Page 64 - George Rambeau Tells a Forerunner

ISSUE : Issue 51

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1989/2/1

till they struck that path, and they turned down on it, went down a little piece. And they started--they were kind of on their hunkers--you'd think they were picking ber? ries or some flowers or something. So I went to the house. We went right to the house, and there was a woman there. And I asked her what three women were here. She said there were no three women there. The only women were there was Mrs. Dunphy, John Dunphy's wife, and Paddy Dun? phy 's wife was there--but they had gone home around noon time. That was all right. It bothered me, I.... Next morning, we had to take him to Ding? wall to bury, him in the boat. So we put the casket on a barrow, and we were carry? ing him to the shore--poles, you know, on our shoulder. And when we came to this place, we laid him down to have a rest. There weren't too many of us. So this young fellow that was with me and me brother, when we laid him down, he came over to me and he said, "This is where these three women were picking the flowers last evening." Be God, it struck me right in the mind that that's where we stopped TRAVEL AGENCY 288 Welton St., Sydney, N. S. 562-3100 Based in Sydney Serving All of Cape Breton Lifetime Cape Breton resident Gord Reynolds and his I Staff look forward to helping you with all your business| and vacation travel needs. We are a member of a - nationwide chain of full-service travel agencies. And our services are free! Contact US first to plan group travel-such as genealogical tours, sport and school travel? er any individual need. Sumnier Hours: Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. And by appointment. serving travellers since 1955 with him. The image of them never went out of me mind. I could picture them--they all wore the same clothes. Big women. About a week after I went to his daughter-- she lived there--went to the house. And I told her the story. She said, "Would you know the women, do you think, if you saw them?" "Yes," I said, "if I ever saw them, I'd know them." She went and brought a pic? ture to me, with three women on it: Briand's three sisters. There they were, boy, with just the same clothes on as--everything just exactly the same as we saw them. (And where were they at the time?) Down in St. Pierre and Miquelon. (Not in Cape Breton at all.) No. (All three of them.) All three of them were down in St. Pierre. That's where Briand belonged to.... (So what did that make you think?) That's the only thing about that. If they'd have kept on coming a little farther, I'd have spoke. And maybe I wouldn't have been able to speak, I don't know. But if they had of kept on coming and I spoke, I'd have maybe learnt more. But 'twasn't to be that way. I wasn't to speak, nor they weren't to keep on comin' to us. (Instead they turned...) They turned away. Before they got to us they turned away, and went down to the path that we carried him down to the shore on, and stopped. Now that was just about sun? down I'd say. The sun wasn't down, but it was pretty close to it. Nice evening. (And when you were carrying him, you were carrying him on a barrow?) We had two long poles, straps nailed across them, and the casket on them, and poles on our shoulders. (And that was the spot you put him down.) Yeah. We laid him down. I never thought about it when we laid him down, but, the young fellow that was with us--me and me brother--he came right there. He said, "This is where those three women were stopped, picking the flowers." (I guess af? ter that you...) Well, that set me think? ing. But when I saw their pictures, I was convinced it was them that were there.... (Did they come for the funeral?) Oh, no. (They never came.) No, they never cailie. (Did you ever see anything else?) No. (No lights?) Nothing like that, no. (No, nei? ther did I. Nothing like that.) 236 Townsend St., Sydney, N.S. BIP 5E8 Phone 539-4566 Limited Edition Collectors Plates & Fine Giftware STOP AT DINO'S fresh baked goods * souvenirs magazines * film * charcoal gifts * novels * camp fuel * ice Ingonish One Stop Store & Restaurant STAY AT DINO'S Trailer Park Laundromat close to the National Park Ingonish

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