Cape Breton's Magazine

them, in the high black-heeled shoes, first time. Well, I had seen them, but the first time some of them had seen, you know, 3- inch high heels and so forth. Well, they had such a great week, boy, they could never get over it. And when we took them back to Sydney, and--they had me as a guard, you know, in case.... Well, they came back, went to ,work. Well, I used to see them and everything. Sometimes I'd drive them. Some of them would get married. I wouldn't see them then, very seldom. And then, the last 20 years, 25 years--God, I'd drive them--they'd be elderly people. I wouldn't hardly know them, you know. But they knew me. This one'd say, "You don't know me, Charlie; And I'll be darned if I'm going to tell you who I am. 'Cause I look terrible alongside of you!" Here it'd be one of the telephone girls, you know, af? ter, brought up a family and, probably the husband was dead or something. "By God, that was a great--I'11 never forget that trip to the New York World's Fair." (Do you feel it's your responsibility to entertain people that are in your cab?) Not exactly, no. Unless they talk. But you don't start out with them, talking to them. Unless they're tourists. And mostly tourists'11 start saying. "Now, driver, tell us all what you think is what we should know." Well, that'd be different. But take the average man or woman, or two women, get in your cab. "We want to go to Louisbourg. We want to go to Glace Bay." Unless they ask you questions, you wouldn't bother talking to them. Then, if they said, "What's new in Cape Breton Island, driver? Anything new you can tell us?" Well, you get talking to them. And they'd tell you stories, where they came from. Cornwall, Ontario, or Mon? treal, or.... That's the way it went. But --that was the way I did it. You wouldn't bother to start a big conversation unless they asked you. What I saw and what I went through. And the narrow escapes I had in life. I can't MACLEOD'S TRUCKING ltd. BIG ENOUGH TO GIVE GOOD SERVICE • SMALL ENOUGH TO KNOW YOUR NAME! 539-0070 562-7093 St. Peters Drug Store Ltd. Don Stone, Ph. C, Proprietor Open 6 Days a Week Monday to Friday open until 8 p.m. Saturday open until 5 p.m. 535-2203 St. Peters, Richmond County, N. S. name a man that could have followed my tracks--and not wear handcuffs! (Well, we talked about some of the narrow escapes, times on the ice, times when the car went down. See "Charlie MacDonald. Tax- icab Driver: From 58 Years Behind the Wheel." in Issue 52.) Charlie: A lot of them. Trees blowing down, or a post--post would fall in a windstorm, you'd just clear it. You'd look behind, it was smashed up on the street. You just got away from it. God. Terrific, boy, terrific. (Do you find you miss it? Charlie retired in 1988.) Well, no, because--I knew 6 months before I quit that it was coming close. Be? cause- -I got 3 or 4 blows on this eye. And I had--the eye doctor told me, "You've got terrific, straight ahead. But on your right eye, you've got no side and no back. This one," he said, "you've got lots of it. So," he said, "depend on that one." Well, dozens of times in the last 6 months, you'd be go- stitching post 106 Townsend St. Sydney, N. S 562-7056 (P.O. Box 1082) B1P6J7 Experience Excellence! The world's most advanced updateable computer! The most intelligent sewing machine ever created for home sewing • and it's easy to use. Huskylock and White Sergers (3- and 4-thread) Passap and White Knitting Machines Also available: • Bridal Fabrics, Trims, & Notions • Excellent Selection of Qui Iters' Cottons 'Designing & Manufacturing Bridal Wear • Service • Lessons 'Y-A-WAY Financing Available O-A-C