The Northwest times. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1947-1955, 1953-01-24
1 Am an lSsei'
Continued from Page ~


self and besides, it was the only suit
I had. However, it must be told
that I was mistaken for royalty a
couple of times-a visiting Prince
from the Land of the Rising Sun.
no less!
During the first war, 1 worked as
a hand on ranch just a short dis
lance from L. A. One of my duties
was to make the rounds of the hen
houses picking up eggs With big
basket tucked under my arm. 1 went
from nest to nest I even looked
under the house, in the hayloft, and
in the open field where a hen may
have decided to lay an egg. The
boss wife was a stickler about my
making thorough search. What
burned me up though was the fact
that she limited me to one egg a
day, stating emphatically that our
country was at war and we must
conserved Conserve! And she would
turn right around and toss her man.
gy hound TWO eggs saying sympa-
thetically that the poor dear dog
must keep its strength. Imagine
my playing second fiddle to a ca
nine! But omewhere along the line
someone had taught me about ho-
nesty and somehow or other l just
could not make myself pilfer an ex-
ira egg or two while gathering them
1t is something worth learning
this business of honesty, but it has
also made me wonder many times
if it doesn't have its drawbacks.
Following years of labor in the
fields, in homes, on construction
Jobs, migrated north again to a
small town in the Sacramento val
ley. There, I pooled all my savings
and bought fish market from ar
old Italian who wanted to go back
to Italy
At last, business of my own! In
dependence. A sense of security. II
was a good feeling. And better still
business flourished. People liked me-
they liked the fish sold, they liked
the way I treated them and they
called me Honest joe. The Twen-
ties were good years for me and ]
prospered.
During the depression years that
followed, I took in a partner, q
young, well educated fellow The 60
ing had gotten a little rough and ]
| thought he was the answer to my
roblems. He kept the books, he
did the ordering, he "fronted' fol
the store as his English was flaw
less. Yes, he was a definite asset
through those dreary days He was
like son and treated him as such
I told him what an important part
honesty had in building the business
but in this one thing, he seemed dis
interested.
A few years later, I found out why
He skipped with almost all the mo-
ney had in the world. You see,
had trusted him to sign checks also
Honesty, trust, and faith all wen
out the window. I was bitter mar
/ for while and business never
seemed the same afterwards.
Then Evacuation.
Then evacuation. MERGED AS.
/ sembly Center Granada. Mar
ket was sold for one-third it's actua
worth and what debts I had took
most of that Seemed as though
was back where l started Al year:
ago,
Camp was a haven for me, in 6
way My friends were near, my
worries about food and shelter were
nil. and a wonderful woman, with
nine children from seven months tt
/ years old, saw to it that my clo-
thes were washed, my buttons seweo
and my unit tidied up when I didn't
get around to it. She had brooc
of ten including her husband and
made the eleventh. In exchange,
watched the youngest, fed him
changed his undertakings. becam,
the mediator for brawls among the
others and was a sort of guardian
angel Goodness, is this what mar
riage would have been like.
thought? But it was fun and be-
came the most domesticated bache
Tor you ever saw.
Since relocation, I have been |
church custodian. doing a job suitet
to my ancient bones, waiting for tn
Call. My life has beena full one. |
happy one in a country that vii
now call us its own
For though, citizenship seems {
little late but l am glad that wa
around when this dream became re
atty