Document text
October 13, 1939
„mos Farrell (Farmer)
Huntereville, N. C.
Mary P. Alison, Writer
Dudley W.Crawford Reviser
Original Names Changed Names
Lmos Ferrell Andy Harrell
Farrelltown Harrelltown
Charlotte Riverton
Bobby Jimmie
Rocky River Rudy Fork
Huntereville Hineeville
cj
The one -arm man was making record time picking cotton.
Occasionally he would straighten up and urge the young boy,
who was helping, to greater speed.
"Better watch out, Bobby, or I'm apt to boat you to
the end of the row."
"I don't care." Bobby answered in a slightly worried
tone as the little hands began to hurry with their task.
"Uow're you, vr. Harrell?" I greeted him.
"I ain't seen las. Harrell; the man replied, "but if you
are aiming your conversation at me.bwell, you ain't never
seen Andy when he wasn't feeling fine. Guass I don't know
how to feel any other way.
"who's your helper?" I asked.
with*? 0111 you moan Hobby. He is my brother's boy. Hes
so quiet I almost forget he's along. I likt to have child-
ren around ma. I used to have hopes of having a big family
of my own, but I'm getting to°old for that now." Amdy push*
ad his cap back and scratched his bald head. The only hand
he 11,4d was large and the veins seemed ready to burst.
"%ndy would you mind telling ma your life story and
how you lost your arm?"
'what arm? who's lost a arm?" he asked, looking all
around. ".ell I declare theta the first time I noticed that
in years." Then he laughed untill the tears rolled down his
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cheeks, "Don't mind me, child, that's my little joke and
I like to play dumb.
"As for my life story; don't giatelling telling you most
of it, but there's some I'll not tell nobody.
"I was born here in Harriltown. The old store building
I live in is on the town square. I know it doesn't even look
like a wide place in the road now, but in the old days it
was a great gathering place for the farmers for miles around.
You see, good roads and automobiles took all the trade to
towns that are bigger, lots of little country places have
dried up. That old house I live in looks mighiibad, a ...;.00d
stvong wind would blow it over; but I like to live here be-
cause I got ipod neighbors. To look at ms you'd think I was
a bear, bue I got enough to live on the rest of my life if
I never strike another lick.
"You asked we about my arw and I tried to woke a fool
out of you, didn't I? ell, I got it burnt by a live wire
when I worked OL the street car line i Riverton. It's always
been a mystery to we that I wasn't killed. None of the doctors
around here could do flytking for me and I had to go to New
York. They had to saw that arm off four different times before
they found fresh blood.
"I soon got used to Mang without it, all the strength
has gone to my other arm. I had a wrench in my hand when
the accident happened and I've been feelinf, it ever since,
just as plain as light. I can't_ get no job on public works, and
sometimes I believe the farmers around here are glad of it.
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"You'd be surprised to know how many trees I can chop down in
a thy, and I can stile pick as much as two hundred and fifty
pounds of cotton in a day.
"The bigeest trouble with me is I'd rather runt than work.
Right now my arm is itching to get hold of e gun and go hunte
in' briar shoats.(rabbits) Believe me, when I throw up my gun
them shoats might just as well lie down and die. -Thy, I've
killed ae many as four ducks at a time. It's been mighty hard
for me to keep interested in this cotto_ picking, I been hear-
th so much shooting going on around here all day. I don't
know as I've ever had sprin fever, but I sure get the hunt
in fever.
"New, I ain't got no education; don't know B from bull's
foot, don't see as I need it. Then I was growing up we vent
to a little old one -room school about two months a year and
learned to write and spell a little, and figure; but now, what
they got? Big steam -heated brick buildings, haul the kids in
buses; ell of them carrying enough books to make them stoop
shouldered, and when they get through school they ain't worth
their salt, so far as making soleething is concerned. They
wouldn't think of doing the kind of work I've always done, and
that's one thieg's the matter of the world to -day- not enough
willing hands. That they need is some sense haeeeerea into
their heads, not education.
"I didn't aim to tell you anything about my elarriage, but
guess it won't hurt much more than I've already been hurt.
I've got a wife living up here on Reedy Fork. I didn't know
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what I was letting myself in for when I got married, but I
soon found out. She aimed to do away with me so she could get
my money. She had me put in the asylum, but I foiled her
about the money. I had i.. hid and all,B couldn't find it. I
slipped off from the a4lum- guess the guards kneu I wasn't
crazy- and come back home and run her off. Uaybe I should be
in the asyluie now; there are a lot of people I know ought to
be. Pllyway, I was sane enough to hide that money where she
couldn't find it. I em out now ,td I wish there was some way
to investigate the way the insane are treated. Reckon they
think it don't make any difference how they handle them; but
you see I was not crazy and I saw a lot. I can't do anything
sbout it; everybody around here still cail me "Crazy Andy".
"I've ot a lot of wood on my place. I haul a load to
to three tixes a week. I've got a little old truck and it
takes just a little more than a gallon of gas to make the trip.
I'm not satisfied unless I'm busy et something. Tell you what
I'll do, I'll kill you e mess of briar shoats pretty soon if
cook them and let me come over fer dinner. You see, I
get awfully fed -up on my own cooking. It must agree with me,
though. I keep healthy all the time, just as if I figured all
the vitamines, or whatever it is you hear so much about. I
mienage to eat a lot of vegetable along with the tremeddous
amount of meat I eat.
"Yes, I suppose I have religion of a sort, but I don't
pay much attention to preachers, most of them don't know what
they are talking about, anyway. I figure that any man with
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sense enough to grease a gimlet knows right from wrong, and
he don't need no parson yelling at him all the time about
something none of us understand. I got just as much religion
as the preachers, leastwise it sreves my purpose mighty well.
I certainly don't get into no trouble like that preacher did
up here at Hineeville. He's in the middle of a big scandal
about running around with another man's wife, and him with a
wife and bunch of kids of his own. I heard a man say once
that you should love your neighbor as yourself but leave his
wife alone. That's my policy and I didn't learn it at no Church.
I don't know what they'll say about me when I'm cone, but they
can't say I ever hit below the belt or refused to eive help
when it was deserved and I could ,z,ive it.
"New, I don't contribute to the church, I give mine direct
where I know it'll do the most :,00d. One trouble about the
cnurch is they try to do too much, they are organized to death;
got too much overhead. I ain't been in one i years, but I
know about what they do. Sometimes the:" co, around asking for
mission money. Tell me, what the naze cn: 'Ad I -t4ent to be
sending money to Chiny, Africay or sole place I don't know
or care nothiNi; aoout, when i can au a hundred cents worth
of ,00ci with my dollar ri'ht here at home, mon:-; people I
know and folks that maybe we can :Ake soillething out of.
"ell lady, I got to get at this cotton picking. Time I
get this done it'll be time to sow wheat, then I got to do
my plowing for next year 'fore the winter sets in. Remember,
now, I'm depending on you to cook them shoats; kill a mesa
just as soon as it's cold enough to kill their fleas and ticks."