Page 10 - California to Cape Breton, 1917

ISSUE : Issue 51

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1989/2/1

water was terrible, you know? Do you know what it was like? (Yes, yes. Pretty rugged at times.) Well, it was rugged this night, it was, and terrible. And you know, we-- scared. (Frank's voice on the tape: There you are, about 60 miles from home.) (On the night they arrived at North River Bridge. Frank MacRae--Marv Ann and Miriam Ruth's brother--was out shopping with his father. About 70 years later. Frank MacRae recalled:) And we had to go to another store to buy some groceries. And heaven's above, the mail, you know, then. It was only a small horse we had--scared of cars, you know--didn't see cars. God save us--we saw the light coming behind us. And oh, my father'd go--pretty good horse on the road. My father wanted to get home, scared Rudderham's Sport Shop Ltd. Large Selection of Men's and Ladies* Summer Sports Clothing by • OL P. *Adidas • Converse *Speedo • Nike • Brooks ' ' Men's and Ladies* Decit Slioes by WOLVERINE GREB 2 LOCATIONS IN SYDNEY: Cape Breton Shopping Plaza 562-3666 Mayflower Mall 539-3664 that the horse would take off, you know-- car. The road was so narrow. And, sure enough (a car came). But we made the turn coming up here (to our own place. The car followed us up.) "God Almighty, the car is after us!" Who was it but my sisters, com? ing from California! Lights were on. And the mare was crazy with--you know. Margaret MacRae: They saw the lights of the car coming behind them, you know. They thought the car'd keep over the bridge then. They kept up this way, and here the car coming up, too! Frank: And they had to go up the hill, you know. And they couldn't make it. They were low on gas. You know, the tank was in the front, and it all went to the back. And the fellow had to drive her backwards com? ing up, until he got home. (The interview with Aunt Ruth continues. Rev. Murdock asked her: Who met you, now? When you came here to the old place, who was here ahead of you? Do you remember?) Well, do I remember! We didn't know the roads...I knew the schoolhouse. But Mae kept saying, "Where do we turn up tp Dad's house? Where's the road?" So finally--but the road was different then. The road was different up. We started up the hill, and of course the thing was missing--the car was missing--and one thing and another. There was quite a hill here. The first thing we saw was the horse-- going up in the air, jumping up--and my father. My father couldn't do a thing with him. That's the first thing we saw alive here, was the horse. And the horse broke away from Father, and he jumped up the bank here, in the woods. It was two days before he could get that horse home! And then of course the family came out to meet us: my father, and my mother. They knew we were coming. My father and mother, and Annabelle, and Mae, and Frank, and Frances--the little one--they all came out there. And of course, we had to be intro? duced to them, because we didn't know any of them, you know. (You were the only two .''' We're MacLeod-Lorway Insurance 215 Charlotte St. P.O. Box 1354 Sydney, N.S. B1P6K3 FAX # 539-4064 CALL us NOW and discover why more Cape Breton residents are Insured through MacLeod-LonMay than any other Independent agency. We represent more than half of Canada's leading Insurance companies. Call or visit one of our 12 licensed agents for pre-purchase counselling. MacLeod-Lorway offers personal and commercial lines Including home owners and tenants packages and mobile home, travel, auto, builder's risk, commercial fire, crime, commercial liability, marine, bonding, business Interruption and boiler and machinery. 24 hour phone - call collect 539-6666

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