Word Wizard-
1.  nod, "Rudine was of good age, near to the same as R.W. and Melvin, and I ain't know'd neither her nor her mama too well, so all I done was give a nod and they done give a nod back, then they skipped past me and gone in the store." (Pg. 9-10) verb  1 : to make a quick downward motion of the head whether deliberately (as in expressing assent, salutation, or command) or involuntarily (as from drowsiness). My definition-the bending or tilting of the head to greet a person or to agree with someone.  What is a gesture people used to greet each other? Answer:  They would nod to acknowledge and greet each other.
2.  cotton, "Cotton had been down lower than ever for a long spell-more than two years-ever since the Depression come in '29 and everything hit rock bottom." (Pg. 8)1 a : a soft usually white fibrous substance composed of the hair surrounding the seeds of various erect freely branching tropical plant (genus Gossypium) of the mallow family b : a plant producing cotton; especially : one grown for its cotton c : a crop of cotton.  My definition- a crop that is soft and white, used to make money. noun What crop did these people rely on for money? cotton
3.  sharecropping, Pg.16
4.  on your own
5.  on your own