Page 10 - With Ida Mauger of Cap La Ronde

ISSUE : Issue 71

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1996/12/1

you know, and I don't want to force.... And then, I have an intraocular lens in that eye, so I'm taking it easy. Because I intend to live to be as old as my great- grandmother- -103 ! Ida laughs. That's asking quite a lot, isn't it! I should thank the dear Lord for allowing me to live this long. I'm not grasping things like that. I'm happy with my daughter. The only child, in fact, I had. My first baby died at birth. She's the only one. They're very kind to me. My great-grandmother was 103. And my grandfather was 98. My grandmother was 80 when she passed away. (Did you know your great-grandmother?) Oh, yes, I used to take her for walks by the hand. She lived on what they call The Island. It isn't ex? actly an island. Now it has grown up into trees. But it was a beautiful spot. And they called it The Island. And my great- great- grandmother owned all that. You see. she came over here- she was born in L'Ardoise, and she was a Martell.... 4 We swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Our Service Bay Diagnostic System always tells the taith. SBDS hooks right up to your vehicle so that you and your mechanic both know exactly what's wrong. Quickly and accurately. SBDS also provides a detailed print-out of the problem. So all you find on your bill is the truth. SERU'icE Ba<=j Diasnosxic stisrem' Anjrway, that's where my great-grandmother lived. And when we ' were little girls, . ""' we would go across "4' that rock bridge, "'' and walk away up to the house and visit my great-grand? mother. And then, if she wanted to come and visit us, our home was right adjacent to this place, right here next door. All the buildings are gone now. We would take her by the hand, and guide her along. And she would have been, well, probably close to 100 then. When she got 102 or 103, she didn't move out of her room very much. But anyway at that time we would take her by the hand and bring her down to my home, which was as I just told you, adjacent to this one. And she would sit down at this big spinning wheel, and take the carded wool, and she'd spin yarn for my mother. Balls and balls of yarn. It was won? derful what she could do. And at that time she was 100 years of age. Now that was my great-grandmother. But the truth doesn't have to hurt. WE SERVICE ANY MAKE OR MODEL CAR OR TRUCK, AND WE DO IT FASTER THAN ANYONE! WE MADE THIS $40,000.00 INVESTMENT SO THAT WE CAN FIX IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. WE HAVE AVAIL? ABLE FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE AN ISLAND MAZDA CREDIT CARD. WE MAKE SERVICE AS CONVENIENT AS POSSIBLE. !?6Jxi'td 195 PRINCE ST. • SYDNEY, N.S. PHONE 564-6668 She bought all this land for very little at that time, very little. It was all wooded, you know, and everything like that. There was just a small bit of it cultivated land. The man who married her daughter, he happened to cultivate the land. And then their son grew up--he was a carpen? ter. And their son helped to build a great big, immense big house on this place. And I don't know who he was building it for. They did have 12 of the family! But anyway, they didn't all stay at home. Some of them later on went away to the States and all. It was just wonderful how they would get along.... Ida Mauger continues on page 78

Cape Breton's Magazine