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Roalotus Richmond
Assistant Director
Federal Writers' Project
STONECUTTER AND WIFE
"WI, I'm an the WPA now," Danli said.
*I guess you always will be, his wife said scornfully.
"I guess you'll never get another decent job."
Danli Shrugged his wide shoulders, his rugged dark face
crinkled in a frown. If there ain't any you can't get 'em,"
he said.
The little kitchen vas clean under the Melt. A wood
fire burned in the stove, and the smell of drying wood came
from the oven. A picture of a cross bong over the oilcloth
covered table but it was purely ornamental. In the dimness
of the living -room were pictures of movie actors Mts.
Danli was a romanticist.
"We never been no bad off," she said. "I don't know
what's going to become of us. When I was a girl I had every-
thing I wanted. Then Dan always had swell jobs. mr own
girls had everything, too. They dressed better than any
other girls in high school. They were better looking too,
if I do say it. Now they're gone. They married swell guys
both of them. But look at us here. We got nothing any more."
"We'll have wart" 10,114 said gravely. "About every
twenty years for this country. From the end of one to the
beginning of another. The Revolution then 1812 Mexico
in '48 the Civil War in 1898 the Spanish-American
and the last one. About twenty years, see? The time is
up. They could& stopped Hitler last fall. Now... well,
19848
he'll take lots of stepping*"
"Hitler!. Me. Deal said. eMnesolini too, that big
bull! Two of a, kind. Somebody ought to shoot
"Try it, Dealt said, smiling.
"Me try itl Who am I to shoot them? Let a man do it,
Let same big worthless bulk like you do it. If they 'kin
you after, *bat difference it makes?'
'Shut up,' Dann said. 'Listen, I'm going an the reel
pretty quick again. I'm sick of your nagging. There's
nothing for a man here.'
'Are a son that you can't even support your foully?
My, when I think of the things we used to have. TV mother
would die if she saw how we were now. My mother ammo film
a good family, We came from Carrera, see? They're different
than these other Italians. More deli oats, more refined.
"The Vellis are from Carrara too," Dan observed.
"Montagne!" cried his wife in scorn. 'From the mometains
not the city. There's a difference. Zust like between North
and South Italy. Look at the Salwatores! Hapolitani
The map of Naples all over their faces."
Tuscani," Den said.
His wife ignored Mm. "Mg motler was a dressmaker in the
Old Country. She was awful smart. And you should see pictures
when she was young. What stuff! My father was a statmeft
cutter in Carrara. My mother used to walk by the piece
where he worked. All the men would whistle and says 'Howe
acmes your girl, Pietro.' My mother would not look up 'until
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he whistled. She knew his from all the rest. My, be vas
a handseme nen, blond with dark eyes. He died when he ems
only thirtywfour.
"ills family didn't want him to marry my mother., That's
Idly they left there end ewe to this Gauntry. And it killed
his, the granite. Ny nether never got over it."
"She rvied another quick enough."
*Sure, but did she love him? No Not like my father.
the didn't..."
Del5,4 said* should have stayed down South. I was
cutting stone down in Albertan, Georgia. The granite Levitt
so good and they don't pay so mudh, but there's work eelyMay.
Steady work. The trouble is those crackers mill work fOr
nothing and like it. Just like the Frendhmen they brew,*
into Barre. You can't organise then either. I tried it. I
tried to show then how the Union would increase their ply.
They wouldn't listen. They're too soared and stupid.
But the work down there is steady and living is cheap. That's
something, ain't it? In Barre living is expensive and the
work is an and off. You only get half -a -year's work at the
best,
"I'm a runtime -cutter. I learned the trade under nor
father in this oonntry. Be came over first and sent beck
for ne and ny brothers. We couldn't speak a yard of English.
I don't knew how we got train tickets or anything. Ny father
had a small shed and he taught us to cut stone. If weld *11
stuck together we might"v. built up a big company. Lots of
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others did., But as didn't get slang. Us hey* woo foollab4
we could make Mrs Ammo cutting *tone for semebody else *0
we left my father. WO oouldn't see ahead. Sows made it
and spent it On clothe* and boom and parties...1P,
"On women you mane' cut in his wife *That's baw
you spent it."
"Airs I never wont for women," Denli said. Some of
them did, but not as. I'd rather be with a gang of fells,*
just sitting around drinking and talking. You know bow it
if
is.
"How about that big black widow Zorint?" demanded his
wife.
"Her? That was nothing. It was her idea, wasn't it?
But I didn't do nothing. I didn't want her, for Christi*,
If I canted women I could get hotter than that."
*You Gould, could you? Well let me tell you I Mould,
always get all the fellows I wanted, too. I
"Jesus Christ l* Dan said. "Shut up, will you? Ne wan
to talk We aren't talking about women. Go play the piano
or something."
Mrs. Dann wont in the other room to play sketobily on
the piano and sing popular 10v0 songs. "I can't play," she
said. "But you should hear my daughter Nina play!" Den
waved her Impatiently into oblivion with one big brown band.
We mad* amnoy," be want on. "And we drifted around
the country,. You could always pick up a job in them deg*
I out stone in Montreal, Concords Quincy. I cat stone in
Hardwiek and Barre* I worked the South, too. If you got
sit* of ame plat* you could shove on to another* Alsolarr
there was jobs. Look at Venture* Be gets a Barre girl
in trouble so he bit* for the South* He gets another girl
down there in trouble and lands beak here* Hs marries the
first one and beats it. Finall7 we bear be dies of *Walls*
That's women for you. But not for me.'
"My, but Dan is romantic,* Mrs. Danii called. *Whom
he was away this is the kind of letter, he'd write: 'Dear
Maria, Enclosed find Cheek, 7Cmws truly, Dan."
Danli's dark 31,72ad cheeks crinkled, deeper. "I kMew
that was all you was interested in,' be said. "The Cheek**
Be accepted and lit another cigarette. roll mine now,*
be said. 'I'm getting to like them rolled But tailowmades
taste good for a change...
°Now you can't get a job. Not around here. Maria sants
me to go back to cutting stone. I'd do it if I could get a
job. But not for long. I've had enough of that dust. I'm
almost fifty. I never told anybody but I'm three -fourths
filled up with silicosis. I know it. I don't talk about it.
I don't thick about it much. But I know. Moat I want is
a job with a conetruotion company. Outdoors and all, bossing
a gang ofimmu. I know construction and I've bandied men. I
worked in the Holland Tunnel* I bossed a gang on the Fitteenm•
Wile Falls Dam. I had a gang at Vets an the Wrightsville job*
If you can get work outs them pundhdrunks you can get work
outa anybody. And I did*
"Itve had asough stonecutting,* All thegua that
started with me are dorsi or too sick to leaft* Andrecii
went last saak. Cassandra is about done* Matthswean is
in the sanitarium bad* They're all gone** Danli
squinted throogh cigarette amass* "I omit stand this
WPA nnah more Maria soots me to go basic to the sheds.
/t looks like there's nothing noldh else* I dealt like
the idea. I %mow what she dossn't know. I know I
Sheoldrot cut =more stone...*
"But Jesus Christ,* Danli said. *Matti' a man going
to do? The girls are gone but I got a boy growing n. I
ain't getting anywhere this way. The boy Winn have bait
what be needs, no more than Maria oasis And I oan't even
buy a glass of be after the rant and groceries are paid
*Yes," said Dan)1„ slowly and gravely* *I'll go tadk
to the sheds. cut stoma again for awhile* If I
can get a job."