<Begin Segment 7>

TM: Well, Dad said, "If you want to go to the school, maybe have to go to Seattle." Either way, not myself. There was a few, few more, three or four I think, it was around my age was in Barneston, too, from yobiyose. Dads called those boys to this country and those boys was working, too, in the sawmill.

AI: And you were about fifteen?

TM: Fifteen and six months, that's what that was. Well, that was 1919. And either way, go to Seattle for school or like other boys you went to work little bit over here. That's all right, too. Maybe you can find a job, too. Also, I said, "Oh, well. If other boys is working, why, I can stay and work, too." So couple days I rest, and then I went with Dad to the sawmill office and they give me job. This job was pushing snow. There were lot of snow. Every night the snow. It's in the mountains so they sure pile up. Well, in the sawmill they have to use one small tractor. I think it was two or one. They had a mule. Not a horse, it's a mule. They pull around those cart the lumber is on and this mule is pull 'em around. And that is a wooden deck. You have shovel all the snow off when the mule is come. That's what my job was to push the snow off. Yeah. Well, you clean up the snow and not, not morning is kind of busy, but afternoon you don't have to work too hard, but the next morning snow again. Oh, gee. I did that quite a few days I remember. [Smiles]

AI: And when you were first there, you didn't know any English.

TM: Huh?

AI: You didn't know any English when you first started.

TM: No, I couldn't. Nothing. Well, then this -- how many? Must have about around four or so. Anyway, young fella they said to go to night school. Dad said, "Maybe you better go to night school, too, then, then you learn a little bit English." I went to night school. Well, this was a real young teacher and that's in the stick, you know, and I don't know, father, her father used to bring her. Then she teach 'bout couple hours and then go home. Then I don't know how many months I went to that night school, but they don't much Caucasian. And I think place has no more kids to come to the daytime school. The school is closed. So everything, school business is all done that time at Barneston. And meantime, is my father have to start thinking about my younger brothers, this a stepbrother, because they start school, and no school. [Ed. note: His brothers are half brothers.]

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.