Appalachian Daughter Quotes

“She hugged Ray, who held her for a long moment.  “I love you, Sunshine.  Don’t stay away too long.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“She watched as her family stood in the middle of the road waving.  In the instant before the trees hid the house, Maggie saw her mother standing on the front porch, fanning herself with her straw hat.  It almost looks like she’s waving.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“Maggie looked around. “Where’s Mama? Isn’t she even going to tell me goodbye?” “Nah, she’s hoeing in the garden,” Stuart said as he handed Maggie a little wooden whistle he had made.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“Maggie announced that she was giving the graduation speech.  “I want all of you to be there–Grandma, Grandpa, and all my family.”  Maggie looked around the table at her parents, her brothers and sisters, and her aunts. “Why, congratulations, Maggie.” Aunt Lillian began clapping her hands and everyone else joined in, except Corie Mae. “Hooray for Maggie!”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“Corie Mae stood up and raised her hand as if she would slap Maggie, but glanced at Miss Erickson and lowered her hand.  “Okay, Miss Smarty, maybe I can’t stop you from going, but I can tell you not to come back.”  She took a step closer to Maggie.  “I’ve knowed you was going to leave ever since you got in high school and got them highfaluting ideas in your head.  So just go off up there and learn them big city ways, but don’t never come back here.”  She marched into the kitchen.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“I don’t know. It’s hard to believe she hasn’t spoken to me a single time in over two months. I’m sort of getting used to it. At least I don’t keep expecting it.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“31 February, 1951”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“Sit down! You’ll do what I tell you.” Corie Mae shook her finger in Betty Lou’s face. “Just because you’re learning music, you ain’t too good to mind your mama. Now sit down, right now!”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“Corie Mae motioned toward the door. “Go in the front room till we’ve finished. Then you can come and eat by yourself.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“Corie Mae raised her chin and crossed her arms across her chest.  “Let me tell you, young lady.  If you think you can disobey me, you’re wrong.  No child of mine can sit at this table unless you’re willing to do as you’re told.  So until you decide to obey me, you cannot eat at this table with the rest of your family.”  Corie Mae raised her head even higher, looked down her nose, and pressed her lips firmly together.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“Corie Mae looked startled.  “It...it’s just that, you know, it’s out in public and everything and the girls wear shorts and...and it...it just ain’t right.”  Her hands fluttered like a bird with a broken wing. Bud nodded. “What do you think will happen if she plays?” “I... uh... uh...I don’t know. It just ain’t right.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“Grandma prepared the bed and, once she had Corie Mae situated, sent Maggie and Ray out of the room while she made a visual examination.  “I ain’t going to touch you with my hands down there cause we don’t take no chances on infection, and I put the ax under the bed to cut the pain.”  Shortly, Maggie heard Grandma say, “It’s looking good.  Won’t be much longer.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“Remembering the scorn and accusation in her mother’s voice, she began to sob into her pillow.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“I was about six or seven, and I had this cat named Whitey.  I loved that cat more’n anything.  One day Mommy had just finished a new quilt and put it on her bed.  She went in there and Whitey had messed all over her brand new quilt.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“Was Great-grandpa ever mean to your kids?” Grandma smiled.  “He threatened to whip Thomas once, but I told him if he ever laid a hand on one of my kids, I’d kill him.  If one of my kids needed a thrashing, he could just tell me, and I’d do it.  He knowed I meant it, too.  He’d saw me shoot many a rabbit.  He knowed I never missed my target.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“They went to Harlan where Granny growed up.  Gone about six weeks, but when she come back she didn’t have Helen with her.  Helen never saw her daddy again.  She lived with her grandparents in Harlan till she got married.  She never even come to his funeral.” “Why? What happened?” “I don’t know it all.  I guess Helen was a little wild.  She would slip out at night, take one of the mules and ride out to a party somewheres.  One night Harvey caught her when she was putting the mule back in the barn.  I think he probably whipped her.  But they was more to it than that.  I tried to ask Granny about it one time, but she just said it warn’t safe for Helen to be here no more.” “Do you think Great-grandpa, you know, messed with her?” Maggie frowned and looked at her grandmother with one eyebrow raised. “I suspected it, but no one ever told me for sure.  Granny wouldn’t talk about it.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“And we’d all jump around like we’s dancing.  One time we didn’t hear Pappy coming, and he walked in right while we’s jumping and sanging.  He had a awful mighty big temper.  He grabbed his horse whip and started hitting Mammy.” Maggie gasped and grabbed Betty Lou’s hand as Grandpa continued his story.  “Johnny and Jimmy took the whip away from Pappy.  Johnny ran out to the chopping block and cut it up in pieces with the ax.  They was scared to come back in the house, so they hid out in the woods for days till they saw Pappy hitch up the buggy and start off.  Then they come in and told Mammy they’s going to leave.  She helped pack up their clothes in bundles and fixed some food, and they left.  That’s the last I ever seen them.  Mammy never played the mandolin again.  I thought she’d probably burnt it up or something.” “How old was you then?” Jeannie asked. “I’s about six, I guess.  Johnny and Jimmy was about fifteen or sixteen.  Mammy knowed they needed to leave because Pappy had such a temper, he’d probably killed them.  But after that, she never would sing no more.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“What’s that?” Grandma spit in her can sitting on the floor beside the porch swing she shared with Grandpa, who smoked his pipe while they gently rocked back and forth.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“Corie Mae knelt beside him to get a good look. “Oh lordy, looks like you got the chickenpox.” Maggie nodded. “You know, Mama, Charlie Haskins got chickenpox during Bible School, and Johnny Ray sat by him on the church bus. I guess that’s where he got them.” “This explains why you complained of feeling poorly the last couple days. Do you feel like eating some breakfast?” Johnny Ray nodded and took his usual place on the bench at the back side of the table. “Now I guess Jay and Junior’ll get them too.  I’m glad the rest of you kids done had chicken pox.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“We need to get home or Mama’ll scold us for dilly dallying.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“I don’t understand why they won’t let married girls come to school.  It seems so unfair.  I guess Billy Ray will get to come back and graduate next year with his class.  At least one of them will finish.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“My mama would like to go to the new church too, but Daddy won’t agree.  Somehow I can’t see Mama jumping up and down, clapping, hollering ‘Praise Jesus’ and all that stuff.  I don’t know why she thinks she would enjoy that kind of church except that her daddy is the preacher.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“During the war they was certain things you couldn’t buy unless you had the stamps in the ration books.” Aunt Lillian explained. “Like what?” “Shoes, sugar, meat, gasoline, all sorts of stuff like that.” Grandma said.  “When you went to the store, you had to take your ration books, and the store clerk’d take out stamps before you could buy things.” “You mean before you could buy shoes you had to have a stamp?” “That’s right.” Corie Mae patted Jay’s back. “Ever’ year before school started, we’d take all the kids to town to buy shoes. We had a stamp book for ever’ one of you.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“would get back together as one country, but the Russians set up a communist government in the north.  We set up a democratic government in the south.  So now the North Koreans think they can take over the South and make it all one communist country.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“The North Korean army invaded South Korea, and President Truman thinks we should stop it.” “Why would North Korea do that?” Jeannie asked. Where’s North Korea, anyway?” “After World War II, Korea was divided in two parts.”  Thomas blew smoke toward the ceiling.  “The Russians occupied the north, and the U. S. occupied the south  They thought after a while the two parts”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“Maggie looked at her mother, who busied herself with shifting sleeping Jay to a more comfortable position in her lap.  She studied Corie Mae’s frown.  What would we have to do to make her brag about us?”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“Perplexed, Maggie marveled that her mother would brag to Grandma after putting up such resistance to letting Betty Lou wear the dress and insisting up to the last minute she didn’t want to go hear her play.  I guess I’ll never understand her.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“I’ve only got a few messes left, Honey, but I’ll make sure you get some the next time I cook up a mess.”  Grandma”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“Why you knock-kneed, flop-eared, bow-legged, yellow-livered, Nigger loving, Jew baby, Japo, son of a bitch. Push me around, will you?”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter

“She began whistling and skipped along like a six year old.  “Oops.” she suddenly realized someone might see her and looked around sheepishly.  She remembered Grandma always says “A whistling girl and a crowing hen always come to some bad end” and turned the corner into the schoolyard.”
― Mary Jane Salyers, Appalachian Daughter