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later he told Father that quarantine was over and the demand for rice was now greater than the supply and that it was a good opportunity to make some money. He suggested that First Uncle send 200 bags of rice to Honolulu if, in his judgment, the prices seemed right. Father also thought of dealing in cars and tobacco, but Grandfather learned the quarantine was extended to these products so that it would be impossible to send them into or out of the islands.
As early as 7 December 1899 Father had begun to look for other employment and thought of applying to Bishop Bank which Samuel Damon had bought from Bishop. On 12 December 1899, Grandfather promised to get in touch with Ho Fan and the Rev. Damon about contacting Samuel Damon about it. Ho Fan was a receiving teller at the bank and was empowered to make loans. He was therefore considered a person of some influence. Samuel Damon happened to be away at that time, but when he returned on the 20th, Grandfather suggested on 26 December that it would be better if Father wrote to Ho Fan and the Rev. Damon himself. On 26 March 1900, Grandfather informed Father that business was so slow with the bank that it was not hiring. Soon afterwards, on 9 April, Father was notified that Ho Fan had been to Wong On Tai to urge Father to return to Honolulu to work at the bank. There is no record of when Father went back to Honolulu, but it must have been after 19 April 1900, when Man Sing was for sale. The starting salary at the bank for Father was 25 dollars a month. For the next nineteen years he served the bank faithfully, under George Carter, an irascible 'boss' who might have been well-meaning but who gave Father many miserable moments. We were more than surprised, yet touched, when he attended Father's funeral.
Father's next important step was to choose a suitable wife. Outstanding among the usual considerations for selecting one, an important feature was that his wife would have unbound feet, a decision which Second Uncle heartily approved of in his letter of 21 October 1900. Mrs. Leong Yau, a good friend of Mother's, was the matchmaker. She arranged not only to be photographed with Mother, but also to walk with her by a designated place so that Father could be there to have a good look at her, unknown to Mother, of course. I understand that Father was too shy to take a good and long look. Mother was considered fortunate to be chosen by the son of a merchant and by someone working for a 'haole' firm. My parents
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later he told Father that quarantine was over and the demand for rice was now greater than the supply and that it was a good opportunity to make some money. He suggested that First Uncle send 200 bags of rice to Honolulu if, in his judgment, the prices seemed right. Father also thought of dealing in cars and tobacco, but Grandfather learned the quarantine was extended to these products so that it would be impossible to send them into or out of the islands.
As early as 7 December 1899 Father had begun to look for other employment and thought of applying to Bishop Bank which Samuel Damon had bought from Bishop. On 12 December 1899, Grandfather promised to get in touch with Ho Fan and the Rev. Damon about contacting Samuel Damon about it. Ho Fan was a receiving teller at the bank and was empowered to make loans. He was therefore considered a person of some influence. Samuel Damon happened to be away at that time, but when he returned on the 20th, Grandfather suggested on 26 December that it would be better if Father wrote to Ho Fan and the Rev. Damon himself. On 26 March 1900, Grandfather informed Father that business was so slow with the bank that it was not hiring. Soon afterwards, on 9 April, Father was notified that Ho Fan had been to Wong On Tai to urge Father to return to Honolulu to work at the bank. There is no record of when Father went back to Honolulu, but it must have been after 19 April 1900, when Man Sing was for sale. The starting salary at the bank for Father was 25 dollars a month. For the next nineteen years he served the bank faithfully, under George Carter, an irrascible 'boss' who might have been well-meaning but who gave Father many miserable moments. We were more than surprised, yet touched, when he attended Father's funeral.
Father's next important step was to choose a suitable wife. Outstanding of the usual considerations for selecting one, an important feature was that his wife would have unbound feet, a decision which Second Uncle heartily approved of in his letter of 21 October 1900. Mrs. Leong Yau, a good friend of Mother's, was the matchmaker. She arranged not only to be photographed with Mother, but also to walk with her by a designated place so that Father could be there to have a good look at her, unknown to Mother, of course, I understand that Father was too shy to take a good and long look. Mother was considered fortunate to be chosen by the son of a merchant and by someone working for a 'haole' firm. My parents
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