Page 119 - Family History

Family Stories

Lizzie would come up quite often to play with us, but the others never did. Lizzie
was two years or so older than me. One time I went with Beatrice on a long walk
up a new railroad grade that went past their house and up the South Fork. No ties
had yet been laid on the grade.

When Lizzie came up here, we used to play, and we rode on the wagon down that
there hill by the barn there, and we fell off the bridge. (Gertie remembered that

time, and said, “Yeah, Father was mad about that. He said, ‘She don’t need to
come up here anymore and play, if that’s what she’s going to do.’”) Lizzie ran
home right away. I remember that. I was in the wagon, and Walter. Albert jumped
off. Ernest was on the wagon, All three of us went off the bridge. She ran home
right away.

When I was 18 or so, it came as a surprise to everyone that Otto and Margaret
separated. Why, I don’t know. Anyway, Margaret came up with the the two girls
and moved into the shack. She said that Otto was cruel to her, and hit her once.
After a few days, Tony went down to visit Otto. Otto’s story was different, so no
one really knows what did happen. At the time Margaret and the girls lived up
here Art Fernandes stayed with us. He was stuck on Lizzie. I remember that I had
to deliver love notes from one house to the other.

Jimmy Pontine passed away at the age of 20 [Note: Now believed to be 22.] . He

caught the flu or something. He was taken to Clallam Bay and treated there by Dr.
Baker or Mrs. Baker. He had a room, and he passed way there. He is buried in the
apple orchard at their place. (The Pontine place was sold to a cousin, Irving
Fernandes, who lived there for many years, and who then sold it to Louie Lee.) I

remember walking along the road, going after the cows, at the time of the
service. I saw it, but I had no wish to linger for it bothered me to see that.

In 1909, when Grandpa Joe and Grandma Hattie, along with Gertie and Tony went
to Germany, Margaret Pontine went too. Otto stayed home to take care of the
small children, while Willie Stange took care of the farm up here on the hill. I am
not too sure how long they were gone, but I think it was nearly three months.
Margaret enjoyed the trip; Gertie did not. She said she got the flu while there,

and had to spend so much time in bed. … After Margaret moved up on the hill, a

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