Page 61 - Gwennie Pottie of West Tarbot

ISSUE : Issue 67

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1994/8/1

Gwennie Bennett Pottie continues from page 12 ...Well, poor Lexie sat down and she started laughing. Well she said, "Look, darling, you stop in after school and I'll give you some books and I'll tell you all I can." But see, those days.... (So a neighbour....) Well, she had daughters of her ovm and she knew the other one never had a child. And in those days, it wasn't like today--today every? thing is out in the open. See, those days you wouldn't dare talk about things like that. And another thing if a girl got pregnant, as soon as she'd start to show she was hidden away for the rest of the seven months until the baby was born. When that child was born, she wasn't told that she was her mother.. For someone in that condition, (Aunt Mary) was a sweetheart. Because I never--in all the years I lived with that woman--I never heard her complain about her condition. Never. And you could come in and you could sit down and you could tell her a joke and she had the most heartiest laugh that you'd want to hear. And she'd be there and the boys used to come in in the evenings--D.J. Smith and D.J. MacDonald and Dan Hector and those--they'd come in and they'd tell her stories and they'd tell her things just to hear her laugh. You know, it was just to hear her laugh. And they'd remark about it again and again, that D.J. MacDonald--D.J. Vic we always called him--would remark, "You know," he said, "I can't get over Aunt Mary. She's so jol? ly." He said, "I often thought if I'd be in the condition she's in I'd snap the head off everybody." But no, she wasn't like that. I mean she'd get cross once in a blue moon but I guess I used to give her reasons once in awhile! (But she never really left the chair.) No, not since I came here. She always had a low chair like this. But her bed was just as low as this chair. I'm on the chair and this is the bed, and you'd have to put the chair like this as close as you could to her chair and you'd have to hold your foot on the rocker. And she'd slide herself (like this) off onto the bed. But when it came to getting her up, you'd have to put the chair close to the bed like this and you'd have to grab her by her clothes and pull her on the chair. I came there when I was 10 1/2 years and I was with her off and on until she died. 1963. Bathed her and washed her and dressed her and fed her. Well, I had her here right in this very house. She used to be right here in the dining room when she NOI'SGOnA Village Fair Discover our unique community way of life with "Village Fair", a celebration of our culture, cuisine, his? tory and heritage. Hundreds of festivals are planned in cities, towns and villages across the province. So drop in and learn about our seafaring past. Sample Acadian delica? cies and listen to the legends of the Mi'kmaqs. Dance the highland fling and enter a scallop-shucking contest. There's something new for everyone at the Village Fair. Plan your getaway today. CaU for your FREE Value-Vacation Catalogue, filled with all-inclusive pack? ages starting at just $69 that will put you in the heart of the Village Fair action. 1-800-565-0000 operator #120 Tounsm Nova Scotia Honourable Ross Bragg, Minister Nova Scotia Economic Renewal Agency

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