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athe: .0.00ert ,ilder
iitie: Livin Lore
AssignMent: Northfiela
Topic: U. iJunnell
"on't catch the ever going south again if I can help it,"
saiu thoving a alt closer to his glowing coal stove
in the little office by the railroad track. "I didn't want to
go this time inu I tried to get my uaughter-in-law to take my
place. 3ut she woLaun't. ..nd the folks said that they wouldn't
go uciess i dia. or a vacation, I'd like to a -had the rolks
go on away and leave the home to chop wood. I like to bhop wood.
ut tney aon't believe it. i Laoi to go. Anu, now, honest I'm
all in. legs are weak anu I aon't reel any too peart. .drat
we went to loriuy, and then to ississippie, Louisana and 'iennysee.
then you've seen them states once you've seen 'em enough. And
%nen you've seen one you've seen 'em all. Licept part. of Alabama
andiennysee. othini to look at all level swampy lana. dome
tithes you go thLles ahu miles not seeing a house. l[ot even one of
them nigger shanties. 'L.ourse they's state roads running through
tne swawps. And tne swamps full of high grass 'oout as high as
yer heau. .-rice in a while yer'd see a drove of razor back hogs, or
peakeu cattle.
i,otnin' to them cattle out horns, oy i,:ever see
such a mess. LliCirilt, give ten cents ror the lot. :_nly place
they and the hogs has to graze is alongsiue the state roads and
railroaa tracks where they's some
grass.
Lan't go in the swamps
or they'a rounaer. L.ouidn't eat the swamp grass anyway unless they
might a oit when it was young. All inured.. Ev,_ry bum color they
-ouert ilder
litle: iivin .00re
I -age 2
As signment orth±ielu
Topic: G.
i6. -ut not up in and iennysee, though.
Iney's plenty
of good lookin erfords there cattle with white .ces you
know. nd the land seeths to oe oetter and folks know how to
iarth. noticed the °urns they have uown there real special.
'cfood mina to uuild one in thy pack lot. I can't keep cattle
now for thy old oarn's all made over into garages for our cars
ana trucks. inc Darns they have there are nothint out shacks
made of poles set in the ground just oig enough tor the stock.
ihey pile the hay all around the outsiae of the shack, leaving
u hole in front where the door is, and cock it up over the roof
to shed rain. .4on't have to shake down the hay to the cows. Ihey
eat it right out of the wail. :Ina I s'p'ose it caves in when they've
eaten enough. .iney let the cattle outsiae to eat around the Oarn
there, too. :)Lit they have to look out that they don't eat too
far in, or the root' would slide, so they cut it off, or rakelit,
or something.
-L made the trip. 3ut it ain't no way to go oy car.
It's all right if you are going to sty all winter and need the
car after you get there. 3ut just for a couple of weeks it's
oetter to 8o on the train. I get so dummed cramped up riding in
a car that my- l 8s are weak when I gat out. Funny thihg, we had a
oit of zero weather in .jecemuer, and that's all, 'til this spell
cothe. -ut way south of us they've had zero weather right along
Awe: ,looert oilder
iitle: .biving Lore
rage 3
AS si6Lauent: or th:Lieici
Topic: G. Dunneil
in places that ain't usually very cold. When we started I had
on my heavy underwear for the first time this season. I thought
1 might oe cold in the car. Andi was until we got way down into
Georgia. Ajown there it was about ninety-five in the shade. I never
was so hot in my life couldn't figger it out. Had an idea that
a. man had no business to come south when he was all tuned up to winter.
But my wife fixed that one for me. She made us stop at aome store
and she oought me some light weight underwear. Up here I go days
at a time without a drink of water between meals. iJut down there
wheire I knew i had no business to drink the waer, i was thirsty
all the time. kaybe the heavy underwear had something to do with
it at the start. But we'd fetched along sandwiches to eat if we
didn't see a good stopping place noons. And I slp'ose I shodd
have et somethin' besides ham. Anyway, I was tired and thirsty,
so I et a couple of tangeril_es, and they did for the. When we got
to I,Liami I was jest aoout aole to crawl. They was Leon, who drove,
my wife's cousin, my wife and I. Leon new his way around perfect.
Be drove us right up to the place where we'd stopped oefore tourist
home 't was. '4te left our stuff and started right with the women
folks who wanted to Uo a little shopping. Leon said I ought to see
a little of the city, so they took me aong. I kicked, out it didn't
do no good. ,Deemeu to me that all I wanted to do was to go to bed
anu
die, or sok,ethint. Leon knew his way arounu so I just followed
him didn't pay no attention to nothin' except to put one foot
.Nemeilboert owilder
litle: Liviri Lore
Page 4
Assignment: .orthfiela
Topic: U. u. unnell
oefore the other. 't was m -Irk then. Jiin't no twilight to speak
of down that way. ihen the sun sets it gets uark right away.
Oamnea if all the shopping they wanted to do wa'n't in the five
anu ten cent stores It they's anything I hate to ao, it's to
hang around store when I don't want to buy nothint. 4e walked
up ana down every aisle. Ana I oet them women uicked up anu looked
over and talkea aoout, half the gol aummeci things they was in that
store. .-ina it was a oig one, too. we started Pack. We
got about half way back and I was figuring on a good rest in jea,
and wondering if I coula hold out long enough to make it without
spoiling the party, for them tangerines was churning aoout pretty
good, and I was getting real chilly, when I'm damned if them women
didn't stop and say that they was going Pack for somethin, they
forgot. I'd triea to oe pleasant all the evening, out I lost my
temper then. 'Layoe you are', I says, tout I'm not. I've got
enough. I'm gpin' to °ea.' Leon said they was nothin, to it.
All I haa to do was to go to a blue sign, the way I was heauea,
and turn right. iz4o I set off without asking any more particulars,
as I might have aone if I hadn't oeen riled.
"hen I got to the jiue sign it said, 'Puolic Parking Space,'
and a feller coulan't turn ri6ht, nor left either, for the space
was all fillea up with automobiles. '1 wan't no street. 3ut I
see another ulue sign farther on. ii,:ayoe that's the one he meant'
nouert iilcter
litle: Living Lore
Page 5
Assinment: -orthifela
Topic: u.
I says to myself. i got there and turnea right, and it le a me
through a grove. And first thing I knew they was nothin ahead
of me out the ocean. '1 dian't pay much attention, out I don't
think we swum anything like that,' I says. 'Guess fieon must
a -said 'left' at the sign. bo I went back, my feet ardggin'
awiul. ell, off to the left they wan't one street, they was a
whole ounch of streets laid out like pieces of pie. All running
in to where Iwas. I took the ieftest one, out it didn't take me
nowhere. oust around among a lot of theatres and restaurants and
things. 1 went pack to the olue sign and waitea. And I was aum
Lou ULU mad.
I figgerea they'd ue along sometime ana find, me.
ut nouody come that I knew. A cop stopped, though, he was a nice,
young teller.
hat's the matter'? LostA he asked.
114-14-o, mister, 11 I says,ItI know right where I am, but I got sepe-
ratea from my folks, and I'm waiting for 'en' to come along.*
61All right*, he says, tAnd if I see anybody looking for you I'll
tell ri ht where you are. here you stopping V
4"1,.istert, I said, 4If I knew, i'a De right there this minute
sleeping.t
'That struck him as kinaer tunny. Ana he pumped it out of me
that all I knew auoLct the place was that we'd stopped there oefore.
Ana that it hau a sleeping porch on the north side. .'hat didn't
,4ame: A.opert Wilder
Title: Living Lore
seem to help much.
Pe 6
si8nment orthfie1c.
Topic: G.
fie says, "Why don't you Lo uown to the station
ahu take it easy 'til your folks 'phone for you?"
"What station?' says I. MThe police station, 0 sajs he. kisterIM
i says, 1'1: may have to 8o sometime. ut I ain't &Diin 'til I have to.
itbr I ain't lost, I says, 61 know ri ht where I am.0 Then I says,
6Lan't you find someoody to 8o with me up one street and down another
'til 18et it located? he said he didn't want to send anyoody
with me he
someoody.
"irst he t
uiun't know, out to come along with him aria he'd finu
ckled some ne,sboys, out they had
papers 'til two o'clock and couldn't 80. Then he
an olu hack. etJust the thing,t he says. 61 know
all ri8ht. Aria you can riue.M
"I 8ot in aria explaineu to the feller what I wanted him
eil sir, we started off up one street fur's I wanted, then
another. overed most the whole section. Ihe ariver asked
to stay with their
sees a feller with
that feller..
to do.
down
me
once or twice if I didn't come over a oridge same as the cop
done. -)ut I shut him up. linally, I see a house with a sleeping
„orch on the north side or what I thou8h was the north side.
was a tourist home, too. I 8ot out and went in. 'T was pretty
late then. 1You looking for a room?' the iauy wanted to know.
'ies, I am, ma'am,' I says. 'I've 8ot a room in some house like
out I don't know where the house is, so I'm lookin, for a
house as well cis a room.' he women lau8hed, anu said she guessed
i‘ame: ELouert ailuer
litle: 1,ivink Lore
I:Le 7
Assignment: _4orthfield
Topic: G. L. „Junnell
the house I was lookin' for was on the °trier side of the uriuge.
.;he said somethin' a -pout how easy 't was to be turned arounu that
got my goat.
"I told the feller to arive me Oack where he f• und me. lhat
4u wait there. aon't you let me urive you to the polide
statIon't' he wanted to know. 'iister0 I says, ain't no
maniac that has to De confined to ue shut up I says. 'And,
i ain't lost nuther: I ain't parley, and I ain't a goin8 to oalod,
64ya. 'at I want to do is to finu that G -D- house,' I says
'AndI can't uo that sitting in no police station!'
"I maue him let me out uy the Dlue sign. Ana. I hung around
there auout a hit hour _longer when I see the car coming and the
folks looking out right and left. ihey see me and. stopped. I went
out anu got in.
3elieve me they'a a neara somethin' if my wife's
cousin hadn't a ueen along. I uidn't want to say an ything that
would a spoiled tne
"hey asked me why- i didn't go to the police station, that they
naa telephonea there. I askeu what I wanted to go the police station
tor, that i was seeing tne city and having a fine time. Leon said,
you've put us to a lot of trouule, we've been ariving for
hours looking for you.' lhat set me off. I told 'em I didn't give
a damn if they'd driven a. couple of hunured miles. I hoped they
huu. Ihut they knew i was all in. And (Adrift want to go to the
Pe 8
-dme: 1).obert "itiluer
litie: iivin ore
As signment:
lopic:
G. c.
.,ortnfieid
store anyway. -AEU askeu lem why the hell they hau to take
'Lne car. .k4hy aiun't they come back to where they left me, or to
the blue sign they'u sent me to. i.ieon saia he thought he'd sent
me where 1 could find the bridge all right. And hearing pout
the bridge again I shut up.
"1 aidn't see anything that nit. 3ut the net mornin' when
I.got up for my talk, I'm au:wiled if the hou.e wasn't.right next to
oridge. /-Lna the oriage wasn't the kina that you'u think a feller
coula miss. i don't know whdt went under it for they was high walls
all around anu they was a nump in the mivale that was the most prom-
inent thing anywneres around. 1 uunno how I ever got across it
v.ithout seeing it. ,Jut I aia.
.-g-gone, let me live up in the country where things are laid.
out 6016 you Cain iinu your way arounu. 3elieve measiipatax, us old
kees know our way around the country, even if the city stumps us.'")..,„
uk)utside of getting lost,. aiu you have, a good time in iilorida.4
no, can't say as I aid. -Linua silly to oe down there
sweltering in the sun when you know it's so dum cold in north. I
was born a northemar and guess always oe one. I like the snow
and the cola, damned if I don't.-
,A4Funny peo_p_i!2Lo..!Li_iiirre to. I had a talk with a feller I aimos
punched. It might have °ten a street fight if I'd been feeling
we:lAouert -Alder
Title: J -ore
Page j
Assighmeht:
Topic: idunnell
4.-w-mayue it was feeling t e way i did tha
1111...1•11.••• 411•11111MIWIFIWWP
1-e got to talking aoout how the government should pay
compensation to its emoloyees that got inured in its service.
iflat if they got laid up serious, that they should pay all the
rest of tneir lives. i wanted to know why fellers that worked
tor the government was oetter than anyone else. i know they think
that oecause they al.e working tor the overnment that they can
throw their chests out. ut wno the hell is the government. Isn't
it you? Alia isn't it me? Ain't we a oit of he government. And
ain't them fellers working for us? 'iiho pays us if we get laid up?
'any sLoulu we tax ourselves to pay people that's working ior us
compensation for solhetnin6 that, mayoe, was their own damned fault?
<2,k told him how I had to ejoin this social security, and pay so
much ior everyoody hi -red. Ihat some fellers didn't have numeers,
nor they wouldn't have numuers. 2)ut I sent in what Is supposed
to at the time J. was supposed to. Ihen I didn't need any help and
laid 'em oif sawe's we always do. e hire extra men to help us
through .rushes and then when the rush is over do the work ourselves.
i diun't SeliC1 in any money for ourselves ,I 5ot a letter
Culii14; my attention to tileItoversigit,41out I didn't pay no
attention to it, Icaue they didn't enclose no envelo e, nor ask me
V-/
14-ame: itooert ailaer
Jiving Lore
Page 10
Assignment: _,orthrielu
Topic: G. 4,unneil
anything. It was ,ust a dun. And, finally, they said if I aidn't
I,remit'iby a certain aate theyla arrest me. well, thinks I, if they
want to arrest me, guess I'll let 'em do it. It they put me in
at least thqell pay my expenses. And, if they're going to
show me how to run my ousiness, guess I'll give it to 'em,
l'm eligioie for an old age pension, and 0" LA414•I guess that's
more than I'm making here. If it ain't, I'll holler ror weirare.
shucks, they never done nothing apout it. I sent the money
in again as soon as -I_ hifea someone else. 3ut what's the iuea of
that? Ihreatening to arrest a feller that's aoing as he's told.
r----
ulnatssomething like the row I had with the state over a numoer
plate n one or my trucks. 'T was an eXtry plate in case I wanted
to do some outsiae work. I paid 'em that they askea aria got the
much more
plate oout five weeks after i asked for it. hadn't
than got the plate when I get a letter saying that the price had.
gone up on the plates, and i was to send 'em five dollars more.
I paid no attention. ext J. hear that they were going to cancel my
A.ates and to sena 'em in. I paia no attention, icept to look and
see that have the recei-t for the price, where I can lay my hanaS
on it. iext, I'm to oe arresteu and the plates taken from me. I
toia the cop that come, that he could read the receipt, out that if
he touchea those plates 'la light into him, he started to swell up,
out he changea his mina. Ana it's ,00a he aiu, or I'd a-ueen the
awe:,,00ert ',dicker
Living tore
Page 11
Assi6nment: iorthfield
lopic: L7. Q. J-dunnell
death of ooth of us. e went off and I never heard nothin6 more.,
ine 6tate lied to me, too. I found i didn't need .them plates to
do town work anyway. Lut they said I did. ,Jut none of their
friends uou;aht y I 6uess not. Yes sir, with things Loing like
that, iferytnin6, hittin6 me like it done, i think it's time for a
chan6e in 6overxiihnt have somei espectable crooks for awhile:"