Walking Across Egypt: Mattie Rigsbee Mattie Rigsbee, from Walking Across Egypt by Clyde Edgerton, is an extremely unique person. She is very bona fide, a true Christian, but still likes to gossip every once in a while. Her uniqueness shows in many ways: she is the best cook in Listre, North Carolina, she has the compulsion to help others that have less than she, and she is seventy- eight years old and is just now starting to "run down." She is a very compassionate woman, she cares for others. She is always pestering her children about getting married and having kids, or she is always trying to feed people like Lam