9

A Bay with Lula Wright

9

rice peas and speckle peas. On a shelf were a large pan of cracklin's,
and several jars of canned fruit. "My, but you have plenty food in
here", I said. "Yas'm, I has ter turn 'cause I gwineter feed my chillen
an' den I lacks ter have plenty ter 'vide wid others. Yo' know das whut
de Lawd wants us ter do.

"I tries ter git dat welfare to give my boy some work ter do but
dey won't do hit. I jes' made three bales of cotton las' year. Yo' see
one bale goes fer rent. One bale for fertilizer an' money, ter run de
farm. Den das one bale te git clothes, sumpin' ter eat an' I get all
three of dese boys heah. No dey won't give my boy a lick of work to do.
But Lu gwineter make hit. God gwineter help Lu 'cause she trusses HIm
Dem welfare folks de give me nothin' but eye water fer to cry. Looks lack
dey down on me but thank God you can't keep a good man down. I sent all
my chillen ter school till dey jes' wanted to quit." We were now an our
way back to the house. "Pretty soon", she said, I'll be milkin' all
three of my cows an' dat helps out whole lot. One thing, I ain't got no
syrup dis yeah, but das all right too, 'cause I take sugar an' make my
syrup. I jes' dere yo' take de Lawd wid yo', he sho' make a way outer
no way.

"Sit down," she said as we walked back into the room. "I ain't
tole yo' 'bout my sellin' candy. Um sellin' candy fer a comp'ny. Yo'
see." She showed me a card with several places to punch and a box of bars
of candy. "Punch one," she asked me. I punched one and a card came out
with five cents on it. I gave her the nickel and told her to keep the
candy and sell it. "Ain't dat luck!" she smiled. "thank yo' ma'm."
She went to an old trunk, opened it, got out several pretty pieces of
cloth and a pretty spread. "Dis is whut I got sellin' candy, dese four
pieces. Dere is four yards in each of dese pieces. See", pointing to
two dresses already made and hanging on the door, "I done made two, de
ready ter wear. I has ter do all lak dat ter keep a goin'. My chillen

522