a bathtub."
On our way back to the living room we passed through the
kitchen. la a word, it was nosey. liars the plaster had Qom-
pleuely given up the atruggla and had fallen off in great
slabs ekposing the naked lathes. A few emall hairy ehunks
atiI1 olung desperately and threatened any minute to fall
into the sink which ens already piled with dirty pans and
dishoe and gnaw* of water -soaked bread. vn the table were
sticky knives and spoons where throe 'children had but re-
cently helped themselves to peanut -butter and jelly. In
strand. ooutrast to the otherwise disreputable furniehlklge
was toe new white amoderaistie" gas stove. "Oh, bothia's
all paid for, but we pay a little each week sad if Jam don't
got laid off it'll be ours ammo day."
This brought us bask to the subject of her husband's Job
and, seated again in the front room, Ur*. Whelehel went on
talking, her fiubura busily crocheting a boaster. ',Thing*
was bad over at tbe plant oefors they got the union started.
sante been with tom six roars next Ambruary and he knows. Oh,
they weren't ua bud as some please I've hoard about, but until
they got the union the Bon had to do pretty muon what they
told 'am. You know tuo strike was in 1935. Yea, it was ex-
citin' all right. Sam Wisp' in the plant six nights. He
slop' in the tire racks. You know they're two desks and ever
time the men up above turned over .0am says all the dirt and
stuff would fall in his fee* and eyes. Yes, we had the
Woman's Auxiliary then and we run a kitchen down at the of
flee the union officio. Vsø packed baskets of groceries for
the families that didn't have anything to eat and we made
clothes for the children. Dues? Well, I only pay a quarter a
month for the Auxiliary and sometimes I don't think its worth
that, but Jill has to pay a dollaraead-a-quarter to the men's
union. He said something about the quarter being a assessment
for the charity work or somethie. Oh, yes, I think the union's
all right; it's good. They eouldn't do without it now. 'Course
they have their squabbles '1m everything, and they fight among
theyselves, but Sem says it's a real partestion."
"well, if you must, but some bask to see us again. Game
out Wouday night for the eapper if you can. Sem and I'll be
glad to have you. Doan know as I've really told you any-
thing, but you're welcome to it. Goodbye. Tee, goodbye,
goodbye."