Cape Breton's Magazine

bin, awww, awww....Let me in." And he went and opened the door--and The Canadian walked in. He said, "I'm in pain. I sup? pose it's my supper." He said, "I was over to that house"--that house is not there to- day--"I was over there. I used to take so? da and water, but they don't have any, I hope you have some." And Grandpa went in the pantry and got the drink for The Cana? dian. And he said, "Aw, thank you, Lubin, thaiik you, thank you. I'll go back over there because they are waiting for me'" So he went. The next morning, Grandpa went to the barn and the cow was all right. He came back to the house. "I know now what it was--it was The Canadian. The cow was almost dying last night, and now she's well. But," he . said, "I'll find out." He went to the mail, at the little store then--and the guy who was living in that house was at the mail then. He said, "The Canadian was over to your place last night, huh?" "Never saw The Canadian." "Didn't he come' from your place, his stomach hurting, because you didn't have soda?" "We never saw The Cana? dian." See, The Canadian made that up. The Canadian used to go to that house over? night, and this time Grandpa believed him. He gave him the drink. (Let me understand: The Canadian came back because they were curing the cow?) Yes, maybe he went in the barn, to see the cow, before he came into the house. (He was forced to...?) He was forced to walk or run. (To look at the cow?) Yes. He was in pain. Or perhaps he went to see the cow af? ter he drank his drink. It was so aggravating, having that in the barn. When she was eating well, when they were going to milk her, she would kick. And some other time, she was just lying down with the tongue out of her mouth, mak? ing some noise like as if she was dying. And Grandpa took his axe to go and kill her--but the minute that he'd get in the bam with the axe, the cow was all right. But if he had gone there and killed the cow--maybe The Canadian would have died, I don't know. But he didn't give Grandpa the chance to kill the cow. It was so aggrava? ting. And if he had've known that it was The Ca? nadian, gosh. Grandpa, he was a man like that--he would have kept The Canadian on the step maybe an hour or two. Let him suf? fer bad enough--then he would have given him the drink. But your memory doesn't re? call. The Canadian had said, "I won't be able to put a sort on you because you're not scared. But I can do it on your ani? mals ." And when they do something like that--you don't think it's them. The sorcerer had to run. And if he couldn't get there in time, he would have died. The one who was throwing a sort on another per- son--if there was one working for her, like to make her well, well the one who had thrown the sort on her would have to go and see her, for her to get well. The one who had put the sort on her--if the saver was saving a girl, well, for her to be saved, the sorcerer had (to be made) to go back to her and see her. And if he couldn't get there in time--if the girl had a sort that was meant to die, he would die. He would die if he wasn't there in time. He had to go. (Let me be sure I un? der stand."~T7 I put a sort on you, and.an? other person wants to save you..,,) He'd do something to me. And you'd be so...you would feel so bad you would have to seek me, the one you have put the sort on. (Be? cause he was trying to cure you, I would feel that I would have to get to you?) YeSo (And see you?) And see me. But sometimes they would get to you in a different per-' son, they could change. (To another per? son?) Yes. (So I woulcl have to be part of your cure even though I was the one who put the spell on you.) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. (I could come in other forms?) Yes. (What was the dog?) The dog--it must have been the sorcerer. Grandpa knew there was no dog like that, and at that time of the night. (Did your grandfather think it was the sorcerer?) Well, he said it was a warn? ing or something. Because right after, that man came in. J. J. Deveaux: I heard my grandmother one time, she had 5 cows, milking 5 cows-- can't make enough butter for the table. She went to see somebody--! think it was George LeBrun, but I'm not sure--told him she didn't know what to do. He told her to go and get a scissor, heat it up, make the fire and get it red and put it in the but? ter drum and start to make her butter. She said she had to put a 20-cent piece with that. He told her to put that and put the scissor red in the butter drum. He said, "The person that is stopping you from mak? ing butter will walk out to your house-- but he'll never get to your house." But she didn't heat the scissor. She just took the scissor cold and put it in the butter drum like a cross, and put in the 20 cents, and started to make butter. Said she saw a woman come on the road. She said when she got to the gate she sat down. Then after a- while she got up again and walked to the house and asked her for a piece of bread (7)