Document text
you, CAN'T F-/Cart44 (9/4y:A_Lirz_biaLmktet
7. -ITOIY I'M Mat IN eti hIM
"Tell how it was in some gayer city
or brighter place,
speak of some bloodier, hung-
rier, more treacherous time
any other age, any far land"
She is a thin, timid gum -chewing
typist/ The bones of her hips show
beneath the gay dress from Klein's,
the wrist under the novelty trinket
from foam's is too sharp, amd the
calves of her legs are too skinny'
under the sheer hose, 69c special,
the pale chestnut lair too Garbo-
like against the anxious eyes. If
you took the bravery out of the
smile and the baby trust out of the
eyes you'd have UM a skeleton wage
slave with amilm dreams of an island Ad
Brian Aherne. In fact, if you struck
her too deep, the e:ies would fill with
helpless, angry misibilime tears.)
Forms to be Filled out for Each Interview
FORM A NEW YORK
Circumstances of Interview
STATE
NAME OF WORKER Herman Partnow
ADDRESS 557 West 144 Street
DATE May 9, 1939
SUBJECT Unemployed fringe
1. Date and time of interview
Almil 10, 1939
2. Place of interview
Automat, 14 Street and Fourth Avenue
3. Name and address of informant
Z)-0
Anonymous
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in
touch with informant.
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms,
each bearing the proper headini_ and the number to which the material
refers.)
STATE
NAME OF WRKER
ADDRESS
DATE
SUBJECT
FORM C
Text of Interview (Unedited)
Herman Partnow
557 West 144 Street
May 9, 1939
YOU CAN'T FIGURE ON A LIFETIMEisio
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
YOU CAN'T FIGURE ON A LIFETIME
My boss, that nosey thing, he was always sittin
on me with them over -developed muscles until I got sick
and tire erdisr I got the incentitive that day I don't
know. Mayb it was because I was wearing whites I like white,
I wear eve hing with a white collar, it makes me feel
rjjaA
(7;
good.
The boss was in the frontJR
a big clulti2T) Aliel was
heart would break, I was hankering for life. Rose, I said
to myself, in this day and age you can't figure on a lifetime.
Marriage is getting pushed further and further in the
background, if you're single it's no stigma. I got up from
my desk, I opened the boss's door and I yelled: Look, Mr.
Sternberg4 you can wait a hundred years and you'll never get
a typist like me. Look at my hair, my white blouse, my
I never look unruly,
nails./I'm never idle a minute, Iximmigirclasikxxamly and I
got artistic ability besides. Next payday I want twelve
dollars.
sitting there
and typing like my
It's a Jewish trait. In front of a customer a
goy would think but say something? Never. Biett
Pfigimilirmitiropened up hill big mcZVdIthed out his
muscles and he yelled: Miss Rosenthal, see me in the back.
The most terrible thing, you understand, see me in the back.
I don't know wiseimimmilimiiimmemos, I wasn't even scared.
I was in the mood of makin money; nothing bothered me.
2
Listen, don't you think they know if you're worth it to
,them/ They got big mouths but they know if you're worth it,
don't worry. You think he fired me?
I'm telling you from that day until he lost his
business he was so nice to me like my office boy, he used
to bring me up milk shakes. He was at my beck and call.
Before he was sitting on me, in the future
everything was in reverse, I was sitting on him.