Full Text of the Excerpt

JIM LELOUDIS:

What type things did they do to make you mad?

ALICE P. EVITT:

Right after I went to work-I was young . . . spinnin' there at the Highland Park mill-I worked at night a little bit. They got me to work at night. They had a parade here the twentieth of May. They had that big parade here when I was young. Of course, young people, young as I was, was goin' to go to that parade. I did and I didn't get to sleep none that day much. That night I went to work, and I asked 'em to let me off. They wouldn't do it, and I got so sleepy in the night, I couldn't hold my eyes open. They wouldn't let me off, and I just quit and went home [laughter], and we moved.

JIM LELOUDIS:

You moved because of that?

ALICE P. EVITT:

Yes. I just quit and went home anyway because I hadn't had no sleep. I couldn't make it. You take people like that, twelve, thirteen years old, they goin' to go to such as that. I wouldn't of missed the parade for nothin'. I knew when we lived at Hardin, my older sister-they'd have a big "to do" and shoot fireworks on the fourth of July in Gastonia-they had a big wagon with big sides up on 'em with steps. They'd sit on it like they ride them trucks and cars now. She'd ride that thing, and we'd go to Gastonia. She'd ride in the parade on that big thing. I's always used to that. I enjoyed all that. I liked to see it. So I was goin' to see it if I had to quit [laughter].