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Wake Forest Cotton Mill
Wake Forest, N. C.
July 25, 1928
I. L. M.
SARAH WALL
About a mile from Wake Forest College and s quarter
of a vile west from Faculty Drive there is a ramshackle
eight -room house which serves as a home for four families.
The house is the only one in its row which belongs to the
nearby cotton mill. A railroad track bordered on each
side by overgrown weed patches separates it from kindred
houses which furnish homes for other mill workers. Cheap
curtains of varied design flop against the ledges of the
big, untoreened end ihadelese windows end seem to accentuate
a desolation they were meant to conceal.
The unfinished appearance of the house makes one
wonder Net for a second when the carpenters will return
to complete their 3ob. That thought does not linger.
Obviously the carpenters have long sines passed it by.
It stands there now weary with a hardening and gracelees
age whioh has made of it a shell enclosing the daily
activities of fifteen people.
Within three of these rooms Sarah and Johnnie Wall
and their viz children live. It was Sarah who invited
me into the old house the other day when I knocked on
the front door. I followed her into the first of her three
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small rooms and set down in the only sturdy -looking chair
she had. Barth seated herself on the bed which heti been
that morning stripped of its covering.
*I'm sorry you ketched ma so dirty,* she solid, "but
even if I'd knowed you wee coming I don't know as it
woalder made cny difference. I've washed all day long
and said I'd stop and rest awhile if I never got any.
thing else done.*
Sarah was barefooted and her run -over shoes ley in
the corner where the had kicked them when they had begun
to hurt her feet early that morning. Her old brown
cotton dress was ringed with eudsy water from the wash
tub. All of her looked tired except her eyes. Their
mild brightness gave to her the undaunted oppesrence of
a Millet peasant.
The room swarmed with flies. It was dirty but there
was no evidence of accumulated uncleanness. The three
yea old child who lay on the email bed in the corner
knocked fretfully at the flies which lighted on hie dirty
face. Hie older deter had put him to bed just as he
was when be came in from play. He is ill with whooping..
cough and his coughing interrupted Sareh freauently as
she talked with me.
01 was born out in the country in this very county
34 year ego,* the began, "and my Pn run a saw mill. He
.y.
-.3..
out lumber up in what they cell the Harricenes, and mede
fairly well but there was ten of ue at home to provide
for. He moved to the cotton mill cc's ease of the older
ones could find work.
sTa died when I was ten yeer old end Ma died when
I was twelve. I stoyed then with one of my older married
sisters who wee here et this mill. I hed to go to work
in the mill to make my livinl and there was no more time
for eohoolins.
*When I was sixteen year old se and Johnnie married.
Since then I've worked between the times when I wasn't
havint children. Johnnie worked one shift end I worked
the other sots one of us would always be here with the
children. I done the cookin, end the housekeeping, too,
suoh an wee done.
*I've worked none atell now for the past zhree
months. When the mill went on one shift I wee cut off.
I told my husband the other day reokin it was just no
well beoause I wee so near wore out I probrbly oouldner
stood the work through the hot summer anyhow. They're
workinl 'eel like rules down there in the spinninl room.
I know some that's had to suit. They cay they'd just
as soon perish to death as work theyeelves to death.
*The mill closed down last December and when it
started egein in Jennery it run a week end stopped e
4 4.
week. Three months ego it started up full time but just
one shift a day. That throwed some out of work altogether.
John had been main' $15 a week as second hand in the
epinninl room on the shift that was cut off. since then
he's been doinl odd john about the mill and they pay him
eight dollars a week."
Sarah's baby, a pudgy.looking child of eighteen months,
toddled into the room and clutched at his mother's knee.
Ohe took him into her arms end for a minute forgot that
I was present.
"Out of that eight dollars you have to pay rent,
clothe, and feed your family?" I asked.
"I've got a garden and it helps come," *Sarah aftewered.
"The beetle bugs has been bed this year and just about
ruined my snaps but I've got batter beans yet.
"Summer we've been able to live through but what
we'll do when winter comes the Lord only knows. They's
four in school and they've got to halm coats and shoes.
I'll be bound to find work somewhere. I want them children
to stay in oThool till they finish high whoa. Then
they'll be able to find somethins to do beside work in
a cotton mill."
Sarah looked up at me and there was on increased
brightness about her eyes as Sbe added slowly, "I hope
never to see a youngun I've got go in the mill for even
one day's work."
V
"Why?" I asked,
oDeccuse it's unhealthy work and it weere you out
before yore time. Not gettin0 enough money to live decent
don't help yore health neither. Do you reckin can bay
milk for this crowd on what John's gettin? Well, I do
try to get a pint a day for them two least ones but that
eint enough. Now and then the others get some canned
milk sweetened up with sugar. They like it end it's
cheaper than fresh milk but I caint buy much of that.
Doctors can tell you to buy milk for your children but
'that don't help nine if you don't have the money to pay
for it."
"You have so many children to buy for," I said.
*More than we've got any business with,* Sarah replied
promptly. "I told Johnnie when the lest one was born that
I thought it wao a pure sin for people to have so many
children when they ()Malt half.way provide for fem. Such
things don't seem to bother men like they do women, though."
The baby in the smell bed began to choke with phlegm
and Sarah walked swiftly across the room to rase his
head while he coughed. A fetching little girl of five
came into the room gnawing on a green apple. She edged
up close to my chair and stood grinning at me until her
mother seated herself again on the bed.
Nfts. Peace ia goine to get you if you don't leave
her cpples alone," Sarah said to the child.
"I never got but two," the child replied, moiling
at her mother.
"She's the one that liked to died with pneumonia
year before last," Sarah expleined to me. "She was sick
for so long I think we sorter °pont her. For forty-one
days she wts rt Rex Hoepital and long after dhe come home
she had to stay in bed. We and him both was workinl and
it was a good thing. We never ooulder got the $150
hospital bill paid off with juot one workins. If there'd
been a doctor bill after ohe was brought home don't
know what woulder become Of us. For four or five year
we've been on Dr. Timberlakele lint. Every week eighty
cent of Johnle pay goes to Dr. Titberleke. He charges
ten cent a beed, you know. Then, when we need him he
comes and there's no regular doctor bill to pey."
"You are still able to pay SW a week out of John's
eight -dollar wage?" I asked.
"We eint eble to," Sarah replied. Then with a little
bitter smile ohe added, "But we sint able not to either.
Run on out to play, Malloy," She said suddenly to the child
who was still gaewing an her apple.
Soon after, Sarah's fifteen end thirteen year old
daughtera oeme into the room. "We've got seven more
pieces of candy to sell, Mama," the oldest one said.
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"Then youlune both will have money enough to go to
the show?" Sarah wented to know.
"Yessum, and I hope Gene Autreyss on, too," the
youngest one said.
"They are real crazy about Westerns," Sarah remarked.
"See them two cowboy pictures on the mantelpiece. Well,
they got them by cawing. tops from Dixie cups. They are
prouder of them pictures than the little ones are of
them Easter baskets you see hanging against the well over
yore dresser."
The dresser, the large bed, the small bed, a sewing
machine, en old trunk, my chair end a red flowered
linoleum comprised the furnichinge of the room.
I knew the door just behind me was ajar but I could
not turn around and find out the answer to a suestion
whioh was puzzling me: What sleeping arrangement° were
provided in the next room for the five oldest children?
However, when Sarah woo called out into the yard to settle
a dispute among her children I did turn around and glance
through the half.olosed door into the other room. In
there saw a dilapidated single bed covered with old
guilts. A table end a chair were the only other pieces
of furniture. When Sarah came beck I was talking to the
two.year old baby. She noticed for the first time that
the door behind me was not closed. Quietly she pulled
it to. As she did so I felt her glance upon me. I did
not look up to meet her eyes.
aDo you like to reed” I asked her presently.
*Yes I do, and the children get some awful good
books from the school library. °Lest night I read till
into from one May Belle got the other day. It's named
oThe Secret Garden. Did you ever reed it70
"Yes,fl I told her. sod I enloyed it too."
"It's a good book,* she said.
Then ehe asked me come quection about the garden
which I could not answer end I told her it hed been some
time since I read the book. For ten or fifteen minutes
Sarah told me about the big old house, the lovely old
garden, end the aueer little boy in Frances Hodgson's
Durnett's "The Secret Gorden* but I did not see the
boy, nor the house, nor the garden. I could think only
of the rickety little bed in the other room.
When she had finished with the story I asked her
about her neighbors. "In the one room across the hell
they lives Mrs. Wilson end her little boy. Her husband
got killed on the railroad track two years ago. Upstairs
in two of them rooms is Mrs. Hilden end her man. He
works but she don't. She's goint to have e bdby next
month. In the other two they's Mr. end Mrs. Hodges and
their baby. It's a cute baby and if you'd like to see
it she won't mind atoll."
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Following up Sarah's euggeotion I climbed the
unbanistered stairs and there to my left I saw en open
door. At the sound of my steps a young woman who bad
just taken her hands out of biscuit dough came to the
doorway and asked me in. Hor kitchen was clean ond neat
with its green breakfast room suite, the green kitchen
cabinet, and the green oil stove.
"1 came to see your baby," said to her.
"He's in the other roam," she replied. "Let me
wash my hands and we'll go in there."
The five months old baby was ploying on a pallet
in the middle of the floor. He was a pretty child with
light blue eyes end a well.shaped head. Hie mother
picked him up end seated herself on the trunk. 1 sat
down in the smell rocking chair which belonged to the
four.piece bedroom suite.
*Lord, I hope 1 don't ever have as meny children
as Mrs. Well's got." she said by way of conversation.
"She does have a crowd," I agreed.
"1 believe I'd die if 1 bed that many end no way
of taking care of 'em."
Gladys Hodges told me es we sat there together
that she had been one of eight children. When her father
died her mother moved with her family from the farm to
the cotton mill. Gladys bed to quit eohool and go to
work after finishing the seventh grade. That had been
e disappointment to her but those days were gone now end
she was happy with her husband and baby. At the mention
of her baby she reached out and touched his little bead
tenderly. Robert didn't make but nine dollars, the
continued preeently, but out of that they were able to
buy groceries end meet the installments on the furniture.
The bedroom (mite cost them $60, the breakfast room suite
#24, and the cabinet 05. She hoped before another year
they'd have it all paid for. If no more babies came for
a few years maybe they'd get ahead. Surely wages would
go up again.
Che seemed so happy there in the room with her baby
and her bright new furniture. She was glad that company
held come end found her room orderly end neat. There were
many ornaments placed here and there of which she was
obviously proud. She saw me looking at the blue spotted
china dog with the dasohund.built body and the bulldog
heed.
"The baby is crazy about that, too," she said, and
I looked again at the baby.
In a little while I left this room and knocked on
the door where Mary linden lived. There was no responee
to my knock and I made my way down the uncertain stare.
Out in the hall I met Sarah Wall again.
*Do you think businoss'11 pick up enough by fall
for mills to run two Shifts?* She asked me.
"I hope so," was the only reply I knew how to mete.
"If it don't, I cant see how we'll live," oho said
slowly. *I've got to get work and mill work is ell
can do even if there was other jobs to be had. She
shifted her left bare foot to prop it against the right.
"Have you heard any talk of rasing wages?" she asked
hopefully.
*Not in the last few weeks,* I was forced to reply.
*They's coal to buy in winter and warm clothes and
shoes,* ehe said. I wen glad that the hall was filling
with shadows. A moment later I had said good-bye end
was walking down the worn porch step°. Up the road a
little piece I saw Sarah's:1 oldest child returning home
with the candy box under her atm.