Document text
September 29, 1939
Glenn Kanipe (Textile worker)
Kannapolis, N. C.
Ethel Deal, Writer
Lila J. Bruguiere, Reviser
Original Names: Changed Names:
Glenn Kanipe Brent Cochrane
Della Kanipe Stella Cochrane
Pauline Kanipe Kathryn Cochrane
Cannon Bernard
Charlotte queenstown
Morganton Overton
Kannapolis Bernardsville
A pretty white bungalow of six rooms stood on top
of a low hill. In front of the house a broad lawn, smooth-
ly cut and studded with fine old oak trees, sloped gently
down to where a little stream found its way through the green
turf. Everywhere about the grounds there was a look of care
and order.
Brent sat leaning against a tree as he talked. "Well my
story is nothing to be proud of. I'd rather forget it myself.
I was born in Medford County. Benton is my home town. I
went to the graded school there but when I was sixteen I
left home. I could have finished school and it grieved my
parents terrible that I didn't." Brent sighed. "I never
realized they would take my going away so hard. But I was
younr and dissatisfied and wanted to ramble. We were living
on the farm at the time but father had a job in town. He
wouldn't give his consent for me to leave so I packed my
clothes and went away one night while the family slept.
"The night I left home I had two dollars in my pocket.
I bought a ticket to Stokesboro. It took about all I had
to get there and I began to look for work right away. My
first job was in the Mount Auburn Cotton Mills. Jobs was
easy to get then. The mill run regular and they put me to
doffing. I worked twelve hours a day. Lord, how my back
hurt! I was too tired by night time to be restless. Going
back home was out of the question and I was too proud to
write for money.
"I was making il.75 a day. After I had worked for four
months my wages was raised to 42.25. In all that time I didn't
write home. Of course my parents found out where I was but
they didn't write either or try to get me to come back. Four'
months is a long time when you've not been used to work. Its
longer when you don't make much and have little to spend. Out
of my small wages I finally saved D.00.00 and had enough money
to quit. I worked a notice. When it was up I drawed out my
back time and left for Chicago.
"I got work in a oafe there. The board was tTod but the
wages was low. Twelve hours is too long to work for $2.00
a day but I stuck it out for two months. During that time
a fellow named Tom Brice and I had become good friends. We
decided to leave for Texas. We bummed part of the way and
found work on the sheep ranches there. When we got tired
of a place we moved on.
"Two years later I came hoe on a visit. My folks begged
me to settle down. They wanted me to ao back to school. To
please them I looked around And rot me a job. In a few weeks
I was restless as ever but I toughed it out for six months.
This time I didn't run away. I had no idea where I was going.
On the way to the depot I decided to head for Ohio. I had
been there during my travels and liked it. I bought a
ticket for Dayton.
got a job there in a Air4lane factory. That was
during the World War. In a few weeks I was mekinr ten dollars
day. Dayton's a fine place. I liked it and stayed there
till the War ended. I'd saved some money and might have
stayed longer if I hadn't got a telegram from home saying my
parents and the ',thole family had the flu. People had been
dying by the hundreds with it in Dayton. They had to take
a steam shovel to dig the graves. But all this didn't make
much impressiog on me until I rot that telegram from home.
I was scared. At last I realized what my family meant to
me.
"I had heard in Dayton that whiskey waz: the best medicine
for the flu. Buying a half gallon of the best I could get I
took the next train home. Prohibition was in force then and
I had to hide the whiskey in my bags. They searched them
after I crossed the state line but they didn't find it. I
don't guess they tried. I found the family getting on fine
except my father. His life was despaired of. I nursed him
stayed by his bed for weeks. He pulled through and I promised
myself never again would I do anything to worry him. After
the danger was past and his recovery sure I got me a job in
cotton mill. Doffing was the only experience I'd had in
a mill so Tom taoy, the boss, put me on as head doffer at
two dollars a day. Two dollars ain't nuch when you're used
to making ten but I'll always be clad that I took that job
because there's where I met my wife.
'You'll pardon my being personal. I can't tell this
story unless I speak of Stella. I'd been in every state
in tho Union, met all kinds of girls and I had to come back
to Benton to find the one I wanted working in a cotton mill."
Brent eased himself down against the tree and stretched out
comfortably. Over head oak leaves rustled in the breeze.
The warm September sun shone through them and made a lacy
pattern on the grass.
"The first eveninE I went to work I glanced up from the
frame I was doffing and saw a slender girl standing at the
head of it. be had on a blue linen dress trimmed with white
buttons. Her blond hair caught up in the back looked old
fashioned. Little curls had escaped from the knot and made
a frame for her face with its soft blue eyes an fair skin.
It takes more than a pretty face to make a girl attrnetive.
hes got to have character E_nd refinement. At least thet's
the way I feel. When you find 8 combination of these thil:tgs
you've got something rare. Mats how it was with Aella.
"Yie were married twelve months later. The day I was
married I borrowed ten dollars. ie never went on a honey-
moon. I didn't have the money. Stella had a few hundred dollars
but I refused to let her spend it. Nine months after we
were married our daughter was born. We celled her Katharine.
"Now that I had a family I had to make more money and
we moved to Bernardsville. I got a job in the Bernard Mills
as head dotter. My wages at that time was $2.50 a day. Six
months later I was making $5.00. We rented a three room
house. It lied lights and water and the lawn was so pretty.
That house was a paradise. When it comes to making a home
attractive Stella knows how to do it. We had everything we
wanted.
Stella insisted on getting her a job. Katharine was
two years old and we paid my mother-in-law $7.50 every two
weeks to keep her. That didn't include her food. We both
worked at night, bringing Katharine home for the week ends.
?he was well taken care of. I like to think now that my
child was never denied anything she needed for comfort and
happiness. I worked hard and all the time I was planning
to get something laid by.
"If you buy 10 shares in the Building and Loan at 25
cents a share the 10 shares matures in six years nnd you
have one thousand dollars. They give you the interest which
amounts to a whole lct. Ten shares is $2.30 a week. bought
sixty shares and paid $15.00 a week. We lived good, had any-
thing we wanted FInd a small bank account.
"When my stock matured I had 48,000 dollars mud
bought this piece of ground. It's a mile from town but
you can't buy in town any more. The Bernardo own everything
and I didn't want to live in town anyway. My ancestors were
farmers arid I guess there's a little of the farmer in me. I'd
starve trying to make a living off a farm but I like to potter
around and do thing -s. I bought twenty two acres here on this
side of the road for $2,200. I built my home for $4000 and
had some money left over out of my $8000. We been living
here six years. Two years ago I got a piece of ground across
the road there and put up that little bungalow. Paid cash
for all of it. I'd planned to build a few more houses for
rent but my ambition is gone now.
Brent's voice grew husky. He turned his head away
quickly to hide his emotion. I waited for him to speak.
"We've come to the part of my story that's hard for me to
talk about but I'll tell you about it. Maybe it will help.
When Katharine was born we knew there couldn't be any more
children. Of course we was wrapped up in her. We gave her
every advantage. The year she was fifteen, (that will be two
years next spring) she fell one day while playing base ball.
That night at supper she told us about it but insisted she
wasn't hurt. It emused her that I wanted to take her to a
7
doctor. Two months later she began to complain and I took
her to rueenstown to consult a specialist. He said her spine
was injured and advised an operation. The operation was
successful and she got well.
"One day, mix months afterwards, she took a new automobile
I had boueht and went to town. She'd never driven before and
ehe wrecked the oar on Main Street. A crowd gathered and she
was questioned but she didn't know her name and oouldn't tell
who her parents were. Some one recognized her and came to find
me. I took her to lueenstown at once but the doctor there
didn't know what was wrong. I pleaded with them to do some-
thing and they told me to try Kings Hospital. She stayed
there for weeks but her mental condition showed no improvement.
I begged them to tell me sorie other hospital I might take her
to but they said it was no use. They suggested the State
Hospital for the Insane at Overton. They thought the treat-
ment there might be of some help. She is there now. We bring
her home occasionally. When she gets worse I take her back.
I am going to take her to Xohns Hopkins soon. ivihybe it won't
do any good but I Just got to keep on trying."
Brent was silent for a moment. Suddenly he got up. "Como
on. Lets walk about a little. I want to show you the plaoe.
I've got some fine hogs up there in the woods. We keep one
cow, though we could buy our milk cheaper but I want a cow
to tend to. My hobby is animals and things I can look
after. I've got a lot of chickens too. Stella knew you
were coming and she's baking your favorite oak. and frying
chicken for dinner." Stella came out to Join us. She
looked pretty in her rose print dress and white apron. The
dinner was delicious and both Brent and Stella seemed cheer..
ful. No one spoke of the daughter's absence.
Brent talked of his work. "I've been in Bernardsville
sixteen years. When I moved here I didn't have ten dollars.
I've been promoted from a dotter boy, tho poorest job in
the mill, to overseer of the spinning room. There's only
one thing I don't like about my job." Stella smiled.
"Brent can't get used to staying dressed up. The
position of overseer requires him to dress nice. I think
it will kill him yet. As soon as he gets home he puts on
his overalls."
"I like to be clean and neat but I hate to feel like
I was ready for church all the time," Brent explained.
"Come on. I want you to see my hogs."
We walked across the lawn to a wooded section of the
grounds where six large hogs were penned in a lot.
"I'll sell them all except a few hams for our own use.
We get tired of home cured meat. It's fun raising them
but the profit is not much."
A Jersey cow came to the gate.
"That's Pet" said Brent feeling in his pocket for a lump
of sugar I hire a man to sow clover and pea hay just for
her."
"Lets go to a show. I like a good show. We go often.
I want you to see our new theatre in North Bernardsville.
have to dress" said Stella. "You will too Brent."
"Oh, I'm good enough to go to the show."
"Now look here Brent you're going to dress or we don't
go to the show."
"Oh all right, Roney. Anything to please the ladies."
"Brent should have been a farmer. They can't afford
any clothes."
Brent laughed as Stella disappeared into the bed -room.
"I like to tease her. I intended all the time to change
my clothes. Bernardsville is a great town for the working man
to live in. You sure can get rid of your money here if you
have the spending habit. The Bernardo have everything here
to get the money back they pay you. But money is not wasted
on recreation. We go to the shows and the ball games. In
winter I hunt a lot. We like to visit our neighbors and
friends. Every two weeks we go to Overton and take Katharine
out shopping and to dinner. My chief object in life is try-
ing to find some way to give her pleasure."