During the Japanese war, Grandma Vance & Rebecca were packing oranges in Lindsey, California when it came over the radio that we were at war with Japan. They immediately left and returned to the ranch. Rebecca was on the “Watch Towers” for 1 or 2 years watching for any Japanese spy planes that might fly over the skies of California. It was while she was on duty in a “Watch Tower”, David, Little Tootie, and a cousin went swimming in a small canal they had swam in numerous times before. Little Tootie stepped into a hole and went under. David was standing on the side of the bank, but because he didn’t know how to swim, he throw her an inner tube. All he could remember
was her little hand reaching up for the inner tube, but she couldn’t hold on. The cousin ran to get help. Hank was on the tractor in the field. He drove “that” tractor all the way down to the swimming hole. When he picked little Tootie up, the water was only up to his knees, but little Tootie had drowned. That was in September of 1943. Hank carried her all the way home. - Arlene Rose Teller
