Cape Breton's Magazine

old. (How did your mother manage? Did she marry again?) No. She went out to work, by the day. She walked from here to Holy An? gels Convent. (Upper Cottage Road to the North End.) At the funeral or sometime involved with my fa? ther dying, some of the Sisters from the church came to see her, and offered her a job. She worked in the laundry--down in Holy Angels Convent. She walked from here down there, 6 days a week. And worked all day in the laundry, and walked home. (All year round.) Oh, yeah, yeah. I was the youngest. And my next brother was Andy. He was 3 years older than me, and Lawrence was 3 years older than him. So as soon as Lawrence got to be about 16, or proba? bly before that--he finished Grade 8, I think. Common school, as we called it. I was the only one that went into the Academy. Law? rence and Andy both quit when they fin? ished down St. Joseph's School, and they went to work. Got a job somewhere. And she continued to keep on working for awhile, but then as they got another job or a better job with more money--in those days if you heard of another job with an? other two bucks in it, you quit and went there! I went to the Academy for two years. Then I was getting tired of going to school, and wanted to get out and get some money and all that sort of thing. So I quit af? ter Grade 10. And I went to work. Hughie: Aw, well, well, weU.... WeU, I saw your broth? er Dan on the road today and I'm tellin' you he must have been in a fight with some kind of an animal. He was ALL scratched to pieces. Allan ilaughtng): Isn't he taking Dan Alex's wife out? Every time Dan Alex'll go to work, he'll get in the house with her. Hughie: Dan Alex's wife from The Lake? Allan: Ye- hes. Hughie: No! Allan: He was in the house the other night. And they were on the chesterfield necking there. And a rap came to the front door. She said, "Get out, Danny, Dan Alex is coming in." He said, "Where's the back door?" She said, "There's no back door." [Pause.) He said, "Where would you like to have one?" Hughie: I think 1 saw you a couple of nights ago. I was goin' by your place, and whatever you do after this, Allan, please pull down the venatition blinds. (How did your mother take that?) Oh, she-- well, it was more help--a few bucks coming in, you know. (She wasn't insisting you stay in school.) No, no. She had no education herself-- none whatever. That's an amazing story in itself. Her father, Andrew Gillis was his name. They were up --came from the Rear of Ben Eoin. He was a school? teacher. And he travelled from East Bay through to Johnstown, and went to a house, and collected people in, and taught them. In different houses all along. He'd be away 3 and 4 months at a time. Allan: Why? What did I done? Hughie: I was going by and there was you and Annie, hugging and kissing on the chesterfield. Allan: What night was that? Hughie: Night before last. Allan: Ha, no, boy • 'the joke is on you. I wasn't home night before last. There were 4 girls and 3 boys. They did the work on the farm, while he was teaching other peo? ple. And he never taught any one of them their ABC's. (His own kids.) Yeah. There was no school in the dis? trict at that time, teaching people, gathering them And left his own people home-- He did it in houses his own family--doing the work. I remember a few people being in at (our house) one time. I was probably 14, 15, 16, or somewhere around there. And somebody in the crowd, that had come from the same area up there and lived in Sydney, said, "Your grandfather was a great scholar." I said, "I don't think he was so smart." I said, "He turned out 6 or 7 people--his family-- out into the world without knowing their ABC's while he was teaching everybody else. I think he was"--I don't know what word I used but he was stupid as far as I was con- W. J. DOOLEY FUNERAL SERVICE LTD. • Peter V. Walsh • Joseph A. Walsh • Daniel P. Campbell 107 Pleasant Street, North Sydney, N.S. Telephone: (902) 794-3418 • Over a Century of Service • Year 'Round Christmas Shop Le /Brignolet L ' FINE QIFTS , Maritime and Canadian Handcrafts and Souvenirs Folk Art and Country Gifts Quality Brass and Imported Gifts Kitchen and Bath Shop 15 PRINCE STREET SYDNEY BIP 5J4 539-7338