The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1929-12-06
CANT SUPPORT A
FAMILY ON $6 A
WEEK BOARDER

One of the mcSt pitiful caacs
ever to come to the attention OF
the local welfare officer Is that OF
Mrs. VI. c. Dowdy, of North Pein-
dexter Street, who lost her hus-
band and only means OF support
thru affection for her father
MIS-. Dowdy's story is 4 sad one.
A daughter of James Cartwright,
of Ckisko. she had been married
twice when she wed Mr.. Dovdy.
Both she and her husband worked
in the PaSauotank Hosiery Mil and
lived on Railroad Avenue. Then
Mrs. Dowdy'S father became i'll. HIS
wife was feeble and deaf and was
unable to care for him, so Mrs.
Dowdy cared for him. She worked
in the mill all day long and went
over to O5iSko and tended her faith
c. at night.
This soon told on Mrs Dowdy and
she saw she could not keep 1t up.
so she asked her husband to let her
father come to town and live with
them. M-. Dordy promptly put his
fc-t down on this proposal and told
her that he would leave her if she
noved her father into their home.
Mrs. Dowdy's father was wcrse and
she found she was unable to get
over to Okisko to tend to him. So,
hoping that her husband would not
carry out his threat, she brought
her father here to live with her and
her husband. Mr.. Dowdy departed
the next day.
Mrs. Dowdy bravely set about the
task of carrying on, borrowed money
with which to pay the rent, the
grocery bill and medicine bill. The
money was borrowed from her en-
blowers and soon was paid back by
dint and hard labor and rigid econo-
my. Then Mrs. DOwdy received an
attractive offer from a boarding
house at Kitty Hawk, quit her JOB,
packed her belongings and went to
Kitty Hawk to take charge Of the
Kitty Hawk hoStery. But what she
had thought to be a good job turn
ed cut to be white elephant. She
was told that she was no longer
needed after about two weeks.
Coming back to Elizabeth City,
Mrs. Dowdy consulted with A. H.
Outlaw, County welfare Officer, to
see what she could do. Mr.. Outlaw
advised her to rent a cheap house
and take in boarderS. The plan
sounded good, so Mrs. Dowdy rent
ed a house on North PoindeXter
Street. put out a "Roomers ana
BoarderS Wanted" sign and contl-
IDENTIFY awaited the arrival of her
first boarder. The first one came,
but there have been none since. Mrs.
Dowdy. her 11-year-old girl and her
9-year-old bry have been living on
the Sc a week income from that one
boarder and it has been hard sled
ding.
Ruth Harris, daughter of D.
Walter Harris, teaches a Sunday
School class at the First Baptist
Church. Mrs. DOwdy'S son Is
member of Ruth's class. Several
Sundays ago the youngSter didn't
show up at Sunday school. Ruth
went around to his house to inveStl-
gate, found the boy in bed clad in
a pair of overalls, all the clothes
he had. He had not gone to Sun
day school because he had nothing
to wear except a pair Of ragged
overalls. Ruth went to her fathers
store and recited the story. Frank
Harris. Joe Lamb, Andrew Bailey,
John Shannonhouse, Herbert Ayd-
lett, Aubrey McCabe mad Albert
Bright formed a pool, went down
the street and bought the youngster
a complete outfit, including suit,
shoes, socks, shirts, and underwear.
1t was a proud and happy 8-year-old
boy who walked into D. Walter
Harris store that afternoon, exhi-
bited his outfit and thanked the
donors. Said one donor, Il had
rather give SIS to a cause like that
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