Page 38 - With Karoline Siepierskit, Whitney Pier

ISSUE : Issue 36

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1984/6/1

THE A THE Ceilidh XL Cabot Trail *'Trail WILL YE NO COME BACK AGAIN! No nuatter where you stay in the county of Inverness you will enjoy spectacularly beautiful T''ere are countless little coves to countryside complemented by e''P'''?- ''' 'a'''"?? ''''' • " a rugged dramatic coastline. '' Maritimes. hiking trails up to rocky nrwuntain glens. Ask for the day trip brochures at any provincial tourist booth. "Our beadles have the warmest waters, our people have the kindest hearts." THE INVERNESS COUNTY MUNICIPAL TOURIST COMMITTEE BOX 179 PORT HOOD. NOVA SCOTIA said, "I left them at the place I was stay? ing." I said, "Well, bring it, I'll wash. I don't want a dirty man here." He didn't bring anything. He went to the store and bought. He didn't have clothes. He didn't have a good suit. Just pants, no jacket, nothing. Well, after he listened to me a little bit, he said, "You're a smart wo? man," he told me. And he stopped a little bit drink! He didn't come home drunk, no. That's a good man. He said, "If I'd come a long time ago to board at your place, I'd have lots of money." After my husband died, he stayed with me. He stayed at my place 22 years. (Did you marry him?) I'm not married, what for? I'll be married, he'll not listen to me what I'm telling him. He'd drink like he drank before. (So you have more control on him when you didn't marry him.) Oh yeah, some time I'm giving him this. (Karoline held up her fist. But you made him into a better man?) Yes. And bought a car after, got car, he got a good life. (And you were together 22 years?) Yes. (And he helped raise your children?) Yes. (Karoline's son, Kazimir: If it wasn't for him, God knows where we'd be today. He was supporting us.) And he went to visit my husband every sec? ond day, in the hospital. And my husband told him, "I know I don't think I'll live. You watch my children. Don't leave my wife with the children." And this is when he stayed with me. And that's all. He wanted to marry. I said, "No, I don't want to marry, what for? When you're mar? ried, maybe you'll beat me and everything when you're drunk." Now, I'm not married. And I'm building a house, myself. (Did you actually do work on the house?) Yes. I built my house in 1941. Just when my hus? band died, 1941, in June. After a couple of months, I bought a lot here and I started building a house. I looked for car- penters--some Ukrainian fellows. And I went and explained. And I went to Chap- pell's and bought wood, boards, and two-by- fours, and everything like that. And I'm going far and buying cheap and I brought it here. And the carpenters came. And I dug the basement myself. Myself! I'd get up at 4, 5 o'clock in the morning, sum? mertime, and I took a shovel and came here, and so much ground I'm taking every day. (With a shovel?) Yes. (A Pick?) I had eve? rything. (A wheelbarrow?) No. Just I'm throwing it. After, those men that stayed with me were hauling, two men. Then my man paid two men--"you no dig"--he paid two I- talian men and they finished the basement. (But first you were digging it.) Myself, yeah. (Did anyone ever tell you that wasn't women's work?) Next door, the man said, "Woman, you'd better watch, just for old age, you'll feel that work, you're working too hard." I said, "Well, I can't help it. What I make with my hands I'm not paying money." Oh,' the poor man, he'd stay here all the time and see the house I was digging. (So you didn't shovel the whole basement.) No, no, no. (But a lot of it.) Yes. Then carpenters took a contract with me. He told me how much it would cost me

Cape Breton's Magazine