Page 3 - Old Tales of Sorcery Remembered

ISSUE : Issue 30

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1981/12/1

comer--and they couldn't sleep. And then after a few times, the servant, Jeffrey Crispou, he said to Fr. Fiset, "Are you not going to do something about that?" He said, "You were able to get the girl away. Couldn't you scold him?" Fr. Fiset said, "I could. But,"' he said, "I'm not going to lose a soul." He said, "I didn't come to Cheticamp to lose souls. I came here to save them." Because he was the priest. Be? cause maybe he thought to himself, if she was meant to die--well, then maybe the sor? cerer would die, whoever he was. "Well," Jeffrey said, "if he comes bothering us an? other time--me, I'll do something." "Well," Fr, Fiset said, "I don't care what you do-- but me, I won't do anything." (He didn't want to kill the sorcerer.) No, give an? other chance--perhaps he'll change. -Anyway, the same noise was there. Jeffrey Crispou--in his room he woke up. It was all afire. He woke up Fr. Fiset. Said, "The house was on fire, but," he said, "the fire doesn't burn." So it was in the wintertime--I think it was maybe in Lent-- I don't know--it was in the winter, anyway. There was snow. Jeffrey went outside and he made a snowman and he took his gun. And he was walking three steps, and backing two. You know? He went at a distance with his gun. Then he was walking forward one, two, three. Then back one, two. Then he was always walking a step ahead each time-- walking toward the snowman. And he had his gun. And when he came to a certain dis? tance, the distance he was wanting--well, he shot him in the side. J. J. Chiasson added: He built a man with snow. He wrote the initials of Charlie Rom? eril. Then he fired the shot of a gun in this statue of snow. And by gosh, it was after that they heard that Charlie Romeril was sick. And he was sick, sick, getting weaker, and the doctor couldn't do any? thing with him, didn't know what was wrong with him. So it went on. J. J. Deveaux told us: The handyman told Fr. Fiset, "At night, when I wake up, a team of horses was coming," would go on his bed, big horses. He said, "You better do something!" The handyman made a snowman and he named it. He named the snowman. He gave it a name. Then he took a shotgun and he shot him. And Sunday morning, my grand? mother told me, he was there, "Don't touch that man. Don't touch anything on that. Let him melt there." And about a week af? ter, two weeks after--the man died. He was getting weak and weak and weak, and when it melted, the man who he named the snow? man from--he was not sick but was getting weak, weak, weak--and he died when the snowman was all melted. I don't tell you that's the truth, but I heard it from my grandmother.... Marie: I don't know how many times he shot him. Then he went home. The noise ceased. No more noise. And the girl, of course, was well--Fr. Fiset had made her well. But little Charlie Romeril, he got sick. He was sick all the rest of the winter. And when the snowman was melting, as the snow? man was melting, little Charlie was get? ting worse • They heard he was getting worse and getting worse--and he couldn't go over to see the snowman. He was very sick. And melt, and melt--finally, when it melted to the ground, little Charlie died. And that's the real truth--because my grandfather told me--that was his time. He was not a part of this, but he remembered. Marguerite Gallant: And that Charlie Romer- il IS buried on the Island. (Cheticamp Is- If you knit, you'll want something natural. Create your own fashions with our new 100% virgin wool yarns especially made for hand knitting. Our yams" are made in Atlantic Canada. (Cape Breton) from local and imported wool. Drop in to see us at Irish Cove, or write for sam? ple 40-colour shade cards and price lists. We of? fer special quantity discounts. Cape Breton Woolen Mills Ltd. y R. R. No. 1, Irish Cove, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia BOA IHO (902) 828-2776 CALL TOLL In an effort to improve its service to the general public the Nova Scotia Housing Commission has installed toll free telephone numbers in each of its Regional Offices. If you require information relating to your housing needs, please phone the Regional Office serving your area toll free. Cape Breton Regional Office Nova Scotia Housing Commission, Provincial Building, Prince St., P.O. Box 1267, Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 6J9 Ph. 539-6450 TOLL FREE Ph. 1-539-9943 Counties Served Cape Breton Victoria Inverness Richmond Clip & Save for Future Reference (3)

Cape Breton's Magazine