Delivering

    As a youngster,the catastrophe of the "Depression" ruled my, and my family's lives.  My stepfather had a series of "childhood diseases" which resulted in his loss of work as a city clerk-deputy city clerk.  This, of course, led to a continual economic struggle.  There was probably the word "allowance" in vocabularies thereabouts, but no one in our family could define it. ( This, unfortunately, was reflected in the upbringing of our children.)  -To obtain money for anything outside of food and other basic necessities, we children had to resort to our own initiatives.
    My first "extensive operation" was the establishment of a magazine delivery route. -- This consisted in going door-to-door solicitation to deliver inexpensive magazines. At that time,Liberty, Collier's, and the Saturday Evening Post were the nickel weeklies. I established a regular delivery route of 30+ customers and added a few monthlies- Ladies Home Journal, Woman's Home Companion,  especially.  This phase lasted about 3 years and then my sisters took over, when I moved up to the daily morning papers.
     It might be well to add to my story that at least 3 people who became significant in my later life were first "magazine contacts".  A man who worked at the Mason Seal Factory was the father of the girl I took to the Junior Prom.  --The others were Ruth's Uncle Ray Brice and his daughter, Agnes Ann(Matla, now). Ray worked for the Batavia Laundry and Agnes Ann would frequently be the one at home to pay me, on delivery.
     Our next door neighbors had a son who was a year older than I who delivered morning papers in those days.  Smaller routes, $1.25- $1.50 per week!  Sounded good to me!  No collecting, pick up the money Sat p.m. at the News Store. Wow!
    At any rate, I became his readily available substitute!  So I went around with him and became familiar with the route.  Shortly after that I was called.  He had the mumps!  So on the coldest day in those parts in the records, 9 Feb 1934, yours truly delivered morning papers for the first time.  29 below zero!
   Shortly after that another route became available, for me, and I took it--- for the next 6 years, more or less. I delivered The Buffalo-Courier Express and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.