This threw me out of a job, but out of my salary I had placed $50.00 in the Searchlight Bank.
I now took a job at Doc's Kitchen washing dishes at two dollars and seventy-five cents per day.
While engaged in this work my brother wrote me a long letter from home, saying they were all very anxious to see me and that mother had been taken seriously ill, worrying about me.
For the first time since leaving home I began to feel homesick, so much so I had to give up my job.
I decided to make a short visit to San Francisco and then start home.
I bought a stage ticket to Nipton, Cal., and from that point purchased a ticket to Los Angeles. Next day I shipped from Los Angeles to Weed, Cal. Weed is in the Siskiyou Mountains, six hundred miles from Los Angeles. I deserted the train at Stockton, Cal., with another young fellow, and we took the boat from this point to 'Frisco.
By this manoeuvering I saved nearly half the fare from Searchlight to San Francisco.
I had a hard time finding a lodging house in 'Frisco, for over four-fifths of the hotels had gone up in the big fire. After several hours of weary tramping about the streets, I found the St. George Hotel, a large frame building, erected temporarily on Mission street.
Lodging in 'Frisco was high and board brought fabulous prices.