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THE UNWELCOME CALLER
(Georgia)
Mildred Mooney is a bill collector. As
I approached the house I was a little dismayed to find everything looking
desolate, and I was afraid I had missed Mildred. The plain ugly little
cottage did not have the usual neat appearance and the yards were rather
unkempt. Just as I walked up the steps the door opened and out she walked
with a broom in her hand.
"Come right in", said Mildred, "for even though, as you see my morning's
work is not yet done, I'm glad of an excuse to rest. John had a bad night
so I have not had much sleep. Otherwise, I'm afraid you would not have
found me at home.
After debating a minute, we decided it would be cooler on the porch, for
it was a fearfully hot morning.
"Before we sit down", she said, "let's go in and speak to John. He is
resting now and will be so glad to see you".
Mildred's home consisted of four rooms, living room, two bedrooms, and a
kitchen with a little eating nook in one corner. These rooms were
furnished neatly but not luxuriously. Here and there were odd pieces of
really good wood but much the worse for wear. Appearances denoted the fact
that the Mooneys have seen better days, but unemployment, sickness, and
other misfortunes have taken their toll.
As I entered the sick-room I was greeted with a cheery, "Good morning! How
are you".
Mr. Mooney was lying in bed all drawn with arthritis. He had been a
sufferer for five years, unable to make a living for his family. At times
he can get around with the use of a crutch or sometimes a stick but is
never free of pain. His eyes were bright and he displayed a cheerfulness
that made me wonder if it was assumed.
By the side of his bed was his radio, with which he could get the current
news. A magazine stand filled with reading matter was in reach so he could
pass the time away when unable to be up and about.
"It is good to see someone from the outside", he said. "Sit down and tell
me some war news". Since I had not seen the morning paper, there was not
much that I could tell him. After we had chatted a few minutes his wife
and I went back to the front porch.
Mildred gave a faint sigh as she sat down. "It seems to me that if I could
sleep one whole night without being disturbed I would be a new person.
Yesterday was an unusually hard day with me. No one seemed to have any
money and, since I only get a commission, my day's work did not prove very
profitable. I came home tired and discouraged and, of all nights, John had
about the most restless one in a long time."
"Well," I said, "if I had to make my living collecting bills - every day
would be hard".
In spite of all her responsibilities and years of hard work to maintain
the family, Mildred has not lost her good looks. She is around forty-five
years of age, and has brown hair, eyes that fairly beam with enthusiasm,
and lines in her face that are visible only under close scrutiny. She
always makes a neat appearance. The small sum with which she has to clothe
herself obviously is spent to good advantage.
The family consists of Mr. and Mrs. Mooney, a seventeen-year-old daughter,
a married daughter, separated from her husband, and a little granddaughter
of four.
"I married young", said Mildred, "and, while I don't regret it and I love
my family, I do think young people should think more seriously before
jumping into a thing that can bring so many cares. There is Laura",
referring to her married daughter, "married to the sorriest man in the
world. He has left her now and doesn't even support his child. Well, one
thing is sure. I'll take care of her and the baby, but he had better not
put his foot back here."
Mildred shook her head vehemently and I could see she was getting rather
warmed up over her son-in-law, so I thought best to lead her out along
other lines.
"How is Nancy?" I asked, speaking of the young granddaughter.
"Oh, Nancy is just as meddlesome as she ever has been. The child just
can't keep still. And dirty! I have never seen a child pick up as much
dirt, and a girl at that. It's just a blessing that it doesn't kill. And
her mother is so busy trying to do our housework when I'm out, and sewing
for the family she just doesn't have the time to care for Nancy as she
should.
"I'm crazy about my family and my grandchild. I didn't use to believe in
limiting your family, but I declare to you when troubles come and money is
so hard to get it's a blessing I didn't have any more.
"And there's Laura. s'pose she had more with that sorry husband of hers. I
tell you no matter how much you love your children, if you haven't had 'em
you don't miss 'em.
"Then, too, there's not only taking care of them while they are little but
they have to be educated. Now, as for me, I didn't have so much education
but I've managed to get by. I was one of a large family and my parents
were not able to give me more than just high school education. And we have
not been able to educate our own much. Caroline, here, has had some
business training and has worked some but is out of work right now. We do
expect to do our best for little Nancy.
"We want a house, though, first of all and, by the way, we are fixing to
move. This house is shabby and the street so dusty. I'm trying to get a
large house and rent some rooms, for we are just obliged to have more
money. We have never owned a home but we used to live in better houses.
Mr. Mooney made good money when he worked, but our income now is so little
we can hardly live. In other words we just pay rent and have a little to
eat. Why, one hundred dollars a month would seem like a gold mine.
"Of course, I need a car in my work but I can't have it, so that's that. I
walk everywhere I go. That's one thing about my job I like. I'm in the
open and I get lots of exercise. Of course there's plenty of work I'd like
better but I don't seem to be able to get it. It's honest but not always
so pleasant. I've done other work before I began collecting. Why, I
clerked in one store for fifteen years. After that I was without work so I
applied for work on WPA and I worked on several projects. The first was a
canning job. Let me show you something."
She went into the house and brought out a picture. "Here I am in my
uniform," she said." They made us wear white. See that cat on that bush?"
I looked and sure enough there was a big white cat perched up on a piece
of shrubbery. "Well, she said, "that cat died two hours after that picture
was made. Guess it was the shock.
"Well, the next project I worked on was the sewing room and, boy, howdy,
that's where my troubles began. It was this way", she continued. "I like
to work when I have a good supervisor and one who knows the work, but
sometimes they'll put some little upstart over you who just doesn't know
what it's all about. And it goes to their head too, and it turns them
fool. Well, we had one of them things. To start with I wasn't able to sew
on a machine, so they put me and Mrs. Davis to cutting. We got on fine.
They generally cut slow but the way we did we folded the cloth several
times and would cut a lot at one time. We turned off work fast. One day
that hell cat came and told us we'd better slow down or we would cut
ourselves out of a job. 'Fool along,' she would say, 'don't be so smart.'
I flared up, so I said, 'There's not a lazy bone in me and I'll be damned
if I'm going to laze around here all day!' Then Mrs. Davis and I decided
we would cut a lot, then the rest on our backs for awhile, so we tried
that. That woman came around and found us sitting down. 'Well,' she said,
'if you can't find something to do you'd better go home'. I said, 'I won't
do that either,' so she went for the head of the whole thing. She came and
listened to that gal's tale. She didn't tell it straight, by the way, so
Mrs. Davis and I had to set her right. The big boss told us to cut any way
it suited us best just so we kept ahead of the machines. So we began
again. After that she picked on us worse than ever. To start with I had
forgotten more about cutting than she would ever have sense enough to
learn. One day she tried to make me cut a collar wrong so I said, 'To hell
with your collar. If you want it cut that way, cut it your dam self!' So I
walked out and that was my last WPA job.
"Another time I was collecting some bills for two or three men here and
once or twice one of them came to the sewing room to see me on some
business. I found out some of them women were making catty remarks about
me, so I had to get them told. No, I guess I don't make a very good WPA
worker. I can't 'stretch it out' as they say. I want to do what I'm gonna
do and get through with it.
"Now understand", she said in a more
serious mood, "I think the WPA is doing a lot to help people who need it
but, of course, it's only to give jobs to people who can't get them. If I
can keep in a job I don't want anything from the government.
"Anyway after I quit, they certified Caroline and gave her work, so that
was all the same. She's off right now. She was with the Soil Conservation
but her job just played out and she's not been put on again.
Well, just look coming up the street!", she said in a surprised tone of
voice. "If that don't beat all, there comes the 'buzzard' poking back
here. That's my son-in-law I'm so proud of. Well, one thing sure, if he
gets him a job and goes to work, okay, but he'll not lay around here for
me to support".
I decided it best to discontinue my interview for the present so after
arranging for another visit, I took my departure.
The following Tuesday afternoon, I went back. On the house was a sign -
FOR RENT. I knew Mildred had moved. I inquired next door and got her
address. I went just a few blocks down the street and found her number.
In the yard there was a sign which read - ROOMS, and I knew Mildred had
started on her new venture, that of renting rooms.
This house was a large rambling affair in need of repair but very
comfortable looking. The yard although neglected, was spacious and cool
looking. I rang the bell and again Mildred met me with the dust cloth and
broom in her hands. "Well", she laughed, "I guess you think I'm always
after someone with a broom. I'm only raising cain with the dust and dirt.
Come in though; I'll stop a while to talk to you. I'm not going out
collecting today.
"You know collecting bills is a funny business. You have to use real
psychology. If you hit a person in the right mood they will pay their last
penny on a bill, but if you meet them when they are in a bad humor they
wouldn't give you a dime if they had all sorts of money. I had a funny
experience not long ago. I had a long past due bill for an optometrist to
collect out of a mill worker. I went and every time she would put up a
hard-luck tale, so I left off going for about three months. Finally one
morning I decided I would try again. It was a terribly hot day and a long
way and I had walked every step of the way. I knocked on the door and a
child answered. I asked for her mother and the little girl invited me in.
I just stepped inside more or less to get out of the heat. The woman at
first tried to hide, but when she knew I had seen her she came up the hall
fiery mad. 'What are you doing in my house?', she asked.
'I was invited in', I answered.
'Well, yer ken git right out agin'.
I kept calm but was burning down inside. 'I won't get out and you can't
put me out. I'm not so large, but you put your hands on me and see what
will happen'.
Then followed some nasty words. 'Let me tell you something', I said. I
came inside for two reasons: First, to get out of the heat; second to keep
the neighbors from hearing you. I was trying to protect you for I knew
what kind of a tongue you had'.
She kept trying to get me out. 'I'll call my husband', she said. Her
husband came out and was as insulting as his wife.
"I told them, 'Now here I am. You can't kill me and if you did you can't
eat me and if you could eat me you would have more brains in your stomach
than you have ever had in your head'. Well, I don't have to tell you I
didn't get any money.
"Another time I had was collecting a florist bill from a rich woman. She
had been denying it for some time, but finally she admitted that she owed
it. One morning I went to her house. She came to the door and tried to
shut it in my face, but I just put my foot inside the door and stopped
her. 'Now listen', I said 'this is my way of making my living and I've
treated you nice. Now you be as nice to me. When you bought those flowers
the man didn't slam the door in your face, did he? Now you treat me with
the same courtesy'. Well, I collected that one after so long a time.
"Most of the time the poor people pay up better than the rich. Funny to me
how people will buy flowers when they know they are not going to pay for
them. I have more florist bills than a few, and they are always hard to
collect.
"Of course the wealthy people can always send a maid to the front door to
tell you 'she ain't home'. One day I rang a door bell and a dumb looking
Negro came to the door. In answer to my inquiries about her mistress, she
said, 'No, no, she say she ain't home. Anyway I heard her say she didn't
have no money. Lady, she don't pay nobody. I'se quittin' her myse'f.
"Oh yes, I forgot to tell you - abruptly getting off the subject of
collecting - Laura's husband has a job. It's WPA, too. He's going to
Atlanta today to take a course in Safety Driving though he will come back
and work in Clarke County. That will be a big help. Now if I can just rent
these rooms maybe we can make it.
"Are you keeping up with the war? I just wonder if we are going to get
into it. The President says we won't. I'm crazy about Roosevelt, but I
don't take much part in politics. Governor Rivers sure did have things in
a mess awhile, but maybe if he gets the right kind of help he'll pull out.
"Yes, we all go to church when we can. Of course, I don't take any active
[REMAINDER OF INTERVIEW IS MISSING]
September 20, 1939
Mrs. H. G. Moon (White)
645 Baxter Street
126 Milledge Ave.
Athens, Georgia
Bill Collector
By Mrs Leola Bradley
Text from: Library of
Congress, Manuscript Division, WPA Federal Writers' Project Collection
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