Daisy Mae Wong
1887-1974
Born: North Dakota
Died: Seattle, King, Washington, USA
<p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Monday night – <br>Wenatchee Wash.</font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Dear John and Budd, Well we’ve been home 3 weeks and Mrs. E just left yesterday & then only after we were so tired of her.</font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">She’s been under foot now since last Aug. She staid up at the other house until I moved the bed out from in under her and I never put a bed up here until Xmas time – now sponger’s has been our biggest trouble ever since we started housekeeping because neither dad or I have the nerve to tell folks when enough is enough – We both like company and I don’t believe there ever was ever anyone who enjoyed company as much as we do and we both like to have an extra bed so we can have company, but just as soon as we have that bed some darn sponger moves in and makes us believe we owe ‘em a living – </font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">[Written in the margin] You remember Mrs. Finnigan & the whole family moved in on us. Albert Wilson & family – then they brot her sister – another Mary & the dog.</font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">You four kids that should have been our responsibility caused us the least bother – but the leaches turned my whole disposition & has made a “bogey man” for me that has effected our whole life as well as you kids.</font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">We were married Nov. 9<sup>th</sup> 1908 – That 1<sup>st</sup> year we lived on a lonely homestead but even so we had a neighbor girl then come over & stayed weeks & we had such a tiny place. Lou Ida (a cousin who lives now a Loz A.) also visited us there so did my father, and Dad’s mother – but these were all just ordinary visits. </font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Then in Nov. 1909 we moved into Powers Lake 9 miles from the homestead. Aunt Stella & Mable came out for Xmas & staid til March 1910. Clayton was born during that time. In May 1910 my mother died –There were the 2 boys (Ted. Was 15 – Milford was 12 – I felt so sorry for them I told my father I would take them home with me during the summer vacation. My father shut up his house & and I never heard from him & I couldn’t locate him the following Spring (a year later), it so happened it was the day John was 3 days old I rec’d a letter from my father saying he had re-married & that now I could send the boys home – but I let them finish out the school year. During that year we had to buy all their clothes, shoes & school supplies.</font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">[Written in the margin] Ted never did go home again and always staid with us ‘til we came to Wenatchee</font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">In Feb 1911 – 2 months before John’s birth – Grandma Carlile had died. Ted didn’t want to go home but Milford started out on the morning train for his home and here on the evening train came Grandad Carlile – begging us to move back on the farm because he was so lonesome. We were either too young or too dumb. We excepted his word and never thought of going to the court house to look up the records and we didn’t find out for a year that there was a 2<sup>nd</sup> mortgage on this farm for $2000 that grandpa (who was nearly blind) never knew was there. </font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Here we then were – We had sold our little home for $600 (Homes & everything was cheaper then, than now) Dad had the cily dray (?) business & we had got $500 for that. Well we had paid that $1100 down on this 1<sup>st</sup> mortgage & cut that down & then we discovered that 2<sup>nd</sup> mortgage.</font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Meanwhile Geneva was born & the night she came there were seven men in our house – Grandpa, Bob, John, Aleck, Ted, Dad & a hired man - & Dad & I footing all the grocery bill. Mable made this home hers & kicked because I wasn’t paying her wages. Inga came up & staid 9 months “visiting” mind you until Bob finally married her. We lived on this place 3 years & by that time I was nearly nerty (?). I begged & begged for Dad to move. We couldn’t sell & dad hated so to start out empty handed with 3 kids & going to have our 4<sup>th</sup></font></font><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">.</font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">But we did (By the way that’s when we should have headed for Wash. But we were afraid we had so little cash.) & we went to Playa because that was the end of the rail road & Dad though he could get work when these new towns were being built. I remember telling dad “let them (meaning Jack, Aleck, Mable & Ted) establish homes of their own they were then as old as I was when I had married & I was sick o f providing a home for some else.</font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">We left the farm in Nov. 1914 & Budd was born Apr ’15. But Grandpa & Ted followed us out to Sanish & after a year or so, I could see that it couldn’t go on cause John & Clayton can remember how you fought with Grandpa. You would sneak up on his blind side & do tricks and he’d slap you for a ringer.</font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Finally I had request Bess (?) to take him. She had 3 kids & Nellie was Geneva’s age & she also had a biger house. Well grandpa went there & she only let him stay a week & she sent a telegram to Bob to come & get him (Bob’s wife had died) and he was living alone. Grandpa died alone one day while Bob was gone. </font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Well that made me feel so bad that from then on I had only one main thought in my mind that I must save some money so when I got old I wouldn’t have to barge in on you kids. Whither I am successful or not only remains to be seen. Them days we never had such a thing as W.P.A. or anything like that. Anyone who couldn’t make it simply “sponged” on relatives til they could back on their feet again & I vowed you kids were going to be spared what I had to go through.</font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Now the reason I am writing this is – Dad, the way he is working will not be entitled to a pension – You’ve got to work for some firm who employs (I’ll let him explain that) Now Mr. Stai has got in his necessary 3 years and will get his pension & is he happy? It seems you must have 3 years of paying in towards this pension plan before you are 65. Dad is 58 now so we haven’t much time to lose & unless he can get some sort of pension I know we are going to be “sunk” because in these last seven years way over half of our “savings” have disappeared & the way the state old age pension operates it means the state will try to force the kids to take their folks so if you kids can keep your eyes open for anything Dad can do (that is if business picks up) so he can get in his necessary 3 years, why then maybe I could get over this awful dread of being dependent and sponging.</font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Do you boys remember how mad you would get at me (When you were 12 or 14 years old) because I would reach out to protect you as I thought from cars – and here you were much more able to get out of the way than I was.</font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">[Written in the margin] This proves how slow witted I am.</font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">I had the feeling, Budd, that you & Jo resented the fact that I advised you not to buy a car. Please forgive me because I was way behind the times cause I’ve never had unemployment checks to fall back on in case we got out of work and therefore I am so afraid of payments that I am always advising to save cash first before you dare buy anything. But with you folks even though you did get laid off you would still have your unemployment checks.</font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Mother –</font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">[Written upside down at the bottom of the letter]</font></font><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">I hear that Mr. Pegg has lost his mind. Mrs. Platt, Bill’s mother died last week – She had a tumor in her head. Will send you the obituary next time.</font></font></p>