Full Text of the Excerpt

BRENT GLASS:

Did your father have any sayings, or any kinds of rules around the house? Who was the disciplinarian around the house? Who would discipline you?

JOHNNIE JONES:

My mother.

BRENT GLASS:

How would she do that?

JOHNNIE JONES:

Well … now I'll just tell you the truth. You know, I didn't pay too much attention to it, and I just couldn't tell you exactly how it was done.

BRENT GLASS:

Did she ever take a switch and hit you a little bit with the switch?

JOHNNIE JONES:

Oh yes; she could give you a good one, too. She was left handed, and it looked like when she hit you she'd pull you to her. Now we got plenty of whooping; I reckon that's the reason we're like we are today, because she believed in punishing you for what you done.

BRENT GLASS:

Do you remember any particular time that you got punished?

JOHNNIE JONES:

Yes, I remember two times. I remember a fellow went there and told them I spit on him—and which I didn't know the fellow was even around nowhere. And she whipped me for that. And I told her she didn't due me that whipping; I didn't spit on nobody, and I didn't know the man was upstairs. I was setting down on the ground and he spit out there on me. Of course I didn't tell her 'til after she whipped me; I didn't tell her. And then she whipped me again for being over there at the boiler room at night firing boilers. And she told me to stay away from over there. But I just wanted to be doing something all the time, just like an old goat. That's how I learned how to fire the boilers, hanging around over there at night, fooling with the old night man. He'd let me fire and mess around, so I just went out.