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^[[they]] looked on him as one of them. And the minister, Mr. Pierce, the elder one, would always talk to [[strikethrough]] poppa [[strikethrough]] ^[[Papa]] about his business and discuss what [[strikethrough]] poppa [[/strikethrough]] ^[[he]] should do. 

Mr. Ryan, ^[[a friend of Father's]], who also had ^[[had]] a saloon in Atlanta, moved [[strikethrough]] here [[/strikethrough]] to Washington with his family.  He lived [[strikethrough]] right [[/strikethrough]] on 15th Street near the corner of S. There were two beautiful homes there that the Catholics bought. One is now the Catholic home for the priests.  When Mr. Ryan came, he bought his own home by himself. He was very well off. Mr. Ryan, Mr. Frank Parks ^[[from Columbus]] and quite a few of his friends from Columbus would go to the church [[strikethrough]] all of the time [[/strikethrough]] to visit [[strikethrough]] poppa [[strikethrough]] ^[[Papa]]. Dick Hodges who taught in Columbus came here. He had a tobacco and magazine store on Pennsylvania Avenue. He [[strikethrough]] soon [[/strikethrough]] ^[[He lost his colored idinity and]] passed for white. [[strikethrough]] Poppa [[/strikethrough]] ^[[Papa]] used to go [[strikethrough]] down [[/strikethrough]] to see him [[strikethrough]] because he didn't mind that [[/strikethrough]]. Mr. Hodges married a white woman.

[[strikethrough]] Momma [[/strikethrough]] ^[[Mama]] and [[strikethrough]] Poppa [[/strikethrough]] ^[[Papa]] bought the house. It took them a long time to get it paid for. When I finished school, I helped [[strikethrough]] momma [[/strikethrough]] ^[[Mama & Papa]] pay off the last note on this house. I had gotten a job^[[, with the city post office]]. I was one of the first Negro girls to work at the city post office in 1918. I had finished the Normal School. There was nothing for a Negro to do. I wasn't particular about teaching anyway. Helen Raymond, Helen Bailey -- we had all finished the Normal School. I took the examination for the post office and passed with an average of 89 (which I thought was very good for myself) and got a clerkship. They gave me a clerkship salary, but I was a messenger for Mr. ^[[Merrit O.]] Chance ^[[then the city Post Master]]. ^[[At the time of the appointment Mr. Chance]] He had us [[strikethrough]] all [[/strikethrough]] ^[[three colored ladies]] in the office to see who