<Begin Segment 31>

TI: I have a question, Roy. When you went to these outlying communities, did you sometimes even bring things like Japanese newspapers to people to get their news?

RM: Ah, yes. They subscribe by mail, but sometime you find a news magazine or something like that, I just give it to 'em. People appreciate because I have no use for it and I always did that later on in war, too, those prisoners, you know, nothing to do and cooped up in the cage. So I bring in books and magazine and things like that. I always did that when I was young.

TI: Right. So going back to these outlying communities, when you brought the Japanese, like, magazines and things, did you ever talk with the farmers about what was going on in Japan and the news from Japan?

RM: Well, that's later on. First nothing going on, of course, it's going on in China and Manchuria, but they didn't talk about that. But I have so much to cover and a long distance. Not many, but always end up in the (night). But I don't have to go back to store. 'Cause as long as get back, I go to market in the morning, produce, so they didn't bother me and I kept my car. So sometime I, they invite me for dinner, you know, late, and the people are very nice and some gal give me this graduation picture and things like that. And since I talk to Japanese in Japanese and this guy's high school, then they speak girls in English, see, so they thought he's pretty smart speaking perfect Japanese, even though, of course, I spoke standard Japanese. And then some farmer's girls, nice ones, but I didn't have enough money because what I did was start to work, I sent my money, extra money, too. I got a little bit in the bank then send it to my mother. She was nice, so that's what I did and contribute, even though little, but at least I tried to. And that's why I didn't have money to get married. But since, if I go to store, market, lady there, Mrs. Itabashi is cook, you know, something, so nothing fresh, everything before spoil and feed other salesmen and everybody like this accept, they feed 'em but we stay different place. I stayed downtown. But it was convenient because the owner was from Hiroshima, too, and my grandfather was nice to me so that's why they didn't charge much because they, they think they owe to, so my grandfather is esteemed so every time, everybody know him, that is my grandfather -- not the father, but the grandfather -- and all the people, all of 'em treat me nice because I was grandson of Mr. Matsumoto.

AI: Well --

RM: The people around here, only in Seattle don't know, but around Southern California, at the time, he was very famous, because, I mean, personally, he took care of the other people. So to me he's a pioneer. And same thing, my maternal grandfather same way, so...

<End Segment 31> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.