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DG: How did you afford the land?

AS: Huh?

DG: How did your father afford the land?

AS: You, you didn't... did you read the Woolrich's article?

DG: No.

AS: God, you should have read that. That was the most true interview I ever had in my life. She was a good lady. And I told her what happened, that my dad didn't pay nothing. He didn't pay the interest on the land, you know, because we didn't have no income, right? I mean, we're down there for what? Two years, three years, four years? No interest. Do you know what that is? Interest on interest? Huh? Three times the price of the property. So when I came back from the service, I figured I lost it, 'cause it was under my name. 'Cause my dad couldn't buy land, he was an Issei. So... then I was gonna become a mechanic in Seattle. I was gonna go partner with somebody, and I went down to the North Coast Electric Company, Mr. Burns -- he was a nice man, he was a rich man but he was a nice man. And he says, "You know what? Long as you pay all the interest on that money, I'll let you have it back." So I scraped and scrinched for how many years and paid that interest back. Then I, then I paid the land law and got the title. But I had to struggle. I mean, most people didn't get their land that way. They got it a lot easier than I did. I, I... mine was a tough situation. And he was a millionaire but he was a nice man. He was a real nice man. I mean, I take my hat off for him, 'cause he says, "Long as you pay the interest, I'll let you have the land back." I says, "Well, I can't get anything better than that." 'Cause we couldn't pay it anyway because we didn't have no money. He took a chance, too, that I might not make it. So...

DG: Why do you think he did that?

AS: Hmm?

DG: Why do you think Mr. Burns helped you out?

AS: Mr. Burns?

DG: Yeah. Why, do you think?

AS: He was nice to everybody. He wasn't just nice to me. I would go down there and help him on the weekend, workin'. He would pay me triple what anybody else could get, just because he knew that we needed money. That's now nice he was. Instead of paying a dollar an hour he paid me probably three dollars an hour. And that was high sixty years ago, you know what I mean. [Laughs] No, he was a good man. He was a really good man.

DG: When did you finally have that deed paid off? What year was that?

AS: What?

DG: What year did you pay it off?

AS: Probably took four or five years. Because that's when I bought my first tractor. Because I didn't have to have that payment. God, I can't tell you exactly when. I mean, probably five years and I paid the whole thing off, you know. Then, then I bought a tractor. And from then I bought a new truck and... you know. I'm not saying I was getting' rich, but I was gettin' by. So...

DG: So it was five years after the war? After you returned from the war?

AS: Uh-huh. After the war, yeah.

<End Segment 4> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.