Document text
October 10, 1939
Alma Gavel (White Textile worker)
Tryon, N. C.
Adyleen G. Merrick, Writer
Dudley W. Crawford, Reviser
Original Names: Changed Names:
Alma Covel Zelma Cook
Southern Mercerizing Co. Northern Mercerizing Co.
Tryon Tyden
Demus Foster Dan Sparks
Lynn Lanier
Ophelia Cordelia
Zelma Cook carried her athletic figure gracefully
as she greeted me when I entered the porch of her sister-
in-law's home, one of the many neat cottages grouped
around the Northern Mercerizing Plant near Tyden. Red
hair curled about her heavy featured face; bright red
glistened on her nails as she extended both hands toward
me in smiling welcome. She is one of a family of seven
red-headed children and has spent all of her life in
the mill village.
"Come up, I guess we'll have to sit on the porch.
Sister's gone to town, or I'd ask you to come in. This
house belongs to Dan Sparks, my brother-in-law. He
planned and built most of it himself, its awful nice, I'd
like to show it to you if sister were here. I've lived
with my sister Eva and Dan ever since Pa married the
second time. I help her with the work, we planted all
of those flowers you see in the yard. We take pride in
this place. Dan says he always means to keep it looking
nicer than any other mill house here.
"Pals house is over yonder on the hill. It's a big
old rambling thing, added on to as our family grew, until
now, there are ten rooms. But I'm better off staying
with sister. I'd rather not live at home any more since
Pa married again. I guess you understand.
-2
"Tell you something about my life? Well, for
goodness sake you'd think I was somebody important. Me
tell about Zelma Cook, Lord, nothing ever happened to
me to make a fuss over, one day to us mill workers is
pretty much like all the others."
From Dan Sparks' well built house on the side of
the hill above the road which leads through the village
and on to the hunting country one saw first the Northern
Mercerizing Company, and aroildmi it on all sides, neat
mill houses. Some of the houses belong to the company
others are awned by the workers. All of them are well
kept and invariably there are flowers and a garden. Chil-
dren romped in the playground, or gathered along the road-
way shouting to one another. "Well", continued Zelma,
"living here isn't bad, although I ain't planning to stay
here always.
myself.
"When we first came here I was
Some girls would, but
I'm figuring different
just a baby, so I
guess I've grown up, you might say, with the mill. Pa's
been fussing around mills about all his life. Started
when he was thirteen firing boilers in the hosiery mill
at Lanier. The folks here think a heap of Pa, he's been
with them twenty years. I guess he's worked at about
every kind of job in that time, but he's superintendent
of the mill now. Its a right good job, too. I'm awful
glad for Pa that he's doing well.
Men we first came here there were only three houses
and a little furniture factory which was converted into
the first mill building. Well, you can see how things
have changed. We don't have a school here, the children
all go to Tyden high school just over the hill. I fin-
ished there. I always hated to study, guess I was about
the stupidest pupil in school, but could I play basket
ball: Say, if it hadn't been for my temper that always
goes with red hair, I'd have been a fdarbt, but that
temper got me put out of a heap of games and left out of
others. I like anything under the sun in the way of
athletics. I've won some prizes too. It took me four-
teen years to make eleven grades, but I'm through just
the same. No more school.
"We Cooks were a happy family, long as Ma lived. MA
was the best woman ever breathed. She died four years
ago. Life has been hard since then.
"With most mill folks it's just fight, fuss and cuss,
but we were different. Ma always tried to hold her head up
and she raised us right. Pa was always particular too,
he said just because you lived in a mill village wasn't
any reason for you to be rough. He wanted his children
to have the highest manners and never allowed us to short
talk any body. Pa just didn't say we had to go to Sunday
School and see that we did, but he dressed and went with
us. Ma did too, when she could. We went to the Community
church the Company built. Our Sunday School was in the
afternoon. The wife of the boss and some nice ladies came
over from Tyden to teach the classes. I like every one
of them. Christmas we always had a big tree. The Company
did that for us. My, but it was always a grand affair.
We didn't just gather and sing songs and then maybe get
a bag of candy and an orange. We had toys and everything
else. There were plays and songs as well, and after that,
when we'd all been given our presents, we had hot chocolate
and fancy cakes before we went home.
"I'll never forget how scared I was when Pa took me
to the first Christmas tree there in our little church.
That tree just jumped at me as I went in it was so bright
and wonderful; the most beautiful thing I had ever seen
in my life. When my name was called to come up for my
gift it about scared me to death. 'Stead of going on up
like the others had, I just clung to Pa's legs and wouldn't
budge. Pa had to go up with me, holding on to my hand, and
was he out done. I ain't shy like that no more, folks are
always saying, 'that Zelma, ain't she the boldest thing'--
I don't care though. I like to whoop and make a racket
when ever I feel like it, a good hearty laugh ought to
be a welcome sound 'stead of aggrevating a body. I got
a doll that time me and Pa went up for it. I guess I'll
never forget that. I kept it for years. The year after
MA died, things didn't go so good for us Cooks so I fixed
up my doll and pretended it was a new one Santa Claus
brought for my little sister.
"That was shore one lean Christmas. I cried most
all the time, it seemed so awful. Pa had got to drinking
after Ma died and he wasn't much help to me. Somehow I
just couldn't seem to manage the house and Christmas and
Pa too, all at the same time.
"Folks at the mill thought Ma held her head too high
for mill folks, because she always kept us clean and never
let us get into no fights. We had to go to school regular
and we always went dressed good. Ours was the best house
in the village; we had the very first bath room ever put
in, and our house was furnished with the best, no cheap
stuff like some folks buy. Pa always had a big garden,
a cow and chickens. (The law don't 'low no hogs). There
were garden flowers too, that is, as long as MA lived. The
yard don't look so good now. We usually had a plenty and
some to give away, but there weren't many extras; just a
good living. It's that way with most mill people, they
work and earn and then spend most all they make right
here at the mill for food and clothes that they buy from
the Company store.
"I make most of my own clothes, it saves a lot. I'm
awful glad I learned how because I can copy things I
couldn't afford to buy. I can cook and milk a cow. I
learned all this when MA got so poorly; she was sick a year
and a half before she died. I helped all I could between
that and going to school and never had much time to play,
but I sure don't miss no bets now. I go every chance I
get. I guess people talk, I know they do, but I'm cer-
tainly going to have my fling before I'm too old to care
whether I go or stay at home. I never left MA long as
I could help her, and after she died I took her place
and did the best I could till Pa got married again. I
guess I've done my part.
"One night Pa come and said, 'I'm going off for a
few days Zelma.' He gave me some money. I knew he had
been going to see a girl about my age, but I didn't know
he was courting and I hadn't supposed he'd marry her. I
never asked him where he was going, seems as he didn't
offer to tell me nothing. Pa got up about five thirty
next morning and dressed in his best. When he left the
house me and my Daby sister watched to see which way he
would go. Sure enough he stopped the car at Cordelia's
house and she come out all dressed up, .and they drove
off together. It made me feel all queer -like inside,
but I never said anything to my baby sister.
"After breakfast I went down to the mill office and
asked the big boss if he knew where Pa was going. He
said, 'No, I don't, Zelma, your father asked off for a
week. I guess though it was to get married. I almost
fainted, but I tried not to act like I cared one way or
the other. Say, I went on home and I gave that old house
the doggonedest cleaning up you ever heard of in your life!
Then I washed and ironed all the clothes, mended and did
every thing I saw to do. I was awful mad.
"When Pc-iind Cordelia come home I was so out done I
wouldn't speak to them. I had supper ready and just as
soon as we ate, I washed up the dishes and left. I want
down to Georgia and stayed three months. I didn't care
if Pa married again, it was just the way he did it, not
letting me know nor nothing. I didn't really have a thing
against Cordelia either, but I thought they both acted
awful onery and I just let them know it. I'm not red head-
ed for nothing.
"Pa kept worrying me to come home. He said he and
Cordelia were sorry they had done ma bad. Well, I went
back for a while and we got along all right. I guess I
fooled Cordelia though, for excepting the time when her
baby come, I never run the house no more. I got a job on
WPA and I paid them board. Pa hated to have me, but I
know my way around, I mean to be independent. I help out
all I can beside paying board I buy things for the family.
There is always need for something money can buy for them
these days. I like helping them.
"What I've got in my head now is, I want to be a trained
nurse. I've got a good job at the mill, but I'm not satis-
fied to be just a 'mill hick' all my life. I always just
love to sit up with the sick and the dead; I'm strong too.
I guess if I try I ought to make a good nurse, loving it
like I do. I'm twenty three, so its not too late for me
to get started. I'd like to do something worth while. I've
had lots of fellows, but just now I'm not loving any man
and I've got too much spunk to get married like some girls
I know. I'd rather stay single. If the right man comes
along thats just fine, if he doesn't I guess I'll manage
to make out, marriage ain't like it used to be no