Page 19 - A Talk with Donald Johnny Murdock: The Blind Man's Seventh Son

ISSUE : Issue 68

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1995/6/1

One time my father's sister was home from Boston, and they wanted to have some pic? tures taken at Sandy Murdock's, an uncle of mine. Murdock wasn't around, so he took Angus with him to lead the way. So my fa? ther got all dressed up in his best clothes to get his picture taken. He took Angus, who was around four or five years old, and he took Angus by the hand and away they went down the road. There was a good- sized brook between our place and Sandy Murdock's, and a bridge with no railing. So they walked along for about a quarter mile, everything was going fine. When they came to the bridge, the two of them walked right over the edge of it! Over into the water! Angus was following his father's lead, and my father was following Angus. Laughter. They got soaking wet. I have a picture from that day somewhere. The Beatons used to go to school in West Mabou, and they walked down by our place. There was a hill above our house, a fence on one side, and woods on the other side, all hardwood trees. So this day they were there and my father was walking up the road, and the young fellows saw him com? ing. They were a little scared of him. They had an idea there was something wrong Donald Johnny Murdocl( and his war bride, Alma with him, but they didn't know what it was, because he had a cane. So they jumped into the bushes, at the turn at the top of the hill. When my father was just going by, somebody moved, and made a noise in the leaves. My father stopped, "Who's there?" Nobody answered. He asked again, "Who's there!?" Nobody answered, they were scared. He asked a third time, "Who's ASHES TO ASHES. TOBACCO IS the '] cause of prertiature death In fact, 1,400 Nova Scotians d.u each year because they snfiol

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