The place where I found work was had by a widow, an Englishwoman, with her son and one daughter. They gave me $150.00 per month. I spoke to no Greek about this, but, as soon as they missed me in San Francisco, and one said that I was killed, another said that I was deported to Alaska; while I was in Stockton. At that time there were no other Greeks in Stockton, only the fishermen, who used to bring fish once a day. Once I passed two of these who knew me. It was about 2 or 3 o'clock, as I was free from 2 to 5 in the afternoon. As I was sitting on a bench in City Hall park, one says to the other, "Isn't that Alexander of Galaxidiote?" for, at that time, I was passing for a French cook. The other says, "Let's go near him, to see him," and, when they begin to speak to me, I made as if I was French; when they say to each other, "The French and Greeks wear the same collar." Then they went away, and, as they were going, I burst out laughing; when they returned and recognized me and told me that they had me for lost in San Francisco. They went to the City and told people that I was in Stockton, as cook at the Eagle Hotel. Then they came to Stockton and tried to persuade me to go with them to San Francisco. And, when my landlady saw that I was about to go, she objected. But I said to her that the man who came was my friend. That quieted her, and I remained at my old job.

After six months, I came to San Francisco, where I spent all my money, and found work somewhere else. I went to the employment agency and the same time I saw my boss from Fresno, who was looking for a cook, at the Alpine Hotel, at the rate of $250.00 per month, which job I accepted, after the boss of the hotel himself, Mr. Alpan, came and persuaded me.

Having reached there, I went in the kitchen and what should there but Chinamen. Whereupon, I refused to work. But the boss told me to select my own workmen, and I went to the market where saw the grapepickers, Englishmen, whom I persuaded to come and work with me. I took them to the hotel, and the boss told me to go to, do as I pleased, to work. Then I began to work and put forth all my expertise in it. My work was so good, and business picked up so, that my boss was surprised. There were only 250 rooms at the hotel at the time, and, up to that time, only 25 were rented. After two months, the whole hotel was full. The service men, waiters regarded me as supreme and said one to another, "Now no one should complain from Alex, the French cook."

I stayed there for seven months and made a lot of money. Then somebody tells me, "Say, why don't we go on a venture by ourselves, buy turkeys, and we'll make a lot of money." I tell him, "Go ahead." Whereupon, we bought about 60 turkeys and put them in a yard. At night, when we were going to put them in cases, they got loose and every one flew away. Thus we lost all of them and all our money, too.

What little I had left, I took and came to San Francisco. From there I went to Eureka, where I worked as cook, where I worked for six months. Then I went to Wilmington near San Pedro, where a friend of mine was working. We opened a place together, where we made good money. When he saw we were making good, first class hypocrite that he was, he tried to make me sell to him. One day, when he came to talk business with me, I became angry and took up the cleaver to chop him up, the beast. But, lucky for him, he shut the door, and the cleaver stuck fast in the door instead. The next day, I called a lawyer and settled all. I took my money and left for San Diego, in Coronado, where I worked with an American friend of mine for five months. After that I became tired of the job and took ship for San Francisco, where I opened up a place of my own at 21 Sixth St., where I did well, notwithstanding that there were large restaurants near by.

One Jerome Bouzas comes along and says he has $1,000.00, which he gives to me, if we make the place larger. After enlarging it, we were making from $25.00 to $30.00 a day. We kept doing well so that we reached $200.00 to $300.00 a day, clear, so that the big restaurant men, seeing us well off, were jealous. And, as all Greeks are jealous of their own people and despise to see any of their own do well in business or anything else, so they stirred envy in my partner's breast, so that he wanted me to leave, giving me $2000.00 clear profit. I told him I would give him $2,500.00 if he would go himself. "Go home," I told him, since he was getting old, "and get married." Which he did, and is there until today.

My countrymen did all they could to undo me, but I, on the other hand, did all I could to make them happy, helping them when they needed money to get them doctors, or hospitals, or out of jail. Nevertheless, they could not stand to see me progress, so they schemed their best to me. Listen to the names of all those I started on their feet, with my money: first of all was Pericles Pantazis, who is today over a millionaire, who goes under the name of Alexander Pantages; second, my countryman Louka Kameno; third, the Zameleous, Galaxidiotes; fourth, a man from Zakynthos; fifth, my countryman, Manimani. But the only one among them who remained steady was Pantazis, and made money. The others either took their money and left or lost all.

At that time I was a member of the Foresters of America, Seal Rock Body, No. 45, as I am today. Isn't that a pity that there are so many of us Greeks here and not to have a club of any kind? I gathered together many Greeks, and we formed a club which met for the first time in the Russian Church, where we then also had a Greek priest at that church, Rev. Canellos, from Galaxidi. I put up $100.00 for the beginning of the club, and the priest put up $50.00. First president: Dimitrios Kamarinos; second: M. Vamvalis; third: myself; fourth: C. Kamarinos; and so on, up to today, which club still exists.

Now I shall relate to you my troubles with my first wife, who was an American. She caught me without my knowing that she was playing with me, like all other American women play with us men who believe them!

She was the daughter of a man in New York. She used to come regularly to the restaurant to eat, without paying any attention to anybody. My room was above the restaurant. I used to have it rented to a Spanish family who were four, one girl and one boy. Afterwards, they moved and she, Tessie, sees it vacant and asks me the rent price. She rented all of it. I asked if at night keep my room, to which she said, "Yes."

Among the roomers were Alexander Pantages, my friend, Americans, and foreigners: one man who used to beat the drum at the dance halls, another who was a plumber, etc., and some Irish families, the same as her.

One day all my roomers came and complained that all their rooms had been upside down for one whole week. I told them to rest assured and at once went up and took the apron and broom away from her, swept all the rooms and put everything in order. Then I went to my room and fell upon my knees and begged God to let me die, but He heard me and saved me, for listen:

One day I made as I was very sick, so she brought the doctor we had in the house, and he gave me some medicine. When all had gone I looked at the pills and saw that they were poison! Without saying anything to anybody, I threw them in the cuspidor. At midnight, I made as if I were dead. I screamed, "Ah, I am dying!" Whereupon she and the doctor come in and pronounce my dying, that I would not live until the morning, and go out. I get up early in the morning and go down to my work. When the doctor saw me, he was scared to death and left whereto I know not. But I continued in my work, having sewed on myself $1,500.00. One night, when I went to sleep (I was sleeping with Tessie, then), I noticed that she had put a chloroform handkerchief on my pillow. I lay down and felt the handkerchief at my face. Whereupon I rushed to the open window and came to. It was July 4.

That day I went out to enjoy the day, and, when I returned, I look for her, but she is nowhere about. I go to the Frenchman's room and, lo, I see both of them in bed. While she was trying to hide beneath the covers, I made as if I didn't see her and told the man, "Jack, when you see my wife, tell her there are some things for her to do down stairs." He said, "All right," and, when I made as if I went out but hid in a corner, she got out of bed and jumped from the window into a room where a saloon man was sleeping. He hid her in the closet. I saw all this because I was peeping through the keyhole.

Things went from bad to worse, when one day I took a large knife and was about to stab her when she rushed out into the street and screamed like a wild beast. I let her alone then and later I engaged a lawyer to settle everything. When we went back home, she fell on her knees and begged me to forgive her, because she had done me wrong. I told her to go and get the Frenchman and marry him that minute. Whereupon she did, and, when the priest asked her if she took that man to husband, she said, "No, you fool." The next day she was sick, whereupon the doctor came and gave her medicine which she was to take one teaspoon every four hours. But she took the whole bottle and the next day she was as dead as a doornail. We took her to the Mission parlors. When I saw her there, dead, with her lovely black hair, I felt sorry for her and, right then and there, made up my mind to go for home. For one whole year from then I never looked at a woman.

Just at that time the troubles of Pantages began. He was a faithless man and a hypocrite who always wanted to get the best of you and do you harm, but I loved him and did my best for him.

End of Part 6 --> Go to Part 7