Page 24 - From Breton Cove and Boston: Conversations with Josie Matheson Bredbury

ISSUE : Issue 56

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1991/1/1

on the neck or anyplace. And she'd heal it. Witchcraft, I guess you'd call it today. (How would she heal?) Well, I'll tell you. (There was a family, and) they had a boy by the name Tom. And he couldn't walk; he couldn't put his heel down. You know, sort of running on his toe. And his mother no? ticed this. And she looked at him. And there was a lump growing back of his knee, like a half an egg, you know. Not broken or anything--just the skin there. And 3 morn? ings they brought him over to the house. And Annie takes a bowl of water, and she'd put her hand in. You'd take a dime from the parent, and drill a hole in the dime so it couldn't be used. And (afterward) they used to hang it on (a string around) their neck. And anyway, Annie'd put that in the water. And then she'd put her hand, and use her palm, and rub it on the lump.... She'd do it with her hand first. Then she'd get the dime, and rub it 3 times. Everything had to be 3 times. And then she'd put her hand in the water again and do it the third time. Discover Richmond County From Johnstown to Arichat, Louisdale to Lx)ch Lx)mond, an extraordinary mixture of Acadian and Irish, Micmac and Scottish traditions welcomes the visitor. The setting is the quiet beauty of Richmond County. The culture and heritage are centuries old. We invite you to take Route 4, the road that leads through Richmond County. It is the road less travelled, and it will make all the difference in your Cape Breton Vacation. MUNICIPALITY OF THE COUNTY OF RICHMOND And then the dime, you know, and 3 times, that would be done. Then the fourth morning--and it had to be done 3 mornings before breakfast. And then, the fourth morning, it breaks open. And like, if you ever had a boil or a sore, you know--all this goop came out of it--yellow stuff. And they'd keep wiping it off. I don't know, they used to tear a sheet or something like that (for a band? age) . Because, wouldn't go to the store to get anything--gauze or anything like that. And they'd keep pulling this, and all this goop came out. Until the blood was clear. Coming out of this lump. And it would go down. And then the next day, there was a scab that would come on it. And it would heal. That was it. But they couldn't pay her anything, you know. They used to give her, you know, a yard of cloth to make a dress, or things like that. There was (a) cousin of ours from Glace Bay. And he had it on his neck here. And he had been up in Halifax, and it was scraped 3 different times. And it would come back. So the mother said, "There's somebody on the North Shore"--his grand? parents were from Little River, way in back there. Anyway, she said, "There's somebody over on the North Shore that has a girl, seventh daughter." So anyway, she wrote over there and found out who she was. And they came over on the Aspy (the coaster steamer). And stayed at ROUTE 4 The road less travelled! La Cuisine Acadienne fm'T'WL Fish & Steakhouse llA ''Restaurant & Dining Room iJ'P''J'' * Fully Licensed * Charcoal Steaks • Seafoods a Speciality Home Cooked Meals • Meat Pies Pizzas • Light Snacks • Chinese Food At Louisdale (902) 345-2817 Your Host: Lome Marchand Seating 125 L'AUBERGE ACADIENNE TRMMilOVM. l'nh(:iAriKVV:AI)l INN OPEN ALL YEAR! Acadian Cuisine in a traditional setting Newly Renovated. Luxury accommodations in a 19th Century period setting. At Arichat on Isle Madame Call: (902) 226-2200 Discover Cape Breton Differently! KAYAK TOURS INSTRUCTION • RENTALS KAYAKS • CANOES • BIKES • • OUTDOOR EQUIPMENT- LOG CABINS on the Bras d'Or Lake Ask for brochure: KAYAK CAPE BRETON R. R. 2, West Bay, N. S. BOE 3K0 OR PHONE (902) 535-3060

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