Page 25 - A Visit with Herman Murphy, Ingonish

ISSUE : Issue 62

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1993/1/1

well, they'd bring them in on the Aspy. And whoever worked at the wharf there, they'd be hauled up, and put in the post office, just near the wharf there. And then I would have to take--pick--whatever number of bags that I could take with the mail. The other mail that'd be going through--there'd be a lot of Eaton's parcels, there'd be a lot of papers, there'd be--well, all the general mail'd be going through. And I would pick maybe a bag or two of catalogues and take today with me. And tomorrow I mightn't be able to take any because I might have weight enough, if the road was bad, that was all I could take. And then I'd have to wait till the next day and take--if the road was better or conditions were better, I'd take another couple of bags. And we had to deliver--but we thought they were the worst that we had to deal with in the win? tertime, especially on the bad roads. They made so much weight. Twice a year--get them in the spring and the fall. The spring-and-summer catalogues would be coming late in the winter. And the others would be coming in the spring. But generally they came to the area on the Aspy. (And everybody got one, didn't they?) Everybody got one. Everybody got one, yeah. That was the problem--if it was only one here and there, it wouldn't be so bad. But there was everybody got--there were bags and bags and bags of them, you know. (How much would a good horse cost in those days?) well, T 'bought--the one that I had, he was off a thoroughbred stock. His fa? ther, a stallion, was shipped from Ken? tucky, from the States, aboard a ship, way back in, oh, post-War years. I don't know exactly right now what year. He was thor? oughbred stock. Him and a mare were put on a boat for- they were going either to Eng? land or Scotland. And she was wrecked in a big heavy eastern storm off to the south of Cape Breton here somewheres. And the horse and the mare were both washed off of the deck, and washed overboard, and washed ashore, between swimming and all. The mare couldn't survive the hardship. She died after she landed. But the stallion, he did survive it. And he was the father of this one that I tell you about. If you heard of the Morgan horses--I sup? pose you have--what horses they are. This fellow was exactly like the Morgan horses. You could take him and put him in a driv? ing wagon. Just tighten up the reins, and this was like you stepped on the accelera? tor of your car--he was gone. And you could take him out of that wagon--as I of? ten did--and put him in the plow. Do all my plowing--put the reins around my neck, and take the plow, and do my plowing for the garden and the other plowing around, and I'd be going to seed down land. And "Gee, Wingo; plow, Wingo"--that was all that was necessary. He understood that just the same as he did the reins. You didn't have to touch a rein. And if he'd come up to a rock, or something like that, the very minute he hit it, he'd slack off. Just like an ox would. He was a wonderful, intelligent horse. And he had to wind up getting a crushed shoulder. He was only 7 years old when he got his shoulder broken. And my brother had a horse--he had one that was 6 years old. And they had them in--Jim MacDonald, they owned a farm up at the head of Warren Lake--an old farm there that had been used years before that. And they had them in there in pasture. And those two horses were like two little kids that played to? gether. Wherever one was, the other was. And they always chummed together. And the superintendent from the National Park was in to Warren Lake there one af? ternoon. And on the way out--he was in fishing--he came to the house and he said, "Look, there's a horse down in there. And I don't know if it's yours or your broth- SERVING CAPE BRETON SINCE 1907 Celebrating Our 85th Year Spinner's ?? Men's & Boys' Wear Ltd. 320 CHARLOTTE ST., SYDNEY • 564-8415 Quality Selection & Service Centre for International (Studies • DE60UDCE CENTQE • Over 3000 Books, Magazines & Periodicals on • Development • Environment • Economic • Other Critical International Issues ~ Available Throughout Cape Breton Phone 562-6090 Or Visit Us at 390 Charlotte Street 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday COFFEE-VIDEOS PHOTOCOPYING For SCHOOL & COMMUNITY PROGRAMS call 929-2063 or 539-5300 ext. 267 A Pioneer Company ROBIN'S • NOW 227 YEARS OLD • ROBIN, JONES & WHITMAN, INC. The company was founded around 1766 by the Robins fam? ily from the islands of Jersey and Guernsey in the English Channel. These French-speaking immigrants to Arichat and Cheticamp supplied the local fishermen with their ba? sic necessities and took the fishermen's catch to markets around the world. Robin's have evolved to include furni? ture, hardware, bulding supplies, and groceries. Cheticamp, N.S. 224-2022 • Inverness, N.S. 258-2241

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