Best Cotton Pickin' Behavior

When the Sally Field movie, Places in the Heart. came out via VHS tape in 1984, I was so excited to rent it for my family to watch. So, I gathered my mother and her two sisters together one afternoon and we popped the tape into the VCR. I'm sure we all had a cup of hot coffee (and they had their nasty cigarettes...eewe...but that's what they did in that generation.) I was thirty at the time and my children enjoyed any movie as long as there were snacks available or they busied themselves outside on their bikes. My aunt's husband, Uncle Bill was busy taking a long afternoon nap.

As the movie progressed, my oldest aunt, Aunt Sis (Emily Louise,) became increasingly restless and finally said, "I don't think I'm gonna be able to watch anymore. I've had enough of cotton-picking. I've lived through this." I was so disappointed and couldn't really understand why the visceral response, but I accepted it. But now, I think I understand because I have read the letter written to her from the fall of 1938 from Uncle Bill. And since I've read it, I now feel it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The letter was dated September 7, 1938 and the return address was in care of (%) the farm owner in Winnsboro, Louisiana:

Hello Sweetheart,

I will try to write you a few lines to let you know we got here alright and got a job the first thing. Ain't that too bad? I thought I was going on a vacation, but I see what I get for thinking.

We are having a very good time but I sure am tired. You know, Darling, when I picked 139 pounds of cotton that means I am very tired. But I don't know whether it is the work or the way I play. I guess these people think I am crazy, but that is what they think.

We got down here late Monday evening and this man gave us a job and board so we are living fine. I don't like the job. It's so hot but the board is mighty good. We have plenty to eat and the best bed you ever seen, Sweetheart. A cotton bed weighing 1500 pounds with a million little worms in it. Some bed, huh, honey? And it's way down in a field close to a big jungle, so you have an idea how sound I sleep and how well I like it.

Sweetheart, I wish I was back home where I could see you every once in awhile. But I have to work so I can buy you a big oil stove like the woman here has got. It sure is pretty, Sweetheart, and it looks like it can cook by itself. If we can only learn it to wash dishes we will have everything but something to make up beds, and you said I had to do that so I don't guess we need anything else. I might have known that if I didn't have to get wood I would have to do something else, but Darling, I won't mind to do that or anything else for you. All I wish is that I was doing it now.

Darling, tell your Mother not to worry about her old man and two little boys. Tell her Bill will take care of them for her.

<reference: old man is my grandfather, Mr. Smith, who was 62 at the time along with sons Leck age 22 and Jimmy age 16. Bill was also age 22. Important to note that Mr. Smith was a colorful, rowdy man who, besides working hard, was also was known to enjoy hard liquor at times>

And Sweetheart, I never seen a better man than Mr. Smith. He is the life of the party. He and Jimmy stay at the house and he can't talk ugly. He sure sounds funny talking good. He picked 52 pounds of cotton today. That was sort of funny....

Well, Sweetheart, I had better go...remember, I still love you better than anybody in the world.

Yours forever,

Bill

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mr. Smith was shot and killed instantly on September 19th. Leck was shot that day also but lived until September 21st, (his twenty-third birthday.) I wrote about this in a previous story (The Black and White World of 1938)

I have respect for any 62 year old man that works that hard for his family and that behaves himself properly for the sake of his job. I know now that cotton-picking was truly a labor of love for him. His death, although tragic and traumatic, was an ending to his struggles and duties as husband and father. I hope he is still on his best behavior in Heaven. But for my Uncle Leck, it was a senseless and cruel injustice.

But I fully understand why that cotton-picking had no fond "place" in my Aunt Sis' heart.