Page 80 - Mary E. Blatchford's Letter from Beinn Bhreagh, 1891

ISSUE : Issue 58

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1991/8/1

Mary E. Blatchford's Letters from Beinn Bhreagh, 1891 INTRODUCTION: Mary Edgecombe Blatchford was a childhood chum of Mabel Bell, and remained close to her all her life. Except for Ms. Blatchford's letters, little other specific Information about her is known. She may appear in photographs in the Bell family albums, but no one living is able to identify her with any certainty. Ms. Blatchford visit? ed Beinn Bhreagh in 1891 and again in 1911. Out of those visits came detailed letters that have been important to Parks Canada historians in preparing exhibits for the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Park in Baddeck • a peek into daily life at Beinn Bhreagh. Here is a selection written during her month-long trip to Cape Breton in 1891. SepL22,1891: It seems absurd to be writing to you a let? ter that cannot get to you before I do, but we keep do? ing such interesting things that I long to tell of them, and I have not your simple faith in my memory. Mabel and Alexander Graham Belis' cottage at Baddeck, circa 1880 You have not forgotten, I hope, about the Gaelic service which I was busily missing each day. On Sunday, the great day, I meant to go if I had to swim; but even my luck nearly failed me, for the wind blew hard in the bright sunshine and when Mabel gave or? ders for the pony carriage it was found that--unheard of conjunction--all the hors? es were on the other side and Perrin on this side. It was then after ten o'clock, and service began at 11. My heart sank low, but not low enough for me to venture a wetting by crossing the lake in the boat with Per? rin, who was sent off in a great hurry to bring the wagonette around five miles of rough road, for us to return over the same. Time passed, and he came, bringing a horse for the phaeton also. Perrin took Charles and the maids with him, and G. and I went in the phaeton, and we started about twelve! But I was not born under a lucky star for nothing. In spite of a road that was washed and gullied and ditched and holed, and bridged with loose logs or not bridged at all, we reached the church soon after one and just in time to see the Sacrament. WE HAVE INFORMATION ON YOUR PROPERTY - AND YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT IT IS! We have over 20 pieces of information on every number you see on this map, and we have a number on every property in Cape Breton, Richmond, Victoria, and Inverness Counties. That means we have a number on every property in Cape Breton Island. From BADDECK ~ A SERVICE WORTH INVESTIGATING ~ Land Registration and Information Service Property Mapping and Records Division 66 Wentworth Street, Sydney, N. S. 81P 6T4 CONTROL SYSTEM of concrete monuments for surveying BASE MAPS: Orthophoto for rural areas, Line Maps for cities, town, villages PROPERTY MAPS with boundary information and ownership information REGISTRY ASSISTANCE for government and private users Your Property Is Our Business • Ask Us About It TELEPHONE (902) 563-2280 or 563-2281 An Agency of the Council of Maritime Premiers

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