Phoebe Mitchell Day Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

Fhoebe Mitchell Day 37
girls. They had a plank fence, but they taken that down, too. I
loved to play baseball when I was in school, for exercise. I was
considered one of the heavy hitters there, and Lottie Poston, she
was the next one. (laughter) Leonard and httie Poston here. She's
an old-timer here. (chuckles) Yes, that was the only enjoyment that
I-never had much enj oyment .
Q. I see. Evidently, when your mther &Led you were a young girl,
and you took on som of the responsibility?
A. Yes. P@ brother was a hod carrier and bricuayer, Frank. He wore
them old fleece underwear, and at that tlnve you only had a washboard
and a tin tub, and when you got a big NO. 3 tin tub, you was getting
somethhg at that time, see. No washers or electric appliances or
Wthfng. Just a board-washboard4 a tub and I used to have to
wash them old heavy fleece underwear. And I did that, kept house
for Papa and them boys, for three years. I broke my back down, then,
doing that heavy work like that.
Q. Did that affect your schoolbg any?
A. No, I kept go- to school, kept going to school. No, not until I
graduated fmm the eighth grade.
Q. Now, was Palmer School, at that the-did they have many black
children that went to Palmer?
A. Oh, we had-yes, they had several. I just don't know; I can't
remember just. . . . But we had quite a few up at this east end, you
how. More whites, lot more whites. But we never fought or anything