Cape Breton's Magazine

(You hold no bitterness for your father's death?) No. No, I don't feel bitter at all. 'Cause accidents will happen. That's why I--I just couldn't hold any bitter? ness. It wouldn't be right to be bitter. 'Cause you can't bring back the dead. 'Cause if you could, there'd be an awful lot of people brought back. But I took my mother, in the month of Feb? ruary, and brought her up here. She had had a stroke. She was paralysed on one side. And brought her up to Guysborough in a pan? el truck. My sister came with me, and my two brother-in-laws. We brought her up here. And I looked after her and I was good to her. So I got nothing to worry about. So when she died, we took her down home. Bur? ied alongside my father. And she was waked in the old homestead. (What was it like growing up as Bill Da? vis's daughter, in New Waterford? You'd be pretty well known.) Yes, you were. And you still are. We're still known. People'11 say, "Oh, I'd love to meet some of the Da? vis family." And then when they'd meet, they'd say, "Oh, I've been wanting to meet you for years." But lots of times I thought of this too personal, to meet peo? ple, and people wanting to meet us. 'Cause I wouldn't talk about it. If I met a stranger or anything, I wouldn't say, "Well, I'm Bill Davis's daughter." I'd never tell that. And don't think any of my si?? ters or brothers did. No, When Christmas would come around, my brother would bring powder boxes home from the pit. And he'd make little doll sleighs for us, and paint them red and green. And they were just like boughten to us. He put runners and every? thing on it. (So one of your brothers had to step into your father's spot....) Well, they pret? ty well all did. Yeah, they pretty well all took his place. Mum used to say she had to be father and mother to us. But the boys used to help her. Yeah. If a storm came up when we went to school, some of them would come to get us, bring us home. Because we had to walk to school. They'd come down to the school. I've seen them breaking footpaths and everything for us. , (In school, they must have mentioned the strike over the years, and your father's death.) Oh, yes, they used to always talk about it in school. Even to the teachers, would talk about it. (How did you feel about that?) Lots of times I didn't like to hear it. Because it was something that--I knew we'd never forget it, but I was hoping that they would. But they wouldn't forget it. They'd keep bringing it up. And then when Davis's Day came around, they always gave a school holiday. They closed the stores. And they gave a free matinee for the children. Then, the miners used to always have their parades. And one time my mother and sister went out to the graveyard ahead of the parade. They start? ed slackening off. There was hardly any? body. My sister said to them one time, "Could shoot youse all with one bullet." CAPE CARE SERVICES ? TOTAL LTD. PERSONAL CARE • 24 Hour Service • 7 Days/Week • RN'S CNA'S "Worker Owned HoiTie Care Workers & Operated" Bonded & Insured 562-2444 232 George St., Sydney IlSfeed Aitaiticm "I ?m ' traffic <:otttrol ,y'- - {)?r$oa wlto gtfiides you tiso'Ht' 4CO?iStrttetioa $it?$. Ovut work <;!'w is here for 2, everyone's safe' • doo't IHit iis in daager! Pay atteatloit to tae, slow dowa sad ddv? oorefiitly- Tog?their we cftn aiake our roads $aier.'* Caution is the critical factor >c Department of Itansportation and Communications Honourable Ken Streatch Minister