Cape Breton's Magazine

(Why is that?) His mother died when a baby was born, and he was 9 years. And I guess that had affect on him. Then this woman--I was out working in a field, and she came. And she was a very nice woman, I liked her a lot. We had the post office then. Anyway, she came. She said, "What's the reason, Annie, that you don't have but the two children?" I said, "We don't want any more." "Why?" she said. "Oh," I said, "I don't know." She said, "I'm going to tell you something." She said, "You know, if something happens to one of those children," she said. I guess she said first, "Is it because you can't have them?" I said, "No, I don't think so." She said, "If something happens to one of those children, and you're left with one," she said, "you're going to have a very mis? erable life. I know," she said, "I only had one." Of course, her husband died. And she said, "If I was you, and you're able to have another child, you'd better have a child." And that's as true as I'm sitting in this chair--that's how we came to have Ray. (What did it mean, that if you only had one child you'd have a miserable life?) Well, she said, "You'd be worried so much some? thing was going to happen to that child, thinking. Well," she said, "if you have two, or three, it won't be bad. So that if something happens--one of them dies. But if you only have one child, you're worrying about him. If that child dies," she said, "it's an awful life." It didn't happen to her, but she said, she worried so much about (her own son). Anyway, this woman at Breton Cove, she had 7 girls. And you know when you have 7 after each other, then one's supposed to be a doctor. (A Seventh Daughter with powers like a Seventh Son.) And anyway, one of her older girls died, after she got married and living in Boston. And we were there. member an uncle of mine, my father's broth? er, saying, "Oh my, you're not wasting much time." And I thought to myself, "Well, you'll have a different say before you'll hear I'll have another one." I thought to myself, but I didn't say that. (So you were very cautious.) Yeah. Well, if I didn't have a man that was, perhaps I couldn't have done much about it. If we both had lived, I don't think I'd ev? er have the feeling that I wouldn't want to sleep with my husband. I don't think so. I don't think I ever would. But that means, oh, lots of things involved, I guess. About that. I mean lots of things are involved, about whether you have a good relationship, I guess. Not that we didn't*have squabbles once in awhile. That's true. He liked dancing. Now I often--but I didn't like dancing. I liked going to show. And George didn't like going to show. He'd go to the show and fall asleep. That's one thing we didn't agree on. And another thing now I'm going to ask you: do you believe in people saying, "I'm saved"? (That's a tough question for a Jew? ish person to answer!) You know what I say to people: my grandfather was 86 when he died, my aunt was 90 that brought me up. I said, they never in their life said, "I'm saved." The only thing that bothered them in life was, were they going to be good enough to go to heaven. Now how can people say, "I'm saved"? What do they feel? My gosh, it's awful if you have that feeling I guess, to the funeral or to the wake. And somebody said, "Oh, but Effie, you have so many girls." She said, "Each one of my children has a different part in my heart." So I don't think it makes any difference how many you have, because, she said you feel the same about the one that dies. (And you didn't know anything about birth control, but you seemed to very carefully space your children.) Not Al? lister and Anna. We were very disappointed. We didn't expect to have one that soon. And I r A/' Cedar House Bakery ' and Restaurant 674-2929 OPEN DAILY FOR BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER bread - scones - oatcakes - cookies - pies TRANS-CANADA HWY NEAR SEAL ISLAND BRIDGE Time is Money! League Savings' Debentures give you a safe and sound investment - with high, guaranteed rates of return. Pius, we compound your interest at the certificate rate throughout j- ycAR tfrM the entire term of your investment - an added benefit from ' TtAM itKM 10 % League Savings & Mortgage Company. Call today. RATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE League Savings 8 Mortgage Member of Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation. 235 Charlotte Street Sydney, N.S. 539-8222