Page 61 - A Visit With the MacLeods at Belfry

ISSUE : Issue 74

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1999/6/1

would be filled up. Rov: Yes, made beds on the floor. Lena: They came from far and near, they came from all over. Rov: All over. Flora: "Chits," they called it "chits" in Gaelic. Roy: That's a place to sleep, you know. A sleeping bag. Flora: Straw bags, I guess, that's what it was. aid: So how often did they have the sacra? ments? Rov: Every year. Flora: Once a year. Roy: They wouldn't have their monthly sacra? ment, they'd have it once a year. Remald: Would this be Presbyterian? Roy: Yes, the high Presbyterian church. You know the Framboise, the church across from Jimmy's there. Jimmy Dan E. MacLeod's, that's what church. And they'd have a Gaelic service. Jimmv: I don't believe there's anybody cem precent any more, is there? Lena: The last one is Strachans in Framboise. Rov: Dan Willie, oh, yes. There's Ban Willie and Alex MacLeod. We have a fella in Boston, a new preacher at the Needham Presbyterian Church there precents. He's a MacLean fella. Flora: He's very good. Ranald: And Mary MacCormick was telling me that Hector (MacCormick) did over in.... Roy: Oh, yes. Jimmv: They sung a line and then the choir would sing it. Flora: We still do that in the choir, in Boston. Jimmy: Do they? Flora: Oh, yes. We still do that, the Gaelic choir. Jimmv: That Sunday, Sacrament Sunday--that Gaelic Service • that used to get me down. You were in for a whole hour in the English ser? vice and then the Gaelic service, that was good for--he cut down a little bit--that was good for three-quarters of an hour and your rear end was so sore when you got up, you couldn't hardly walk. Flo? ra; Oh, yes. I remember those days. Flora: Neighbours helped one emother. Lena; Well, the fish prices were down. I think the first welfare payment was only ten dollars a month, was it? Flora: Really, I don't know. Lena: Ten dollars a month, I think. Ranald; What v'uld happen to a widow if she had • say a widow with children? Jimmv: Noth? ing. Lived the best way she could. Flora; The neighbours helped. Jimmv: Did they? Rov: They'd all help out regardless. Lena: They did indeed. Rov: There wasn't too many of them. Flora; You had a widow near your house that you fellas helped all the time. Rov; Yes, used to. Jimmv; Yes, the children would look after those. Oh, the odd grown-up, amy- one--whoever died. Rov: We used to, when we were kids, especially Neilan, my brother. He was older than I was. My mother would have him go down to the next farm and help this lady take the cows out to drink on a stormy day, to the well, take the cows out euid put the cows back in. Flora; You used to help her for everything. Roy; That's Mary Maggie, Hector's widow, you've met her, have you? Ranald: Yeah. Rov; That was her mother. Used to help Mary Maggie. Jiimnv; And you weren't allowed to clean the sted'le on Sunday.... Flora: Oh, indeed, no. You didn't do emy work on Sunday. Jimmv; Clear up the manure or emy- thing like that. Flora: And you peeled the po? tatoes on Saturday. Jimmv; Put it off. Put it all to one side till Monday. Peel the pota? toes.... Flora: Saturday night. You didn't do emything on Sunday but go to church. Lena; I shouldn't say this, but didn't they put Roy; Yeedi, they were good- living people and they helped each other out years ago, not like today. Lena; Oh, yes, I guess they did. Rov: Helped each other out on the farm and Flora; Yes, there was no welfare. Rov: No welfare or anything, no. They were always good to each other. ADI LIMITED SILICON ISLAND, SUITE 106, 70 Crescent Street P.O. Box 1688, Sydney, NS BIP 6R7 PHONE (902) 562-2394 -f FAX (902) 564-5660 -f E-MAIL [email protected] cSu/ooe'si 'Aroi&ffA; cSo/Us/le'd' (Bics'me'TS Consulting Engineers and Environmental Professionals Specializing in Environmental Assessments. Property Design, & Structural Design Serving Nova Scotia with Offices in Sydney, Port Hawkesbury, Truro, Dartmouth, and Halifax BETTENS CONSTRUCTION <=? '''d. ( General ContractingJ Residential & commercial FOUNDATIONS • FLOORS REINFORCED CONCRETE SLABS • RAISING OF BUILDINGS SEWER & WATER LINES • CONCRETE CRACK REPAIR • CONCRETE SAW CUTTING PHONE (902) 849-7639 • fax (902) 849-6566 157 Main St. OR 1-800-BETTENS ?'2!.''':.''"'- (1-800-238-8367) BIA 4Z1 Serving Cape Breton Since 1929

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