Mr. Jenner.

All right. The question I asked you and which I keep interrupting in was to give me your impressions of change, if any, with the coming of the death of your stepfather, and you were in the course of recounting that.

Mr. Pic.

Well, it struck me or it strikes me that we became lower and lower in the class structure.

Mr. Jenner.

As your financial status---

Mr. Pic.

And our class structure, both.

Mr. Jenner.

Would you elaborate on that? Your financial status went down?

Mr. Pic.

Right.

Mr. Jenner.

And then you say lower in the class structure?

Mr. Pic.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Jenner.

Tell me about that?

Mr. Pic.

I would say we were in the middle classes while we lived on Alvez.

Mr. Jenner.

While your father was alive?

Mr. Pic.

And being we moved to Bartholomew, and being in orphan homes, I think we went to the upper lower class, one class structure dropped, two class structures dropped, something like that.

Mr. Jenner.

Were you conscious of that even as a 10-year-old?

Mr. Pic.

Well, I realized that we weren't living as good as we used to, sir.

Mr. Jenner.

Go ahead.

Mr. Pic.

Well, once we were placed in an orphan home, and we were with our own kind, so to speak. I had no feelings whatsoever. I mean, we enjoyed that place. They were rather Strict but we enjoyed it. We had quite a bit of freedom even though they were strict. We would sneak out of the place at night and do all kinds of childish things. But Robert and I enjoyed it.

Mr. Jenner.

I am thinking more of your relations with your mother. Was her personality affected by the death of your stepfather?

Mr. Pic.

Probably she confided and put to me most of her problems since she didn't have a husband to do this with, always referring to me as the oldest and things like this. When we were in Bethlehem we didn't see that much of her.

Mr. Jenner.

I see.

Mr. Pic.

Maybe once every 2 weeks, that would be the most often. Maybe once in a while she would drop around.

Mr. Jenner.

While you were at Bethlehem did you visit the Murrets?

Mr. Pic.

Yes, sir; several times, lots of times. You see the home once or twice a year, would take us to the city park there in New Orleans. We would get on the rides and naturally the Murrets were right there, and so we would rent bikes for free. It was on the home and I would ride over to their house and visit with them a while, so did Robert. Whenever we had a chance we were more than glad 'to go there.

Mr. Jenner.

While at least through the Bethlehem Orphanage period your present recollection is you accommodated to circumstances and within the limits of the circumstances your impression is that you lived a reasonably happy life?

Mr. Pic.

We enjoyed it.

Mr. Jenner.

Like all children you accommodated yourself to the circumstances?

Mr. Pic.

Yes.

Mr. Jenner.

Well, I think probably a good new start off point is Mr. Ekdahl. Tell us your recollection of him, what led up, your present recollection of the circumstances which brought him into your lives and when you first were aware of his existence and what your circumstance was at that time, what your mother's was?

Mr. Pic.

Okay.

Mr. Jenner.

Give times as best you can.

Mr. Pic.

If you can date for me when I had my appendix out I can practically date for you Mr. Ekdahl's.

Mr. Jenner.

I am afraid I can't. Were you at Bethlehem Orphanage?

Mr. Pic.

Yes; I was at Bethlehem so it would be either 1943 or 1944, and I am sure she was at Pittsburgh at that time.

Mr. Jenner.

Pittsburgh Plate?

Mr. Pic.

Right. And it was right after I had my appendix out that he appeared