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Mrs. Marie Haggerty
paper 6
JUL 6 'hi 1939
STATE MASSACHUSETTS
NAME OF WORKER EMILY B. MOORE
ADDRESS 84 ELM STREET,
WCRCESTER4, MASS.
DATE OF INTERVIEW aunt 26, 1939,
SUBJECT LIVING LORE
NAME OF INFORMANT MRS. MARIE HAGGERTY
ADDRESS WORCESTER, MASS.
Mama: WIT B. Moore Asaignment: Worcester
Title: Living Lore Topic: Mrs. Marie Hagerty
•-JUL 1939
"I always like to come here, for it makes me think
of the nice places I lived in when I was working for people. I like
nice things, and I would had all good things if poor Pa had lived. He
always said I was his 'queen' and he would set me on a throne before he
died, but I wouldn't call where I'm livin' now any palace. Well, its
handy for the children, and saves carfare and the like. No, I don't even
know who lives next door, and me that was always so friendly. You can't
mix in with people that lives near you these days. Who knows, they might
be crooks. In my day, a body would know a crook or a bad woman just by
looking at them, but these days some of the nicest looking people are
crooks. Themdays, if you went certain places, you met certain people, and
nice people didn't go to them places. My uncle always told me 'never to
go anyplace that you'd be afraid to be found dead in', and I guess that's
pretty good advice, too.
"I like to go to night clubs, for when I see all the
people dressed up nice, it reminds me of Mrs. French and her girls. .They
always had such nice friends come of an evening, and they would sing and
play the piano, or a violin, and sometimes a person mould come that would
recite pieces. There was one man who was on the stage, and he was a
great actor, and when he would recite a lady would play 'Hearts and Flowers'
and your blood would like to run cold. Then, one time they had a meeting
at their house, and itw as sort of a religious meeting, in a way, but when
I think back on it, as more like a spiritualist meeting. We had gas lights,
Name: Madly B. Alborg Assignments Worooter
Titles Living Lore Topic: Mts. Matie HaggertY
Paper 6
and they turned off the gas light, for there wasn't to be no light* but
a small flame burning. Well, the cook and me stayed in the butler's
pantry and watched them. We didn't see nothin' but they said next day
that Mrs. French talked with her mother, that had died years before, and
she told her where a certain paper was. Poor Mrs. French, she kept to
her bed for days after; I guess it must have been sort of a shock.
"I don't much believe in them things, out there's some
fortune tellers today that can tell you things pretty straight. When
poor Pa was in the hospital, a friend of Marie's took me to a fortune
teller, and she told me I would wear black very soon, and that I'd have
money very soon, within a three. Well, it was three months from that day
that Pa died, and before the next three months, I got a insurance policy
that I didn't know Pa had.
"Then another time, Marie was out of work, and Bill
had a bad case of psoriasis, and John was in the Marines, and I didn't
know what way to turn. I read ar\add in the paper, and 1t said 'Morris
knows all and tells all, with names and places and dates.' Well, I thought
about it a long time, and then I went to see him, right here on Pleasant
street. Would you believe it, he told me while he was out of the room,
for me to write my name, or any name; so, I wrote Pa's name and he came
right back in and told me Pa's name. Well, after that, I had to believe
what he told me, for he never seen me before. He told me to have Bill
change doctors and he would get better, and not to worry, my daughter
Name: Emily B. Moore Assignment: Ibrcester
Title: Living Lore Topics Mrs. Marie Haggerty
Paper .6,
would get work, and to fix up and make room, that somebody was coming
to live with me. Well, I knowed he was telling me the truth, for didn't
he tell me Pa's name? I went home and made Bill change doctors, and he
got better the first week, and in two days, 'aerie went to work for Mr.
Welton. Now, that ain't all. I was just fixing up a room, for I couldn't
for the life of me imagine who might be coming, whether it would be a man
or Woman, but whoever it might be, I wanted to ready,for them. I was just
thinking where my extra blankets was, and in walks my John; now, I never
expected him, for he was somewhere near Cuoa the last I'd heard. Some
people don't believe in things like that, but how could I help it, when
each time they told me the truth. They say I should have a lot of money,
for my tea leaves always reads right, but maybe in that case, money means
health, and I have my health, thank God.
"Up where I lived, in New Brunswick, people was more
superstitious than I was. I remember very well, and very -clear, that on
the next farm to my uncles', there was a family, and whatever possessed
them, they had a fear of anyone setting foot on their land on the first of
May. We ahyed clear of them, for the fear growed up with us. All around
their farm they'd walk on the first of May, with a big shotgun on their
shoulders. After I got older, my uncle told me that Canadian people
only moved from house to house on the first of May, and that these people
moved to a place in between that time, and they had bad luck, so for gen-
erations back, they thought it was a curse to have anyone step on their
land on that day. Once a drunk man got on their land, and he was shot,
Name: Lally B. Moore Assignment: Worcester
Titles Living Lore Topic: Mrs. Marie Hagerty
?ARILS.
and the constable wouldn't even go to their house to arrest him until the
next day. Funny, how queer some people are. Pa was never like that. He
was really a very sensible man. My, but Pa was good.
*No, Pa wasn't my first beau, indeed not& I always
hat lots of beaus, and I never was a wallflower any place I went. I al-
ways had lots of danceol and when they played post -office, I wail always
called plenty of times. Yes, indeed, I knowed the 'glove language', but
them days, we had a parasol language, that was easier, and more fun. If
you went walking of an afternoon, all the nice girls carried parasols, and
my goodness, some of them were certainly beautiful. My cousin gave me one
that was all black, with long lace all around the edge. He said it made
a pretty background for my faze. Mrs. French had lots of pretty parasols,
and once when I done something for her, and she was pleased, she gave urn
a whits lace parasol, with long lace, about six or eight inches, all around.
It had different sets of linings you could pin on the inside, so if you
had on a blue dress, you put a blue lining inside your parasol, and if you
wanted a pink lining, all you had to do was put a pink lining inside your
parasol. I never had such a nice one as the one with the colored linings.
Well, we'd go walking of an afternoon, and sogEtimes,
if two of us was together, we'd talk the 'parasol language', just sort of,
well, to have fun with the young men. Oh, goodness, if I was alone,
I'd be scared to death of the guys on the street& I'd never dare look
either right or left. Well, let me see, if I can remember if you
wanted to get acquainted with a young man, you'd carry your parasol high
Name: Emily B. Moore
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Worcester
Topic: mes. Haggerty
Paper 6'
above your head, in your left hand. If you wanted him to walk after you,
and you thought he liked you, you'd close your parasol, and carry it in
the right hand. If you wanted him to come and talk to you, you'd hang
your parasol, careless like, over your right shoulder. Yes, meant lean-
ing your parasol on your right cheek and no, on the left. Sometimes,
just for fun, we'd invite a young man to follow us then when he got a long
1-4,1y4-eit
ura.c.
way off, we'd swing it back and forth on the right side, and away they'd
run.
°Yes, indeedie, we had lots of fun in them days, just
by such simple little things, like flirting. Oh, yes, sometimes you met
very nice gentlemen. The ones that I liked was always the 'dandies', for
I couldn't abide untidy men. Why, once I met with a, young man, and he
looked so nice, and dressed so nice, and when he got close to me, I'd
like to die, for he must have worked in a livery stable, he smelled so
bad. Girls had to be careful them dayst Oh, Pa, well .he was different.
His skin skin was pink and white, and hisnwas pretty, and he always looked as
though- he just had a bath. He had a sweet smell, and always had candy
or smmethin' sweet in his pockets. he was so lively and full of fun;
poor Pa, if he only knowed how different things are with me, he'd turn in
his grave. He always wanted me to have the best. Why, after we was mar-
ried, there wasn't a Sunday afternoon that he didn't hire a horse and
buggy to take me out, knowin, that Ivy:as usea to that. And he always
brought me candy, even if it was just chocolate drops or rock candy. Now,
1
Name: Emily B. Moore Assignment: Worcester
Title: Living Lore Topic: Mrs. Hagerty
Paper 6_
the only time I get anything nice like that is, maybe Christmas or
birthday time, or when you give me things not that I want things,
but, a body's children think when you're old, you're old) and that's
all, and that you have no feelin's. Now, I don't think I feel any
different now that I used to, for I still like nice things. Well, at
least, one thing, nobody can take a body's memories from them. Good-
ness, is that the right time? I must run my Marie will be home and
she hates me to be out and not have the lights on. 'I've had such a nice
time talkin, about old times. Good-bye, my dear.*