Laura Bell
From:
North Carolina
N. C. District: No. 2 [320118]
Worker: Mary A. Hicks
No. Words: 610
Subject: AUNT LAURA
Story Teller: LAURA BELL
Editor: Geo. L. Andrews
[TR: Date Stamp "AUG 6 1937"]
AUNT LAURA
An interview with Laura Bell, 73 years old, of 2 Bragg Street, Raleigh,
North Carolina.
Being informed that Laura Bell was an old slavery Negro, I went
immediately to the little two-room shack with its fallen roof and shaky
steps. As I approached the shack I noticed that the storm had done great
damage to the chaney-berry tree in her yard, fallen limbs litterin' the
ground, which was an inch deep in garbage and water.
The porch was littered with old planks and huge tubs and barrels of
stagnant water. There was only room for one chair and in that sat a tall
Negro woman clad in burlap bags and in her lap she held a small white
flea-bitten dog which growled meaningly.
When I reached the gate, which swings on one rusty hinge, she bade me
come in and the Carolina Power and Light Company men, who were at work
nearby, laughed as I climbed over the limbs and garbage and finally
found room for one foot on the porch and one on the ground.
"I wus borned in Mount Airy de year 'fore de Yankees come, bein' de
fourth of five chilluns. My mammy an' daddy Minerva Jane an' Wesley
'longed ter Mr. Mack Strickland an' we lived on his big place near Mount
Airy."
"Mr. Mack wus good ter us, dey said. He give us enough ter eat an'
plenty of time ter weave clothes fer us ter wear. I've hearn mammy tell
of de corn shuckin's an' dances dey had an' 'bout some whuppin's too."
"Marse Mack's overseer, I doan know his name, wus gwine ter whup my
mammy onct, an' pappy do' he ain't neber make no love ter mammy comes up
an' takes de whuppin' fer her. Atter dat dey cou'ts on Sadday an' Sunday
an' at all de sociables till dey gits married."
"I'se hearn her tell' bout how he axed Marse Mack iffen he could cou't
mammy an' atter Marse Mack sez he can he axes her ter marry him."
"She tells him dat she will an' he had 'em married by de preacher de nex'
time he comes through dat country."
"I growed up on de farm an' when I wus twelve years old I met Thomas
Bell. My folks said dat I wus too young fer ter keep company so I had
ter meet him 'roun' an' about fer seberal years, I think till I wus
fifteen."
"He axed me ter marry him while he wus down on de creek bank a fishin'
an' I tol' him yes, but when he starts ter kiss me I tells him dat der's
many a slip twixt de cup an' de lip an' so he has ter wait till we gits
married."
"We runned away de nex' Sadday an' wus married by a Justice of de Peace
in Mount Airy."
"Love ain't what hit uster be by a long shot," de ole woman reflected,
"'Cause dar ain't many folks what loves all de time. We moved ter
Raleigh forty years ago, an' Tom has been daid seberal years now. We had
jest one chile but hit wus borned daid."
"Chilluns ain't raised ter be clean lak we wus. I knows dat de house
ain't so clean but I doan feel so much lak doin' nothin', I jest went on
a visit 'bout seben blocks up de street dis mo'nin' an' so I doan feel
lak cleanin' up none."
I cut the interview short thereby missing more facts, as the odor was
anything but pleasant and I was getting tired of standing in that one
little spot.
"Thank you for comin'", she called, and her dog growled again.
Next:
Emma Blalock
Previous:
John C Bectom
