Cape Breton's Magazine

were taken to his home and unloaded onto the flakes. He made Goldie look after the fish on the flakes, cover them over at night and unpack them in the morning. If the weather was fine, she would watch over them during the day so that the sun would not scorch them. They both had to take their turn each day until all the fish were dried and put away to be sold. The girls helped each other to carry heavy loads. School was not too important in her day and the girls were kept home to work with the farmers planting potato seeds in the spring of the year. After the planting the farmer's wife would keep the girls in the house to do housework. Besides they had to milk the cows. In the fall they would have to go into the field behind the farmer digging up potatoes with their bare hands out of the ground, after the plow went through the drill, fill their baskets and dump them in a cart. Some farmers would have twenty, some thirty acres of potatoes planted. It was very tiresome work, and very hard on the back, besides their clothing got covered with mud. In November, Goldie's brother would quit fishing cod and start fishing smelts. Goldie would have to get up out of bed at two o'clock in the morning, go to the barn and feed the horse. Then she had to come back in the house, make a fire in the stove, make his breakfast and then go out and harness the horse to the sleigh, so that everything would be ready for him when he finished eating. He would go out to his smelt nets, haul them up, put them on the sleigh with the fish in them, take them home and put them on the floor of the kitchen. Then she would have Ice Cream Company and Specialty Bakery Cape Breton Shopping Plaza 539-0424 • Wonderful Hand-made Ice Cream • Luscious freshly baked waffle cones] • Scrumptious Cheesecake • Wonderful Warming Bakery Creations • Relaxing Ice Cream Parlour Simply Outstanding! island Crafts "' Old-Fashioned Charm Is Our Trademark Handknit Fishermen's Sweaters • Kitchen Accessories Ruffled Cushions • Baby items • IHand Appliqued Quilts Intricate Designs in Pottery • Hats & Scarves for Every Age Group Designer Mohair Sweaters • Mad Potters Collection • Boats in Bottles Cookt)ooks • A Good Selection of Local Literature to pick the smelts out of the nets, pack them in boxes, sten? cil them and ship them to the fish markets in Boston. Now those boxes would have to be car? ried over to the railroad station and shipped on the eight o' clock train. Then the kitchen floor would have to be cleaned and scrubbed be? fore their mother got up, The girls had to take their turn every At Goldie and Stephen's home in the Ball's Creek area, Northwest Arm of Sydney Harbour, 1952. Back row, I. to r.: grandson Harry Youden Jr., Gold? ie, her brother Harris Arnold, Stephen Sampson, and Ronnie, held by his father Harry Youden Sr. Group in front, I. to r.: granddaughter Donna Campbell, daughter Marge Sampson Campbell, daughter Leona Sampson Lioyd Kennedy (blocked morning do - by Stephen Youden), Raymond Youden behind, ing this Norman Butch Campbell, and Ada Sampson You- work besides den, Goldie & Stephen's other children, Kay and knitting Reg, are not in this picture, heads and blank ends to put on the lobster traps. The fishermen furnished the twine. There were two blank ends, two entrance openings and one parlor head to each trap. They were paid 2 1/2 C for each head. The most money they could make knitting heads would be about seventy cents a day. Wholesale Full Line of Souvenirs 329 Charlotte St. ~ DOWNTOWN SYDNEY - 539-4424 OPEN YEAR ROUND: Monday-Saturday: 9-5; Friday: 9-9