Cape Breton's Magazine

he sang it. And then his daughter wrote it. And then I put it in my book. (Leo keeps notebooks of handwritten selections of old songs.) (Did you ever in your life make your liv? ing as a singer?) Well, in those days when I was young, no. There was no such a thing like now. (So you wouldn't go into a tav? ern and sing for a living.) No, no. In those days there were no taverns. Even in 1944 here there were no taverns in Sydney. And down home, there's not too many years that the tavern is there. I'd say maybe 20 years. See, and then I was married and then, you know--it was different, when you get old. I'm 70 years old in May. So, see, it's a big difference. (After you were 16 and you began to go to parties more, would you be invited to come to a party to sing?) Yes, sometimes. {Leo told Rosie Aucoin: "In the fall, when the beans were ripe, we'd have podding peas parties. You'd gather all in one house and fix the beans, and sometimes corn. We'd ''' Bruce"! Place Spaghetti, Lasagna, Fettucmi Alfredo I Subs, Burgers, Quality Steaiis and Bruce's own Pizza Pizzazz with more than 15 toppings to choose from j FULLY LICENSED TAKE-OUT AVAILABLE 562-5400 • sTryrs" • r---'- CHALLENGE '' & RESPONSE v'''''> by DONALD DODDS nova ocoiia Department of Natural Resources sing songs and tell jokes, stories that our grandfather told us. ") In 1944--I don't want to be show- off- -I quit the steel plant in January, and then I went home. And I'd sing pretty near every week or every second week. I was in? vited to a party to sing. No gui? tar, nothing. Because I knew lots of songs that Joseph La? rade gave to me. I learned them from him. And Joseph Larade learned them from somebody else. That winter I was in? vited every two weeks. Maybe sometimes--it all depends--maybe once a week. (And when you say "invited," was it to be a guest, or was it understood that they would pay you to sing?) No, no. They never asked me to pay (me)--I wouldn't charge anything. In those days it was not like now. Now, if a person goes to a house to sing, they might give him 50 bucks, or 75 bucks all night. I remember this girl here, her name was An? nie Rose Delaney. She was going to Waltham, Boston. And then she had a boy friend, liv? ing not too far from my place. And he came at my place after supper, and he had beer. I And he said, "You have to come with me. My girl friend is only two more days in Canada. She's go? ing to Boston." Of course, I know her well. "Oh," I said, "I don't know." "Oh," he said, "you have to come." Okay, he took his horse and the sleigh and we went. It was in March, I think. We went there, and we sang pretty near all night. I slept in the morning. I got up for dinner. And then we went, me and him, to a place that they could sell him beer. Five cents a glass. Homemade beer. And then the next night it was the same thing. The old peo? ple went there. Like his uncle, and second cousin, and something like that. That was her last night. A HISTORY OF WILDLIFE AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT IN NOVA SCOTIA. AVAILABLE NOW FROM THE NOVA SCOTIA GOVERNMENT BOOK STORE 1700 GRANVILLE ST. HALIFAX P.O. BOX 637 B3J 2T3 $19.95,