HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1984-11-21, Page 7le
6
tive
r as
lock
etz)
nt in
peak
Un•
olve
titles
D.. If
, an
und-
)Is is
nany
rsion,
rent-
ive a
ould
vest
this
will
ned,
e it
It seemed a long winter for the ofr
Redtrees. They were anxious to re nfe
their battle with the land, construct the
lumber null, and coinplete the countless
minor chores which had to be abandoned to
the freezing environment. ;.,1 • t,
At the beginning of April, a tantalizing
imposter came unexpectedly to. the Cale -
don Hills, pretending her name was
Spring. She flirted with the sandy sOil,•
aroused the trees from slumber and.excited
the birds into premature courtship. Some
men were completely fooled by her
seduction, and began to work up their soil'
in readiness for an. early planting.
But she was only a- wicked trifler. As/
soon as she had won the confidence of even
the most pessimistic, she transformed
herself into.an abundant rainmaker. Roads
became impassable and the plowed fields
quagmires. .= •
Excavation work On the millpond had to
be postponed, but construction of the
mill itself was continued, despite the
miseries of cold winds, rain and mud.
Nptliing, however, seemed to dampen the
eternal high spirits of Chippy Chisholm.
"God sent the rain frae a pUrpOse," he
Id his wet and disgruntled companions.
When He is good an' ready, He'll dry it
.Luckriow SeOnek Niedneaday, November if 1984—Pone 7
up again. He always has. done - at least, as
long, as I can remember!"
Chippy werigaged in fabricating a'
large waterwheel which would eventually
Provide the mechanical power for the mill,
worked at the millpond end of the
unroofed structure, under an awning of
canvas from which the water poured in
torrents. The intricate shapes of the manY
pieces required for the wheel could only
have been hand made by a master crafts-
man, and the community was lucky to have
an old man like Chippy.
More in good natured fun than malice,
some men' passed sarcastic comments
about the absence of Teddy Murdoch from
the project. He, apparently, had more
interesting work during the inclement,
weather. In the_warinth of the new cabin,
originally intended for the late Mr,
Lockhart, he was putting the finishing
touches to the interior with a zeal which
caused his mother, Katie, to be deeply
suspicious.
"I dinna think our Teddy sfild be
spending sae much time in yonder wee
hoose," she told her husband peevishly.
'And another thing, 'heard that young
Lucy Lockhart is meeting him there. All
nice and cosy, if you please, wi' naebody
REDTREES
by Don Campbell
tae see what they are getting up tae,"
Hamish Murdoch smiled sympathetical-
ly, He recognized the natural jealousy of a
mother when confronted with such eventu-
alities - 'a. reluctance to release her loved
ones from her apron strings..
"Och, dinna fash yesel' lass. There's no
harm in it. They are after all, engaged tae
be married."
"Engaged or no. It's no decent frae a
young boy an' girl tae be meeting like that,
• awa frae the eyes o' people. What will the,
folks o' Redtrees think?"
"Perhaps they'll be wishing they were,
young again just. like Teddy an' Lucy,"
Hamish said, with a 'cheeky glint in his
eyes. "Aye, an' perhaps they'll be expec-
tin' tae hear wedding bells soon."
"My Teddy and that Wee young lass,"
Katie said angrily. "Married sae young,,an
wi'oot a respectable period o' courtship?
Och, no. He'll hae tae wait a while - he's
too innocent frae such things!"
In fact, the community did not -view the
romance between Teddy and Lucy in the
same light as Katie Murdoch. They were
very pleased that the young girl had at last
begun to show an interest in life, after the
tragic death of her. father. She needed
somehody..to replace him and anybody
could see by the renewed radiance in her
face, she had found that , very special
person. -
In the humble little cabin, still not ready
for occupancy, but with a warm fire
burning upon the new stone hearth, Teddy
made the move to fultUl the wishes of his
friends and neighbours
'Twill soon be summ r," he told Lucy.
"An" wi' -the-cabin all fini hed, do ye think
we might speak tae the 4verend Duncan
MacLeod about announcing our marriage
in June, July or August?"
"I think June would be perfectly splen-
did Teddy," she said and kissed him with a
feeling of deep tenderness and emotion. -
When they left arm in arm from their
future home, they were so full of their own
happiness, they saw nothing of their
surroundings. Not the mud which clung to
their feet in great grids, or the rain which
wet them through to the skin, or the face
which peered through the window of the
doctor's house. James Cameron saw them
.pass with a soft, sad smile on his face. He
wished them joy and 'a haPpiness his own
marriage had never attained. '
rench speaking settlers playea important r , .ole in vntano s nistory
„
from page 6
The natural way, to aequire a language is
through being immersed init .on a daily
basis and absorbing it without conscious
thought. This is how he we learn English
painlessly, and is how we should be
intr�duced to French. .
One further disturbing tendency is
revealed. in many of the: letters written
concerning French language: instruction,
and that is the tendency to down grade the
necessity of learning any other language,
and with it down grade the position that
French has earned in our country. English
is no longer the sole language of -Canada or.
even Ontario. From Cornwall to Sudbury,
large French- speaking populations repres-
ent a political and economic .fact that
cannot be wished away. •
. Even, the belief that Ontario has always,
een an English only province displays an
incredible ignorance of the history of
Ontario. French speaking settlers opened
up many areas'from WindsOr to Penetang.
It is significant that the Ministry of
Agriculture and Food recognized a French
Canadian Family in LaSalle, Ontario as the
oldest continual family farm in Ontario, in
this, Ontario's bicentennial. The list of
Francophones involved in the early history
of Upper Canada is long and honourable.
These are facts which we cannot ignore.
Fundamentally however the issue of
French Immersion comes down to one
• single question. Should we let old
prejudices and fears handicap, a new
generation of students, and deny what has
become a basic option in education to these
young people? I know what my answer
would be to this question, and hope that
otherswho are more immediately concern-
ed will think it over carefully, ignoring the
prejudice and misinformation that seems to
have coloured the debate to this point. •
Yours truly,
John R. Wilson
R. 5, Lucknow.
Your Childs Portrait
240411 Otidoi 1444 "op ai
• NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY
*,..400.111.001111•1111111.111MM...
1'
Just drop Into our store during the days and hours listed below. Your lovely gift
picture [31/2 x 5] will be taken FREE by a professional children's photographer.
One gift portrait to a family which may Include groups. It's our wsay of saying
"Thank you” $o our regular customers, and "Welcome" to everyone else.
Additional portraits and EnglargeMents may be purchased when Portraits are
viewed.
PORTRAITS BACK IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS GIFT GIVING
ONE DAY ONLY
Thursday, November 29,11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
FAIRVIEW FOODS, LUCKNOW
TO. THE EDITOR
To the Editor:
Prevention IsThe Best Medicine
Nine Lucknow area young people
completed the 4-H Farm Safety Club.
These members had an active season
learning about tractor and machinery
safety, safe handling of pesticides, poison-
ous gases and fire safety. Their 4-H
program included several tours in the area
' such as to a machinery dealer and to a
wood stove sales room.
The club completed their project by
attending.a day long St. John's Ambulance
course. The following local businesses
sponsorship made its possible to take the
tours: Lucknow Agricultural Society, Art
Helm Welding, Lucknow Farrn Supply,
Reavie Farm Equipment,Lucknow District
Co operative, G & E• Sales and Service, C.
A. Becker Equipment, Hackett's Farm
Equipment.
A special thank you is extended to these
organizations for realizing that this' is a
worthwhile investment in the area's local
youth.
The club members will receive recogni:
tion at the annual 4-H Awards Night on
November 30th at the Central Huron
Secondary School in Clinton.
Karen Rodman,
Rural Organization
Specialist (Agriculture).
IF YOU HAVE ARTHRITIS ,
Seek your doctor's advice early when he can
help you most. Follow his advice faithfully.
• Avoid unnecessary strains or pressures on
affected joints. If your physician recom,
mends therapeutic exercises, follow his
instructions carefully, and faithfully.
EMPLOYER'SGUIPf... TO. • .
GOVERNMENT FUNDED TRAINING
ARE YOU planning any training activities?
Sending employees on up -dating courses?
Interested in computer literacy for your employees?
Looking for a more productive work force?
Confused by the myriad of Government Programs?
If you answered "YES" to any of the above questions,
this workshop sponsored by the Huron County
Industrial Training Committee.and Conestoga College
may be able to assist you in your plans,
Plan to attend on Wednesday, December S. 1984,
9:00 a.m. to 130 p.m.
Clinton Campus,,Conestoga College
'Fee $5. per person. Luncheon included
• (Registration is limited to 25 people)
For registration information, please call,
Conestoga cobege, Clinton Campus, at 482-3458
between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday,
before friday, November 30, 1984.
stow College
ied Arts
and echnology