Page 2 - Margaret Neil James - A Love Story

ISSUE : Issue 60

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1992/6/1

the morning, before she got up. And then went to the barn and did the barn chores. And my mother would have breakfast when he got (back). And when he got hurt, that was one thing he asked us to continue doing for him. "See that your mother gets a cup of tea before she gets up in the morning." And we always did it, and even when it came to my brother Martin that was home the last with her, Martin always saw that she got her cup of tea. (My father) always got up to have his. Now, you'd have to be some sick before he'd give you a cup of tea in bed. But boy, he'd see that Mum got hers. And (the accident) wasn't bad enough. Two ??weeks (before)--it was on the 18th of April, the house burned, in 1939. My fa? ther got hurt on the 2nd of May. (The house was) completely destroyed. I'll never forget that day. We were coming home from school. Remember an old lady down home. At that time we used to call her Mrs. Hanson. She ended up to be a Mrs. MacDo? nald before she died, and she was over 100 before she died. And she was a great friend of ours, particularly my mother's. And she came to the school and told the boys to go home. But we didn't think any- Akiytlaweti McA Over 70 Stores Sc Services Every Last Thursday of Each Month Is SENIORS DAY Come & Enjoy Tea & Cake in the Mall Congratulations on 20 Successful Years! 800 Grand Lake Road, Sydney, N.S. B1P 6S9 TOURS OF: LOUISBOURG, CABOT TRAIL, MINERS MUSEUM AIR CONDITIONED UNITS 564-6200 Limousine Service Taxi Fleet 24 KINGS ROAD SYDNEY THE* 564-4444 thing of it, you know. She left the girls all in school. But it was that the house was burning, and the men from the quarry ran over with the trucks. So, when we got to the top of the hill where we could see the house--Ann and I and Sarah were the ones that were left in school. My oldest sister stayed home that day because Mum wasn't well. So she was home to take the smaller ones out of the house. They said there was--you know, there used to be loose bricks in the attic, to (get in to) clean the chimney. And they figured that a spark must have got in the attic somehow. Because the fire started up there. And my sister went to the well to get some water. And when she was on her way back, she saw the smoke coming out around the eaves of the house. And she hurried back to the house. And my mother got the kids out. And sat up on the hill with the children to protect them from go? ing back in the house. Because they wanted their new shoes and they wanted their stuff--their treasures--and she had to hang onto them. So she had to sit and watch the house burn.... The only thing they saved was a table that my grandfather in North Sydney had made my mother. And that table is still down in Scotch Lake. And that's the only thing that they saved. They took the icebox out as far as the door, or outside the door, but it burned. The heat, you know, just destroyed it. (Was that a home that your father had built?) Yes. See. my father had 7 broth- Tnjoy superS dining in a re[a?(ing & [u?(urious atmosphere SPECIALIZING IN CHINESE CUISINE Canadian Dishes also available FULLY LICENSED TAKE OUT & DEUVERY ORDERS Major Credit Cards Accepted liking Ulestaurant 355 Charlotte Street Downtown Sydney Tel: 539-7775 Open dally 11:00 am ' ONE OF } 11 CAPE BRETON'S FINEST i IIIIII III I III M llllilll III111'

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