Cape Breton's Magazine

they--marijuana and the rest of it. But she couldn't get the parents concerned about it. And the doctors wouldn't pay any attention to her. And so she--she said that was another one--she had lots of failures, she said. (Let's back up and talk about her. Was she a single woman?) Yes. (Never married?) No, no, no. She had a very warm relationship with her brother--she had one brother. But not with her father. I don't think that she liked her father, from what she would tell me. I'd get her down to do some so? cial work on her! Her mother was a differ? ent thing--very warm relationship with her mother. But her father was one of these autocratic... Do you ever read any novels of northern Northumberland England? Or even if you're going into the Bronte sis? ters, with these cold, stern, autocratic males. (This is how she was raised.) This was why--which she always balked against. But she realized, to get an3rwhere, she had to get out of England. So that Canada was the place to go, rather than Australia. It was nearer.... (And she was your friend--is that fair to say?) Yes, yes. We were very, very close in a way. I didn't agree with--I used to try to get her to tell me, "Hilda, what was your religious experience? How do you believe all this? How can you believe as the Christian creed?" earth--that's a good thing to blame it on. But," I said, "I don't think it's any part of the Christian religion. I think Mary was a young lady, and got pregnant. But I don't think God came down and had sexual inter? course with her. I can't believe that. Be? cause that would be breaking the laws of the universe. As I know it." "Now then," she would say, "now don't you believe that there are--you know, all these things that occur that can't be ex? plained?" I said, "I think they can be ex? plained, if we will want to get an expla? nation." So we would have violent arguments--no, no--no, we never got vio? lent. We had too much respect for each other. But I wanted to know how she developed this trust and faith. It's something that I admired in her. That I could not.... As I said, I'm too practical. (Well, I want to know where she got the strength to go into foreign communities and take on some of the roughest problems of that community--its poverty, its fail? ure to get along racially, religious divi? sions, alcoholism, drugs.) Yeah, yeah-- anything. Nothing scandalized her, that human beings were capable of doing. The scandal was that we were not doing any? thing about it. And her church was not do? ing anything about it. I said, "Do you think that there was a vir? gin birth?" I said, "I can't believe in a virgin birth." I said, "This is something to me, that all religions had that. The gods were up there, with Thor and the rest of them--the Greek ones--having children on I remember one thing, that we were walking along the street in Northumberland (Eng? land) , I believe it was Newcastle. And, oh, a bitter, cold, windy day--rain slash? ing. And this old man passed with a paper bag of something. And of course, it disin- NORTH SYDNEY DENTURE CLINIC 308 Rear Commercial St., North Sydney (across from Scotia Bank parking lot) 794-2210 (after hours 794-3228) SYDNEY DENTURE CLINIC 201 Esplanade, Sydney 539-4311 R. D.VOUTIER I Licensed Denturist MON-FRI • 9-5 I Quality Materials Used for Natural Esthetics and Durability (Evenings & Saturdays on Request) ' . ''' Mcdlcal PlanS AcCCptCd * FrCC ConSUltatJOnS * Members of Nova Scotia Denturist Society Stone's Superior Homes Ltd. Mayflower MaU • 800 Grand Lake Road (P. O. Box 1659) SYDNEY, N. S. BIP 6T7 • _ 564-9095 MOTOR HOMES Citation Sterling TRAVEL TRAILERS Prowler • Citation • Glendale • Bonair At STONE'S SUPERIOR HOMES Quality & Craftsmanship Go Hand in Hand ilA 1 IN HOME HUtl HEATING • state of the art heating equipment • Trained heating technicians • Largest Fleet of Home Heating delivery • Ways to save you money • Budget Payment Plan • FREE Furnace Efficiency Tests IN SYDNEY CALL: STEVE BLUNDON IRVING 564-6293 '' St. Peters Drug Store Ltd. Proprietor Week Monday to Friday open until 8 p.m. Saturday open until 5 p.m. Don Stone, PI Open 6 Days 535-2203 St. Peters, Richmond County, N. S. TfCtlixc'td. • Computerized Wheel Balancing • Alignment & Brakes • Complete Road Sen/ice • Shocks 539-5670 265 PRINCE ST. • SYDNEY iFGoedrich Brunswick-