Page 50 - Edith Pelley, William Davis's Daughter

ISSUE : Issue 60

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1992/6/1

she was getting $50 a month. It was just herself, then. But we took her and buried her alongside my father. (In Scotchtown, Cape Breton.) Oh, yeah. Then there was a fellow said to me one day, in Antigonish, "They offered your mother a pension. Why didn't she take it?" I said, "Who offered her a pension?" "The miners." I said, "No, they didn't." I said, "They took a 50 levy, and she got $100 a month." And I said, "When the funds started to get low, they gave her $50 a month, and I took her. But," I said, "they offered her no pension." While she lived. She just got the $50. And that was every cent she had to bring us up. We lived off of bread and molasses. On Sun? day we got butter. But that was the only time, till after we grew up. It was just bread and molasses. But we all survived on it. And we were all healthy. Yeah. And then one fellow said to her, "That's a nice headstone the miners bought for your husband." She said, "No, the miners didn't buy that headstone. I paid $30 a month for that headstone. Every month till it was paid for. It cost $130." And she bought it from John D. Steele in North Sydney. And they said the miners had bought it. But the miners didn't. She bought it herself. And she had her name on it on one side, and his on the other. Yeah. S doup _ IS-HofePukBc Pimdce MConrse Dundee. located in West Bay. Cape Breton Is? land, offers guests a variety of recreation and relaxa? tion. Visit our Dining Room and enjoy wonderful cuisine or drop by our lounge and experience Cape Breton hospitaiity at its finest. Dundee has something for everyone. From our 18 hole professional golf course to our full service marina to spectacular scenery, Dundee is the perfect lalJeside resort. Dundee is a yachtman's paradise, a golfer's dream, a vacationer's delight and eveiyihing elseyou would exfjectfromaworldclass resort. Whateveryour pleasure. Dundee guarantees satisfaction. R.R. # 2, West Bay, Nova Scotia BOE 3K0 Tel. (902) 345-2649 ; Fax (902) 345-2697 Odyssey Cape Breton Toll Free 1-800-565-S660 (Was there no other as? sistance at all in those days?) No other assistance, no. Mother's Allowance came out. And she started getting Mother's Allowance. And they used to come to the school to examine our clothes and every? thing, and they all got mad. 'Cause she'd come to the school before she'd go up to my mother's. And one day we came home and she was at--she had been at the school that morning. And then she left and came up home. Well when we came home at dinner? time she was sitting in the parlour talk? ing to my mother. (And who would that be?) It was a social worker from Sydney. And I said to Mum, "That's it. There must be some way else that we can have a better living than to have them come to the school and examine our clothes, and want to know what we had to eat and everything. And what we were going to have to eat when we got home." (Would that be done in pri? vate?) No, that was done right in front of all the students. If that had been in pri? vate- -if they would have taken us out in the hallway or something to talk to us. No, she had to go right into the class? room, and ask us all these questions. So she didn't stay on Mother's Allowance too long. That's when they took out the 5 0 levy for her. (How would your life have been different had your father been allowed to live?) Well, I think we would have been brought up different. We wouldn't have had to work as hard as we did. 'Cause he would have pro? vided for us. 'Cause the miners got a raise afterwards. And I think we'd have had a better life. Although I can't complain about my life. We all had a good life. But if he would have lived, we would have had a Travel Richmond County's Route 41 The Violin Shop ' Johannes Sturm Violinmaker/repairer Quality Repairs to String Instruments Custom Work Bow Rehairing New and Used Instruments Strings Accessories For information or appointment, call (902) 345-2883 R. R. 1, Grand Anse, Richmond County, N. S. BOE 1 VO better life. And so would my mother. She wouldn't be alive to? day, 'cause the cancer would have taken her out. But may? be he'd be alive. If he was, he'd be over 100 years old... . St. Peters Drug Store Ltd. Proprietor Week Monday to Friday open until 8 p.m. Saturday open until 5 p.m. Don Stone, Ph. C, Open 6 Days 535-2203 St. Peters, Richmond County, N. S. ST. PETER'S on Highway 4 Home cooking country-styk with the gourmet touch • f Specializing in Fresh Seafood Recommended by '''ii'';* Phone (902) 535-2997 • REASONABLE RATES • Hosts: Arden & Michaeleen Moffard A wonderful place to live, work, visit, & invest!

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