Document text
Swenson
701127
LIVING FOLKLORE
3/21A 39
Informant: Anna Saitta
509 East 79 Street. N. Y. C.
Subject: National Bisquit Company Workers. Continued from
the diary of Anna Saitta, written in 1928-29;
June 21, Wednesday. The heat is terrible. The foreman
was every five minutes hollering at us today, because we couldn't
work fast. Our fingers were bleeding from the hot crackers
that stick to the pans, and nearly every one of us had to go for
tin plaster to the nurse. One girl fainted in Building A.
Spanish Mary got fired in spite of the busy season, becatae
she dainced the Tango during lunch hour-- liftedi,up her skirts
above her knees,- the girls clapped and the men workers hollered.
But the foreman, that old joy -killer, came in, and later we
heard she got the air. We were so sad, this made us more sad
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than any sad story told b7' Not even the joke about
the Irish man and the Jewishman could cheer us. Jewish Shirley
and Irish Gertie got in an arguement. Shirley was telling about
a funeral, how the husband of a woman died, how the widow
fainted, how everybody cried and how the Rabbi prayed.
Ha ha, so the Rabbi prayed. Hmm. So it made you sad? How are
you able to eat that sandwich, and a ham sandwich too, while
you speak of a funeral and a Rabbi-- you Jewish hypocrite. This
is what Gertie said to Ghirley. Pray: I never pray. .dhen I
want something, I pmy for it, Gertie said to Shirley. Shirley"
said Gertie was nothing but a whore, and Gertie said, Well, I
am no hypocrite, I am a whore, you are too, all of you, but I
withdraw every word because you insist to make believe each
other, although you don't, that you are virgins. Virgins:
Daddy Browning should whistle once, and you all would run after
him, he should show you a thousand dollar bill and you all would
sPismOwissimiftmOist sleep with him. You're wring Gertie, German
Erna said, Hundred dollars would do. Listen, said Gertie, Poor
people can't be good. Why? A poor person, has no money, and
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wants to have also nice things, for instance I walk through
Fourteenth Street, see those coats in the shopwindows, nice
coats, dresses, shawls. While my shoes are torn, my dress is
dirty, shabby. I say first, if God would perform a miracle and I
would find a purse with thousand dollars, I could buy all those
thing. I walk through the street, look on the pavement and
there is a tope in my heart, maybe I'll find some money. I
look my eyes out, but no sir, I see bannana peels, old papers,
cigarettes and such junk, but money? No'. Then I say, if there
be a God, I must find money. God has to prove me now that he
exists, not only in the Bible, but real life. So I say to myself,
if there is a God, I'll find money, if there is no God, I wont.
And of course T don't find it, and I wish to hell heaven itself.
And that's a sin I know to curse God is a deadly sin, and I say
Le/
the poor ones are like me, and they'll 3.o to hell after death.
And so long I know I'll go to hell, what's the difference how
many sins I have. As long I have to suffer after death, I try
at least to have as much sins as possible. And anyone who has
brains will agree with me.
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We all looked at Gertie, and were waiting for the
lightning to strike her to death, but all stayed the same,
and not even the foreman took any notice of us.
The friend of Shirley is Nelly, Cornelia, who works next
to her on the machine, and she is always telling stories' to
her, confidentially, but in such a loud voice that all of us
t
can listen. We like to hear Shirley talk-- she is alvit!iji alking
in a sad voice even if it is a joke. 73ut Gertie says she is
a hypocrite, and Whenever She is relating some very gloomy
story and almost made us cry, Gertie says something mean, and
spoils everything.
Shirley was telling Nellie about her girl friend. Nelly,
listen to this, Nelly, I have a girl friend, this girl friend
told this story which is a true story. This girl friend of
minirhas a boy friend, that boyfriend of my
riend has e sister
and that sister of my gir4friend's boyfriend ha5also a boyl'riend.
So listen, What happened. So this did happen. That sister
of my girlfriend's boyfriend was deeply in love. She fell in
flove with a fellow, c)c) much. Young in, foolish girl, eighteen
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years old, you can imagine. She was crazy over her lover.
Crazy, I am telling you. So her brother spoke to his mother.
Mother, Ella is deeply in love. So said his mother, What shall
I do about it? Let her be in love, I was in love once also, but
not with your father. But mother, this is a serious thing, she
is deeply in love, I am afraid something will happen. So, said
his mother, you think something will MOW happen, well if
something will happen I'll break her head, and her lover's too.
But you are the brother, so you must watch your sister, that
that something shall not happen as long she isn't married.
So the poor boy was very sad. Imagine, a brother should
watch a sister', that something that has to happen shall not
happen. So he was very sad. He came to his sweetheart (my
girlfriend) and told her. Listen, Ella is deeply in love, I an
afraid something will happen to her. Mother is also worried,
so please watch her a.nd try to be near her when she is together
with that sheik.
\\So my girlfriend promised to watch over her lover's sister
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that nothing should happen. Try to watch a girl, a young irl
deeply in love.
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So What happened? Well, my girlfriend was everywhere with Ella.
She went with them to movies, to the Chinks, to the park.
Wherever apappiabinimmignerrElla went, my girlfriend was after
them. Believe me she had some hard time:
One day Ella came to my girlfriend's mother, and began to
complain. Mrs. Smith, said Ella, I don't feel well. What's the
matter my child? asked she. I lost my appetite, I am never
hungry, I feel disgusted at everything. Well, you must go home
Ella, and consult a doctor, go to your mother and tell her you
sick. My, Ella got white like the wall, then she got red like
the red pepper. Finally she began to cry. Mrs. Smith tried to
console her but in vain. At last Ella. confessed, what do you
think what did she confess?
We began to roar from la,Ighter, but Gertie said, that's
nothing so new, a bastard is born every minute, it'll be your
turn too, Shirley, t
frf
Shirley
ignored Gertie and said,in a szly voice, I an telling
Iyou, no use watching a young irl when she wpilts to do something.
Nothing can stop her. My girlfriend watched. By god, how she
watched over her.
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June 23, Friday.
This Afternoon, we received our little,
but well deserved wages, $14. Again to the machine to pick up
the hot crackers, sweating and quarrelling as usual/ with the
men workers because they put too much work on, and before we
set our wages, the foreman is always snooping around telling
us to work faster or we will get canned today. Gertie was
cursing, she said she would spit in the jaw of the foreman
next time he said something to her. Shirley was talking as
usual to Nellie in a sad but calm voice. Nelly, I have a
girlfriend (believe me, it pays to be honest). Hmm, pays to
be honest. Like hell: said Gertie. This friend of mine was a
poor girl, continued Shirley, she was an orphan, she had ho
parents, and yet she was honest. So Ida what do you think
happened? She married a millionailkwe all said. Far from
that, Shirley said, but she did get married, honesty pays% she
married a truck driver. Gertie said, If that's the reward for
honesty, the hell with honesty. You heard of Peaches? she said
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to Shirley. What a guestion, of course I did. Who didn't.
Was Peaches honest? said Gertie. I should say she •wasn't:
Did she marry a. truck driver? No, she married Daddy Browning,
the millionaire, that crazy old he -goat. Well, triumphantly
said Gertie, now you see whether it pays to be honest. An
honest girl marries a truck driver. A whore marries Browning,
divorces him for money, and gets rich. I never heard that a
poor man got rich from being honest. But a dishonest person,
though poor, has always luck. For example, Ford, Rockefeller,
or other such rascals. Everybody thinks they got rich from
work. 3ut hell, they got rich from cheatih-. Now all the
papers write of them, and after tey die, they'll have some
funeral. An honest man goes on living, suffering, and When he
drops dead, not a dog immis barks after him. I am telling .)'ou,
it's rotten.
Oh, you are always bellyaching, Shirely said, and she
turned to Nellie and started talking. And this is what Shirley
said only to Nellie, but so loud that all had the luck to hear
it. Listen, Nellie, did I tell you yet about my boyfriend?
No, Shirley, you told me nothing about him. You know I have
a boyfriend, Shirley said. This sounds interesting, said I to
German /trna, but Erna asked me to keep quite because she
wanted to hear the story.
So my boyfriend after I knew him for a few IR was, gave
me a friendship ring. A diamond ring. Bought for ten cents
in Woolworths, interrupted Gertie. So I wore the ring every
day. Did I show it to you, Nellie? Well it was a beautiful
ring. The other day I look at my finger, and want to see my
ring. That you think, the ring disappeared. The ring wasn't
there. My heart jumped, I almost fainted. You know, the ribg
of my boyfriend, I didn't mind the money. Gertie: I bet your
boyfriend forgot to pay for it. I didn't mind the money, althougti
it coated him $50. I should live, so it did. He showed me the
11111. But to lose a ring has a meaning. So I had a foreboding,
some misfortune happened. I was so scared, I am telling you,
didn't know what to do. So I went to the foreman. So I said
to the foreman, Mr. Hick, I lost a ring. That's too bad said
Mr. Hick. Yes, 1 said, and the ring was a present. Is that
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so? said again Yr. Hick. It was the gift of my boyfriend, I
said. Mr. Hick said, that's still worse. 30 I told him, I lost
the ring in the factory. Mr. Hick promised to make an investig-
ation and try to find out who found or stole the ring. I went
home, I couldn't sleep all night. I knew something will happen
to my boyfriend. iiext day while I was on my relief, the forelady
told me to go in the office. So I went in the office. Mr.
Hick asked me, how the ring looked. I told him all I knew, and
he said, Shirley, don't be sad, here is the ring. But there was
another girl too, and she claimed the ring as hers.
her how the ring looks. She couldn't describe it.
he asked
the fore-
man gave her a bawling out because sne had the nerve to demand
a ring which wasn't hers. This will prove it to you, how
dishonest people are. I am telling you, .she was red, she was
embarrassed, she was ashamed. And I, I said, it pays to be
honest. And what happened. Well, my heat didn't lie. I
received a letter from my boyfriend, in which he informed me he
fell down from the elevator, freight elevator, and broke his
foot. I am so worried. Nelly, I love him so much, I was
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crying all morning. My mother said I should stop to cry. You
fool, she said, don't cry, crying can't help him. Be calm, he'll
soon recover. Buy try- to be satisfied and calm when somebody
you love is sitk:
We looked at Shirley, and two big tears rolled down on her
face. Erna tried to console her, but Shirley said with a
melancholy smile, I need not your sympathy, my dear. We &11
felt sorry for Shirley, only Gertie kept on laughin, she
laughed even at such a sad story. Shirley turned to Nelly and
said, Nellie have you a sandwich left from lunch, I am so
hungry. Nelly took out a sandwich which Shirley devoured with
a sad face. We didn't know whether to laugh or wonder.
Because it is strange that a girl after relating a tale that
her lover broke his foot, should eat with such good appetite.
Gertie couldn't stn any longer Shirley's sadness and
began to quarrel with her. Fr So you have a boyfriend. Well,
be careful that something shall not happen. What? said Shirley.
I mean something tht happened to your girlfriend's boyfriend's
sister. Shirley, honestly you are getting fat.
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Shame yourself: said Shirley. But that's your business,
said Gertie, you have the right to do as you please. But that
bothers me is how in hell are you able to eat after such sad
event a sandwich. Why, said Shirely, my stomach has nothing
to do with my heart. Ridiculous, you don't want me to lose
my appetite because my boyfriend broke his foot.
It seems to me, said German Brna, the more sad you are,
the more you eat. Be happy Shirley, otherwise you'll get too
fat.
Gertie lauelid. That, fat? Look at that shape: She is
already fat like a horse.