Page 79 - Margaret Neil James - A Love Story

ISSUE : Issue 60

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1992/6/1

Margaret Neil James • A Love Story Continued from Page 10 Margaret Neil James: We came up to the house. I got out. And I can see the kids yet, coming to meet me. And I had bananas for them. They weren't one bit interested in the bananas. All they wanted to do was hold my hand. And as far as they were concerned, I was the one that they prayed for, that was go? ing to keep them together. Because Neil always used to tell them to pray that they'd get someone to help him look af? ter them. And he told me after that (before I came) Francis was in the barn one day with him, and Francis was sitting on the milk stool, and he was shaking straw. And he said, "Daddy." And his father didn't answer him. So he said, "Daddy," again. "Well," Neil said, "I guess I'd better answer him." He said, "What?" Francis said, "Suppose if I prayed hard enough, would God send us another Mommy?" So, Neil's answer was, "Children, pray hard that God will send us someone to look after you." Because Neil at that time had no intentions of getting married again. That was out of the question, as far as he was concerned. And he always feared that he couldn't love anybody as much as he loved Kay. And I ad? mired him an awful lot for that, lUlargaret Beaton & Neil James MacNeil at a school picnic in MacNeil's Vale I got along great with the kids right from the very start. And with his parents, too. Neil took me to the house and he intro? duced me to his parents, and he had to hurry to do the barn work because Fr. Ran? kin was being waked at lona that evening, and we were all going to go. So, while he was at the barn. Grandma asked me where I was from. And I said, "I'm from a place called Scotch Lake, It's near Bras d'Or," I said, "I don't know if you ever heard of it before." She said, "Oh, yes, I did." She said, "There was a friend of mine that used to go out to Scotch Lake." And she said, "I'm sorry I can't tell you her right name. But they used to call her Flora Kimber because she worked for the Kimbers." And I said, "Well, her name was Flora Gillis, and she was my grand-aunt--my father's aunt. And my father was the nephew that she used to go and house- clean for." And she said, "Well, if you'll be half as good as her, you'll get along just fine!" So that was Point. my introduction to Gillis The next thing she said was, "Can you make biscuits?" And I said, "Well, I can make a good stab at it." And she said, "Well, we're short of bread, and I forgot to tell Neil to get some." So 849-4505 16 Resenre St • GLACE BAY V. J. McQiCCivray J'uneraC9-Come Ltd. FUNERAL DIRECTORS & EMBALMERS Established Since 1938 Complete Funeral Arrangements Including Pre-Arranged Funeral Services All Pre Paid Funeral Accounts Are Deposited "In Trust" in a Canadian Trust Company 862-6439 380 Smith SL • NEW WATERFORD

Cape Breton's Magazine