The Diary of Mrs. X - Installment 7
I hope this new Mrs. X installment makes up for it though. It's short, but it's got some amazing things in it!
Monday, March 19, 1945
Stayed in bed till 10 A.M. Feel much better than yesterday. All that work outdoors was good for me. C's cat was horribly mangled in front of our house last night. Shoveled it into a bucket of woon[?] — thought the garbage man would take it — but he didn't — so I buried it this evening. Didn't want Mr. C to see it — it was so cut up! Also buried a dead hen this A.M. Don't know what was wrong with it. We're getting about 5 eggs a day now — including a banty egg. The four baby ducks seem happy in their new pen. — Tremendous family wash today. Didn't wash last week. Jimmy S. walked part way home with Bev & Carolyn F. — & gave Bev his "slave bracelet" —(the boys make them in metal shop & give them to their girls). Bev is in 7th Heaven. Jimmy called up 3 times in morning. They decided to be "fair" with Rodney. J called R & R said "That's O.K. — I still like her. That bracelet will look good with the buckle bracelet I'm making her"!!!
First off - so sad about the cat! :-( She never says if she tells Mr. C about his cat, but I guess it was a neighborly tender mercy she took care of it for him. I just wonder where she buried it...
I love that she talks about her chickens and ducks and how many eggs a day they're getting.
Now, we've got to talk about those slave bracelets. I had never heard of them, but after doing some research (which is pretty scarce), I realized that I had one of my mom's from the 70s! It was a large ring connected to a chain that had a little matching triangular ornament that sat in the middle of the back of the hand, and that in turn was connected by the other two points to a matching bracelet. It was very cool and I'm so sad that I took the elements apart, not knowing how important it would be to keep them together. I was devastated when I lost the ring on a bike ride when I was a teenager. I hunted for it everywhere. I know I still have the ornament and maybe the bracelet.
So, from what I've found, slave bracelets can refer to bracelets that are made up of links or a ring attached by chains to a bracelet. If it's used in a relationship, it usually symbolizes ownership (like rings or a guy giving a girl his pin or lettered jacket.) I'm pretty sure it originally dates back to literally chains on a "slave" belonging to a "master" which is, from a modern perspective, pretty disturbing. I was speculating with my friend Mairi about where the jewelry trend would for 1940s kids would have come from. We're guessing it trickled down from the popular themes of harems or gypsies in 1920s & 30s films. It would be interesting learn where this trend came from, but I'm not sad this custom died out.
Either way, this relationship custom in the '40s bears some deeper thought about their attitudes toward slavery and Blacks at that point in time. I find it so interesting that the boys made their bracelets in metal shop for their girls. If you're familiar with this aspect of material history, please let me know.
Lastly, I just have to say I really admire Rodney's cheek! hahaha!