Page 27 - Adobe Photoshop PDF

If a person or a family needed “outside” advice or help, usually the
man alone would come to our house to consult Dad. These sessions
were usually in the evening. The person would be invited into the parlor,
the sliding doors to the living room would be closed, and their conver-
sations with Dad were private. Sometimes the person needed help to
secure a job. Some people always visited before an election to secure
Dad’s advice on candidates. I can recall “Tommy the Barber” (whose
shop we always used) had a son who got into trouble with the law. That
became a request for a pardon from the Governor, which Dad secured.
Sometimes the request was simply for the loan of $10.00 (which was
one day’s pay to Dad) and Dad usually supplied the loan. Such “loans”
were rarely repaid, but it was characteristic of Dad to try to help any
worthy person. Mother winced at such loans because we had a big fam-
ily with many needs.

23