Cape Breton's Magazine

call a money saver, I could always find something that I wanted to do with it. But she wasn't like that. And even if I get money at Christmas--like, the girls would send me a dollar or something in a card for Christmas--in the pot it would go! You might want some clothes, or you might want boots, or you might want shoes and we can't trade butter and we can't trade eggs for that. So, whatever money was made.... I mean, if we'd see a hundred dollars in the run of the year you were rich. But every little penny you were getting it was going towards the church or it was going- towards things that you couldn't get with your butter or your eggs, you know. So, actually, we always got along. We were never without and as far as the old lady was concerned, if I wanted a dress or if she wanted a blouse or something like that made, the money would be in the pot to send to Eaton's or Simpson's for it. Or the flour bags were used for a lot of clothing. Underclothing. And then they came out with the fancy cloth on the flour (bag)--what they called "the print." And if you were lucky enough to get two bags of flour with the same kind of print, she'd make a dress out of it, or a blouse and a skirt for herself. Two hundred-pound bags of flour wouldn't last long in those days because you were doing all your bak? ing. Now say, Lexie MacDonald--she'd prob? ably come in to visit and the old lady would say, "Oh, Lexie, did you get any flour with the print on it lately?" And then, "Gwen, you go and get those pieces," I'd show them to Lexie. "Have you got one like this?" Or, "Can you trade this one for...?" you know. And, sure enough, if she had it the trade would be made. And make a dress for me or something for her? self. And it went on like that until-- well, until I left the place. And then when Laura MacLeod, A.J.'s sis? ter, went to work, she used to send home boxes of clothes from Boston. So that kind Gwennie and a horse, 1930 of helped me out, too. I think the first boughten coat I ever got came from Laura Mae, as I called her, from Boston. And I was as proud as a peacock going to church with that on. But outside of that, the coat that I did have she probably made it for me out of one of the men's overcoats. But she never used a pattern. Never bought a pattern. No, no. Oh, she was really a smart lady. I think when she first learned to sew, actually, is when she went to Bos? ton- -a few years before she got the ar? thritis. That's why she had to come home, she started getting the arthritis when she was in Boston. She was only twenty years old. 'Course she was quite a few years that she could do something. I think she was 35 when she finally gave up, that she Bvxsiness matters. With more flight Air Nova helps > AIR CANADA (' QirNova