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LTICR YOU HEAR ON THE RADIO
"No, I don't mind tellin' you about as and Morrison and the
young'uns. Won't you sit down. 011ie! Bring out another chair.
We got company! People don't come around so often. Sometime
Uncle Hank comes from across the creek to see us. We get sort
of lonesome. I'm mighty glad to have somebody to talk to. I use
to tell Morrison our lives would make a good true story --like you
read in the magazines and hear on the radio --Ma Perkins and the
others. Oh, yes! We got a radio a battery set. You see, we
ain't got no electric power. We listen to all the good stories
and string music. Sometimes we buy things they sell on the radio
medicine and other things.
"I guess we been hard luck renters all our lives me and
Morrison both. They was ten young'uns in my family, and I was
next to the youngest. We had it awful hard I reckon my father
was about the meanest triers ever was he used to beat me and run
me out of the house, but I'd come back when he cooled off. It was
his hot-headedness that ruined us. They was a neighbor, Sam
Hicklin, that lived near us. His farm run next to ours, and one
day he come over to the house and told my father that he was
plantin' corn all the way over on his land, and he had better put
up a fence and watch out. My father told him to tend to his own
business and this made Sam mad. Next day, when my father went out
Nest dmy, when my father went out to work, he saw big ditch
cut right down through the middle of his corn -fie d. Cad Tom
woe settin0 on a fence watt:ALI' him. They started CU541111. and
in a minute tney was throwin1 rocks at each other. ,ell, both
of 'am got leivers and took it to court. Ine )ude divided
the lend halfway between the ditch and the end of the cornfield,
but this didn't do any dood, because when the case was settled,.
the lawyers' bills was so bid tt,ev couldn't pay it. Ale law..
yers got the farms and left Tom Mallory and us without anything.
The lawyere sold our farui and we had to move out. That was
when 1 was nineteen. We went to -l'adkin County and rented an
old rundown furs for a oh re of waist we could raise. The crops
wasn't any good that sar, toe Isndlorc; co,me and dot what we
bad reieed and had the auctioneers come and sell our tools and
furniture. They was a bunch of people at the sale that day
from all around. I was standin' there watchin' the an sell
the thLn.s hen I slaw a *goad lookin' an in overalls lookin0
toward we. ha watched we all ch;rins the sale and I knew what
ha was VA, in'• That waa tiAo fret tLue 1 over saw ,41ison.
reckon he fell in love with we ri at off, for we waa married
a few days luta-. llison didn't have no trtie father. is
amtner wasn't married, and he was raised up by his kin folus.
Then wev moved to u little farm near Londtown, about ten ailles
awe,. The owner said we cold nave t4ree-fourthe of what we
raleed. IL* first two years U.* crops turned out pretty iiood
so we could pa off the landlord and zAly a little furniture
a bed and table and some chairs. Than tne first baby C*140 on.
That was 414reth. fles out in the fie/d worki;° now, euc4orin0
tobaoco....by that ti*, we was ubl* to get a cow, and that came
in good, for the baby was awful thin and weak.
"After that, thin,js did4:1t go so good. lother baby com* on
and we had our hands full takin' care of the two children and
lookin' after the farm work. lawn the second bay was four
years old, he started e,ettinl pals and thin. 441 put him to bed
one day becauee his looked so sic& we thought. he was goin to
die. we didn't QUI a doctor for a long while.
YOU. asf, W.
didn't have an' mow' than, and we'd hoard that thil doctr up
in town wouldn't come unless ;,.ou nod the honey ready. but
Allison said he didn't care, so on* night after dark he started
welkin' throuch the woods taward the hialwa,. lie caught a ride
into town and about two hours later, hi in and the doctor drove
up in the yard.
"Vhx,n the doet.,r fin/shod lookin' at the baby, he turned
around with a worried look on his face and eeLi he had iseniligitis.
That was some kind of ailment that got in his back. The next,
ne got awful sic& and -hen tne doctor cod* again, Ay little boy
had a strait.* of inantile paralysis. i4 ‘41,ea the next day.
After we had hurled him up at t01 church oeseter;, we went on
with our work. Inert) won't much we could ao but try to foist
about little loamy. IAA we lid love hilia so ouch. I '1) to his
grep.e anJ put flowers on it evsr,0 Ainday.
"The crops was comin' in and we had to work hard to get tbo
tobacco sLckered and e)red Lefore the wartst opened, or else we
Couldn't Ay the landlord 1.1is share, come fall.
"Eildreth eau way six, but A* oould help a lot, pullin' and
tin' the tobacco, aw hilv4inl hong it in the barn. tAl got out
more tobacco that year than aGy other, 4 t when we took it to
tuarktt in 4-ston, they wa444't payin' but about twelve cents a
pound for Lhe uost grad*, so wnen we 4ive the landlord nis share
and paid the fertiliser Lill, we diun't have enough left to pay
the doctor and otore bill. ,e didn't know what we was golh' to
do durin' the winter, Allison bad raissa a fyw vegeti,bles and
app.kos, so we canned ww4t we could tnU traded the rest for some
cotton cloth up at the atore so tns children would have something
to wear that winter. Allison got a Job heIpins build a barn for
neic:Abor, but it didn't last but two de,a, The neighbor gave
two second hand pairs or overalla for the wx...r4.
"ihat W414 One of the rArdest year* we cos to. Next si;rine,
eLother baby was born, That :fads four, l'ou see, we'd alre.dy
had another one, a girl, bef,re little Tommy digt,:. This one
was a boy. he was the stroest and healthiout one we'd had
at. I lovoL- him so much, because thought he would take the
plates of little loamy. Just before be was one .010*a old, Allison
said we Alight to bake a cake for his birthday. Ao tbought we
woulo. TzA, day before his birthday, I was in the kitchen baking
the cake and some pies, when 1 hoard little Joe start cryint.
ran to see Whht was the matter, and he was lajin' on the floor,
all pale and elok lookinl* 1 put him in bed and ran out toward
tLe field and c,-11ed Allison.***he was hotin" corn* hen Allison
looker.; at Joe, he ioalut "It looks 111,0 a bad 4,411* T'al goin,
after the doctosi" I'll nevez forest Low scam: I wzw while T
waited for Allison to come back. I eat tere besicie little Joe
holding a wet rag on his head, and i.rayin' nill"d et well* I
racol:set how 1 prksd tat night. I eaid "Cho God, please don't
let hiq4 die like littleIota,* ,e's the only baby we
"Allieon awl the doctor coos, lit.. Joe wav, awful hot. The
doctor looked at his a winute tn urned arour.d to —41 and
isoi.
"he's been deadtulf an hour*" I&uzipsz 40 suot've died wiiXe
I was wayin'.
"Next sprihen we was plantini tobacco, Allison got to
leavin' hone ever' i.ignt, and cocain' in about aldnight* i didn't
XbOW what be was doin' till one of the neighbre that live. up
the road tole ,wit that ht had seen Allison goinl up to the Cook's
noose every night. rhe Cook's aiLlit't have any oil-U.:Iran but a
irl rwled Irene Cook lived 1,1,th them* "WI was s,am kin to the*.
Irene was sixteen yoars old and pretty, too, .it ,A140 ralv a bad
name. month attar Allison etarted gAze up to her house, they
ran off tqgether. That was the tiret 1,1gbe I started ioLtin°
relief f2rods the i;overnment. They was a goversulent woman that
come aroc.p4 *no ;eve orders for food end clothes, and sometisse
we got a littie aone4-. 1 1401,40 awful bad, because with
gone. u.ey wasn't siv way to feed tr.* two children.
hod to do moet of the work in the field tna%, eulmer, and some.,
thee I would e,o to the net bore hose anu *ash for them for
a piece of aeat.
'Thong about two eonths attar Allison and Irene ran of, the
eiheriff down in the eandhil.e, in the eastern part of the stuts.
found Alliaon an Irene livin' toGet-er. hy brognt Irene
beck hoe but tney didLit set i,„Ilison. A month lator. I was
settial in the 4tc.en sewin' *ben Alldison walked in. is ookod
ginda' bodli.e hel been hulagr foil A. long time. de sat down
in a cmair in front of tile fire, likc he was awful tiro and
said tr.4
I been a damn fool. Lula. That crazy Aaftn didn't want
notnih' but tuy money. :'ou ain't mad at me, are you, 1...40"
"I *aid; "I ain't got no right to re mad no,
ison•
You had your fling and done coals home.... need you awful bad..
vO cot to it out and to in the tobacco tomorrew. You better
jet oaks 6leei
"Abubt six Ont4.11 1ator, Irene ha,. a baby. I.‘ht off, she
blaueo it on fllison. Amgen* took it to court. Ilison denied
it....said it vue Just sa, apt to be sokaebdy elipes baby. Ilut
the Judge said he wee uity end t,ld :lie to pa:, Irene fifty
dollaro. Allison dicn't have any money then, so no went to Jail
and served twenty..01.0 dojo. ,cooroin' to the law, he had payed
his debt. 'tat was the fourth baby Irene had..., all of 'ei
born out or wealook. :Illy two of 'we are livink; now. -ine had
two by one man. I still can't believe Allison w;, the father
of one of the childron. Anyway, tAit e all in tne pt hag,
and t.tlay there's no better wan than Allison. This year he
gave a 4,eekie Labor on t 4tnodiet &lurch at Center. That
waki when they built a new part to it. it1.t the :aen in the
neighborpood that can't ive Avoney talj on it. Allison has
4;:ive his snare.
"Thing* are a lot better for the senter today than in the past.
It used t t. e couldn't get enough to eat and wear. how we
a cow0 a sog, and some chickens. Allison bought a seco;x1...
nand car or *very junday aftertioon we ride boamwhere. it's the
only time we ever ct away from home.
"The landlorci gies us five -sixths of whkt we raise, so we
get along pretty good when the *root are fair. i course we
have to furnish the fertiliser and livestock. :his year we had
seven barns of tobacco and four acres of corn. wheat turned out
prett4 goo too. Ar raised forty...three buclelso and hear the
price i• going to be fair at tne rolier 4l. I canr.ed 1:.;.out all
our extra fruits and vet.;etabies. 1 reck-n We still cot abut a
hundre*1 cans in the ,Jantry.
We never owned an. lankly but Allison a,.. 40 Just bught a
houge....it's Ur old Center school house down the rued about
two miles. #a 1:tugnt it -r,AA the county for 4270. we only got
4160 paid but we can pay the re,1 after next year's crop. The; 's
only one thing bad wbout it though....Its r rht next door to
where Irene Cook lives....with her child en. It's goin' to be
wird to face tier after what happened between her and Allison.
It'll take a lot or courage. I guese....aoren I've sot. I
don't think shell' attpt again, th hik..shec learusw hie
lesson.
y we c.opre to own our own laniA as well as tLe nous..
It it be a 10 tlism1 but wit!, taw gruce ot God we'll vet
re. It somas like twit man in tiaehingtQn nos Lot u real
love fc.ir tna poor pe,Jple in nig„ .eart. und I believe it's due
to aibl and !,is helpers that tile poor renters ar tein' to &et
a chance. we've !;lore hops how than we ever had efore.
'I ati,gty 40.aa you stopped t,.3 see us. Wol.'t you coala
agetiSi Twill be livins in the hOW place then. I reckon...."