... she says, "I've just done what the Lord told me not to do." And I says, "That's-" she says, "That's all I expect to get from anybody." And she says, "I'm- I was frightened into it, to take yous down there. I should have known better."

Well, I said, "Go and ask him." So they did, and I says, "Do yous want to go down?" And they says "Yes." "Well, certainly I'll go with yous." I says, "I'll rebuke the devil," I says, "And I'll not be afraid to go, and see the, ah- see the- the doctor." So I got right ready and I walked right down with them. And, ah, went into the doctor's office and I told him, "You better see about these little girls not getting to school." I says, "You were supposed to vaccinate them. Frightened the wits out of the mother."

... I rounded the corner just like that, quicker than anything could say it, and back to- and over the fence, into Doubter's-Bush. And I says, "You'll have a time if you catch me, tonight, today, if you run after me all day in the b-- bush, you'll not get me in there." I was terrified, you-know. But I stayed out 'til after night up around the barns.

And, ah, the missus was crying. Luke was a little wee lad then. She was crying. I says, "What in the world is the trouble? Is this the life you want to have, crying so early in the morning?" Well, she says, "I'll tell you the truth. If I was back in Carleton-Place, then money wouldn't buy me to come up here." I says, "What's wrong?" I says, "Me other clothesline was gone." I guess I got maybe the third one for her. Stole at night. And I can't leave a thing out.

Interviewer: What kind of light was it? Speaker: A little lantern, do-you-see, and the light was all out. I see him with the two hands getting back to the barrel, do-you-see, and I says, "I'll fix you, my lad."

So the next day, I think it was, when I came in after feeding the horses, Betty was crying. (laughs) She'd lost her clothesline. A nice cotton one, do-you-see, that she would hang clothes on, cleaning them. "Well, you don't need to worry," I says, "Life's too short," I says, "That we have to sit and cry. And we all have something worthwhile to cry about." I says, "I see, myself, the only cure for it. If I can have my way," I says, "I'd get far enough away. If the rest of the people of Arnprior's like what our neighbours is."

I went down and I told the man that I had the house rented from, I says, "I'm leaving." And I says, "I guess you know why." He laughed at me. He says, "I was afraid of this." He says, "Where are you moving to?" I says, "I'm going back to Carleton-Place." I says, "I wouldn't give Carleton-Place," I say, "For half a dozen Arnprior." I says, "I wonder at you keeping such people in the- in the- in a town."

Interviewer: You said what? Speaker: I told him, I says, "I- I wonder at you keeping such people in this town." I wouldn't- couldn't say no name, do-you-see, nor catch him right- see him doing it, for I knew just maybe what you were getting into.

Speaker: She could give them a pail of water, do-you-see. Interviewer: Wh-- where, in the- where were- Speaker: In- in the stable, do-you-see. And I gave them plenty of hay to do them 'til I come back at night. I ate my breakfast, I says, "Get the little lad ready." And I says, "I'm going to take him with me." Says, "Where are you going?" I say, "I'm going down to Carleton." I say, "I'm going down to see if I can get a house. So I'll not tell you why 'til I come back."

Speaker: The man and woman, father and- and father-in-law, do-you-see? Or the mother-in-law and father-in-law. And weren't they all tickled about me bringing down the little lad with me. Well, I says, "I was going to leave him with Georgia tonight," and, ah, well then she says, "I'm going to take him home with me." Well I says, "Betty will be down in a day or so." I didn't tell them nothing else happened or-nothing.

And over here, this old lad didn't come to help me to load up. Well I says, "I don't need hope- help very bad at all." I- I kept me- t-- (laughs) kept me temper. But I just felt like giving him a kick in the arse. Such a liar, and such a sweetie, thinking he was helping you. (clears throat)

And they had lots of beer and lots of liquor. Um, and James had- and he had to go in with them. So one of the lads, ah, wanted me in, and I says, "No," I says, "I don't drink nor don't- nor do anything like this where I have anything on my mind, and to- to try to help things right." I says, "I wouldn't take no liquor with me, nor would I take a drink when I was on the job, and I never did." I says, "I want to know me business." (laughs)

I went way up to where the fellow was driving the boat. Oh, a nice man. He was telling me, "Sir, you ever down here?" I says, "No." And I says, "I just thought I'd come up and see what it was like to see a man driving-"

Speaker: Well, I says- Interviewer: What- what- what kind of sayings was that? Speaker: They wanted me to make a speech of some kind. Interviewer: But th-- you said they were coming out with what kind of sayings? Speaker: I says, ah- Interviewer: Sa-- Sammy. Speaker: Oh, he says- say anything. Women, there. Just a jolly never- just never- they were- they were taking the good stuff, you-know. And the- so- well, I says, "I'll do it the best I can." I says, "I'll do what a couple of women- the joke they've had on me," I says, "If that will suit yous," I says, "It's a- two women told me, and I'll tell it to yous." (laughs)

I says, "The old woman asked the young woman what this propaganda was. She says, 'Are you a married woman?' And the young woman says no- or, 'Yes,' she says, and, 'Have you any children?' She says, 'No.' 'Properly well,' she says, 'You no got the proper gander.'"

Oh, lad says, "That was a good one," he says, "Give us another one." I says, "No, I'm going upstairs to- I don't know if you're watching the knot on the- driving the boat." (laughs)

It don't be long running it up, you-know, and you- and I'd look after, so, I says to myself, "I'm just going to get some money, or find out if he's as hard up as he makes out he is," and I says, "There's something I- I can't work without getting paid." So, um, I went away up here into Beckwith one cold night, poor old woman were dead up there. And, ah, she was upstairs, I went up.

... and he phoned up, to see if I'd come down and give him a hand. He said, "He have this man down here, I can't handle him meself, and I'd like if you can come at all." And it was kind of storming that day, and, ah- and I says, "It's not a very nice day t-- t-- to cut wood outside. I'll go down and give you a hand."

And I made a vacuum, and then we jiggered- you don't want to embalm him then, to get some blood back- to get some colour in his face. He just, ah- I says, "I'll handle that thing if you don't mind, Jimmy." He squeezed too much, and I says, "For fear we'll break a, ah, ah- one of the valves in his- and be able to do nothing with him. See it would run all over," and I says, "His is in turpentine." Got beat on that.

So, ah, (clears throat) well she says, "I've heard people saying that Dohen- Cohen was a great man to fix up people." So I says to meself, 'I'm be-' I never- never mentioned it to Hayes, but I says to meself, 'I must have been doing something better than I think I am, or, ah, they wouldn't be saying this.' I was taking them away from the other fellow, do-you-see?