Cape Breton's Magazine

couldn't move without being looked after. But she'd still do the work, you know. I could get the Eaton's catalogue or Simp? son's catalogue and--"Wouldn't I like to have a dress like that one!" "Let me see it," she'd say. And she'd, "Oh, get me the newspaper," or, "Get me that brown paper that we saved," and she'd cut out a pattern. And then she'd say, "Go get that sheet that we put away the other day." And she'd cut the pattern out of the sheet and she'd put the pleats in it, or the darts, or whatever. And she'd say, "Now try this on, see if it fits you, till I see if it looks nice on you." And, if she liked it, she'd (finish it). But you'd get enough goods those days for a couple of dollars to make a dress. Which today you won't get a needle! (Did you come to think of her as a moth? er?) Well, in some ways. I can't say that she wasn't. 'Course, not being married herself she didn't know too much about motherhood. But oh, yes, we had a good many laughs and jokes together and that. I can't--no, I can't complain about the peo- ple at all. Although I was good many times 'wishing I'd never come there! (You could've been born to it and wished the same.) Well, that's for sure. I wished the place would go to blaz? es . I had to quit school when I was 16, which I didn't want to INN Sydney, N.S. Experience the charm of another era in this century-old mansion *You deserve an elegant dinner, an overnight stay, and a fireside breakfast" For reservations, call (902) 539-2696 - OPEN YEAR ROUND ~ Located at 259 King's Road Sydney, N.S. Established by: Margaret Glabay do because I wanted to keep going to get a higher education. And my plans were when I was old enough to go to college--go to work and earn money to go to college be? cause I wanted either to be a secretary or a nurse's aide or take up music. (You had to quit at mid-term. Had things changed on the farm?) Well, I had come to the age of 16, and when I was 16 they could take me out of school to become a full-time housemaid, or whatever you want to call it. You know, I had to look after the old lady, and then I'd have to do the housework. (You quit school and you were full-time on the farm.) I had more to do. When I was going to school, maybe when I'd come home I'd have to take in the wood or water and things like that. Take the old lady up if she'd be laying down. The maid would prob? ably be out doing something and I'd have to take her up and have her bathed. So, being full-time, I had all this to do. I had to take her up in the morning, dress her, give her her breakfast, and then probably churn butter or bake. You know, I had everything to do. After I was 16 we had no more maid. The maid was let go. They had to keep a maid while I was going to school, but in the summertime when the school vacation would come, the maid would be let go and I was doing the full-time work in the summer. Meals, and going out and helping with the haymaking, and milking the cows. Feeding the cattle, feeding the pigs, and feeding the hens, and you name it. Once the straw? berries would come in the summertime you were preserving strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, blackberries. We made our own winter butter and we made butter enough to sell besides. You know, when the cows were milking; the cows would go dry maybe around November or so. And then we'd probably have a cow, they called her "the stripper." She wasn't in calf and we'd milk her all year 'round. Probably the fol? lowing year then she'd be bred. And there'd be another one follow if we could get them that they wouldn't be bred. That would give us milk all winter and maybe you'd make a 1 pound or tt Community Banking in Cape Breton • Your Mutual Fund Shop • Bank of Montreal We're Paying Attention tt two or five of butter, if you had a good milking cow. You'd have it for your own use for the winter.