The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1985-12-04, Page 6Page 6—Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, Deeember 4, 1985 .;••••••$A4x44.', :4004,0U0•141,1t Akasto "raoO w Otto**- littg A Ai **AO -4 aK 4s, "The Sepoy Town" BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1985 VLIAIFILO CIRCULATION PAW Thomas Thompson' James Friel Pat Livingston Joan Heim Merle Elliott -Advertising Manager ;Editor -General Manager . -Compositor -Typesetter . • Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event Of a typographical error, the portion of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will 'not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid at the applicable rates. • Sybscription rates in advance: 9 7.°° Outsloo Canada °O.° 4.00'Outside Canada58°° Senior Citizen Second class mailing reg. no. 0847' °. Prem ler proves. his worth • The Iasi first ministers' meeting in Halifax had a couple • , orcomforting differences from earlier get togethers staged ' between the prime minister and the premiers from the 10 • provinces. • The last meeting, hosted by Saskatchewan Premier • Grant Devine and held in Regina, came shortly after Prime - Minister Brian Mulroney came to power with his huge • majority. There was. only one premier who didn't lean to the right at that meeting - NDP Manitoba Premier Howard Pawley: Pawley ended up joining what the media termed a • "love in". It was difficult for the majority of Progessive Conserviative premiers to have a go at the most politicallY •, powerful man in the country, and one of their own to boot. • . As a result, nothing was done,except to agree to .have• • the conferences yearly.. • This time the touchy subject of transfer payments headlined the two days of talks. The playing at being .buddies could be dropped when money was on the table. Leading the pack in Voicing his concern was rookie Liberal Premier David Petersqn. .He owes •nothing to , • • Mulroney except for the points he made off the prime minister during their heated discussions. However contentious the two main issues -are - reduction ' of transfer payments and a jsay for the provinces in free trade discussionswith the U .S:- and however blunt the • .conversation sometimes got between the prime minister, and the premier, both agreed the talks were prOductive.. "That's the second comforting facet to emerge from the First Ministers' Conference. • 'As well as having a premier not afraid to cross swords with one of the most skilful speakers the country has had' as prime minister, the animosity built up, between the provinces and the federal government in the Trudeau era • has lessened.. , . • Trudeau's style was confrontatidnel and he had hjs own idealistic vision. of federalism on Which. he would not compromise. • Mulroney is much more pragmatic.. His energy accords with both east and west seem almost the initial . move for his transfer payment proposal, a move to cut the •federal deficit. His giving up on the federal 'position that •• the oil finds in both the east and,West were the preserve of the Government of Canada seems like the act of good faith attempting to inspire a back scratching sesSion. The meeting gave the • indication that Ontario has a • premier who won't back down from vigorously' defending • the province and pursuing its peoples' interests. It also, showed that however inescapable posturing seems to be to politicians, at least some constructive discussion can be held. •• J.F. Seasonal signs ary Austin works during the cold weather to hang the village's Christmas decorations. • • They will be up to welcome Santa on Dec. 7. [James Friel photo]/ Katie Murdoch hardly :spoke about her daughter but she did little else except think • abOut her. She had heard nothing • from • Annie since she left secretly With Allan • Livingstone for ab unknown destinatiOn. So Katie went to the general store more often • than was necessary in the pretence of purchasing some item or another, and her questiOns received the same answer: "Not today Katie - there is no mail for' you • today." Sometimes in moments of despair, , she tried to talk to her husband about the . "Wherever can My lass be?" she would ask Hamish.. "Surely she mtist be -wed by. now and settled in some place frae the time• . being. I worry about her. ff only she would • write and tell me she' is ' dafe an' well." • "If 1 ken Allan Livingstone, Annie will be mare than safe," Hamish assured her. "He is a good lad. Dinna fash yesel about ye daughter if he is takin' care o' heel" On Yonge Street, about a mile and a half north of the. Toronto waterfront, Annie and Allan rented two rooms in a farmhouse. • They had been married at a very quiet Ceremony and because Allan was working at Port Credit and only came home at the weekends. Annie was alone most of the • 'time. She occupied herself by assisting the farmer's wife, a buxom Welsh woman with a small army of children. Washing was the • biggest chore in such 'a large family,. and Annie took on this responsibility in return for a small payment. It was a daily task and in the warm months of Summer, Annie did . most of the, work outside so she could be close to the/well. She paused often to rest her aching back which was continually bent over the wash, tub, and sometimes she • looked to the northwest as if some miracle •might bring the Caledon Hills.. into, view. For the first time in her life, Annie began to appreciate what the people of Redtrees • had meant to her: -*Then her thoughts brought her to the point of tears, she set about her work once more with renewed energy, • as if to drive away all the sentimentality from her heart. . There was undoubtedly a gre0 change • in Annie. For one thing, she discovered she really loved the rough young Stonemason who • had married her for the sake of her • honour and to give a name to her unborn child. She waited impatiently threugh eath week for those beautiful Sundays which she and Allan shared together, peacefully.. and alone. • A single .Wednesday morning had apro- 'found effect on Annie'S life. It was a hot humid, day and she had worked hard to wash and hang out two lines of laundry. When the sky became black with storm clouds, she began, to, quickly retrieve her washing from the lynes and take it indoors. She was too late to save most of the ' half -dry clothes. Lightning rent the air and rain deluged from the skies. It Was almost two,hours before Annie could resume her chores. The wind had dragged some of the washing from the lines And it lay scattered and filthy around the' yard. There was • nothing to do except rewash most of the laundry. Having lost so much time, Annie set about her work with yigour. It was not until That evening she discovered .the folly of her enthusiaStn. • In her bedrdom at the top of the house, • Annie tried to. rest. The window was wide open and covered with cheesecloth to keep out insects, but there was hardly a breath of air. Dressed only, in a thincotton slip and lying on the top of the bed, she tried to sleep. She was sweating profusely. From below, the cries of children drowned out any other sounds. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen like no other pain she had felt 're, Even Annie, in spite of herinesper-: • ience of such things, knew it:was connected with her unborn child. When the pains • •continued she shouted -for the Welsh woman, Mrs. Evans, but she could not be heard ,over the' noise of the children. In ' depseration, she reached over to the dressing table and pulled. at lace coVer. A washbowl and jug came crashing to the floor. , . • There was a noise in the stairs. The door burst open and Mrs. Evens, all red and • sweaty, came into the room. "What' have you done?" she said in dismay as she saw the remnants of crockery • scattered all ,over the floor. "Indeed to goodness, you are a very clumsy girl!" • Katie was in no mood to apologise. The • pain was intense and prevented her, from speaking coherently.! • "Get a doctor, Mrs. Evans. Ye'd best be quick- I'm bleedin'. 1 think I'm gonna lose my wee ,babbyl" •