Page 68 - With Fr. John Angus Rankin, Glendale

ISSUE : Issue 45

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1987/6/1

from the mine, after working all day. And I'd have hay out. And," he said, "he'd come over. I'd come after him. And he'd go over and he'd put in hay with me till I got all the hay in," He said, "I owe him something," "Well," I said, "if I don't get that bill, I'm going to go to Halifax, Because you told me the bills were paid, and I have no way of knowing." So we were arguing back and forth, and going through bills, and the son came along. And he said, "What's going on?" So his father, "Well, Fr, John here," he said, "is looking for an old bill. And he figures his father owes some money to the store. And there's no,,,." "Oh, Dad," he says, "remember the boxes you gave me the other day?" He said, "There were old bills in there--you told me to burn them." He said, "I didn't get a chance to burn them. There's old bills there--they go back a long time," Third bill down! A ton of--we used to have a cow in Inverness--a ton of hay my father got. One ton of hay--$16,25 for a ton of hay then. So, he didn't want--I said, "No, here," I said, "You're taking the bloody money. You do with it what you wish. Give me that bloody bill." And in the presence of them, I burned the bill and gave him the money. My brother, my younger brother, was going *to the seminary at the same time, and he used to go over to Malcolm. Malcolm would give him $5, $10 sometimes. This evening he went over to get some groceries, Mal? colm gave him the $"16,25! He came home. He said, "I don't know what in the name of God is wrong with Malcolm Dan tonight," he said. "He used to give me $5 and $10, but," he said, "tonight he gave me $16.25!" He gave that money away. But he got it! It's up to him to do with it what he wished, I never saw my father after that. Or anything. So, anyone who comes to me with a story, after I question him and dig around, I can pretty well tell whether it's imagination or whether it's the real McCoy. (I like your explanation of why it is so often just a very simple thing. They're not coming back and raving about how gor? geous Heaven is.,,.) Oh, no, I never heard of anyone who described what it was like. Because it's--well, it's pretty much ful? filling, when you stop and think about it, when the apostles asked Christ certain things, "That's not mine to tell you. These things are the Father's. And he will reveal them in due time," eh? So that ap? pears to be, with most of these,,,, And it fulfils the question of purgatory. That these souls are not too far from us, and if they get a person that's open to them, then they'll reveal what they want to have done--and they go to Heaven, I think the first music I ever heard was in our own home in Inverness. We had a milkman, Curly Sandy Beaton. And my own un? cle, Alex Beaton, before he was crippled with arthritis, used to play the violin. So they would be about the first violin players I heard. And then, Sandy MacLean and my mother were great friends--they went to school together. And Sandy would be around at the time. And then up Broad Cove Banks, you had the Beatons of the Coal Mines--Danny Johnny Ronald and that gang, Mary Beaton, who's dead now, God rest her--Mary Hughie, At my grandfather's place they had an organ. So when I was a- bout 7 years old, I used to piomp the organ with one foot and hold 3 keys down with my fingers, to keep a drone for them. So I grew up in that music, the Mabou Coal Mines music, and the Mabou music. And then, be exposed to Angus Allan (Gil? lis) , and Angus Chisholm, and MacVarish and the Smiths, and Malcolm Beaton and Dan? ny Campbell, See, all those Beatons and the Campbells, they'd be related to myself. And they'd come in from the country, and we lived in the town. Likely come in and have a cup of tea before they'd head home. And sometimes come and stay overnight. So I grew up in music. And Gaelic songs. There's nothing (on record or tape) of San? dy or Malcolm when they were in their hey? day. Because Sandy MacLean--my God, I re? member- one time he came to our place, and he'd been on a bender for 3 or 4 days. Asked my mother for, "Any buttermilk?" She said, "Yes," And I can still see Sandy standing by the piano with a glass pf but? termilk. And you could feel in his music, the airs he was playing were adapted to the way he felt, you know, "I've been a bloody fool. What I did to myself. And me sick," and this, you know. And that feels-- the sadness of what he'd done was coming QUALITY SAI'E-DAY DRY CLEANING * 6 DAYS A WEEK * Vogue Cleaners Professional Repairs and Alterations on Ladies' and Men's Garments Prince Street, Sydney Bird Island Tours CAMPING and CABINS :68). A 2 1/2 hour cruise fro • MOUNTAIN VIEW BY THE SEA 4 miles off Trans-Canada Highway at Big Bras d'Or (902)674-2384 The only key to trouble-free and long car life is regular and careful maintenance. For over 25 years, ''maintenance-solely of European cars-has been our occupation.. 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