Page 83 - my-people-abbie-harris-beck

PAPA AND MAMA HARRIS

My Papa did not believe in whippings. My mama did ! Papa punished other ways.
The one thing that papa put his foot down is that no member of his family could go in
swimming in a creek, pond or river. The story goes:...Papa's land went to the Pea river.
He was looking over his corn crop near the river. He heard a lot of hollering laughing and
other noises down at the river. Papa came upon a crowd of boys swimming in the river.
One was his young son, Jesse (12 or 14). papa called for Jesse to come to him, in the
meantime papa was cutting a switch. He whipped Jesse all the way home.
Told to Annie Laurie by Horace Wilkerson, one of the boys in the river. The only
time that papa ever whipped. Don't think Brother ever went in any water again.

As I said beforCpapa did not believe in whippings, but mama did !! Willie and
Maye were fussing and mama got a peach tree switch and gave them licks around their
legs, then put them in the wash room until they were through crying. Papa would come
home and find them in the wash room. He would sneak them out the window, take them
to a near by store, buy them candy and slip them back through the window . Papa would
go find mama and say" Maggie don't you think the girls have been punished enough?"

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