HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1954-04-16, Page 7ter
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Il l .. R .tali 54
"Keeper of the Trees??
(By MRS. M. O. DOUG)
(Continued from last week)
The name of Brig End Mills had
fastened upon the little comrnmun
dry from the position of a grist
rnmldl, a • tannery, and a sawmill on
;the south side of the bridge across
She Little Beaver river. These
mils had gradually fallen into ddn-
,use ,as farmers go more and more
'into the way of taking their pro-
ae to Tanner, until one fine day
Mdse people of the village attracted
',by the soundof hammering, disc
eoovered .a wrecking crew in 'their
midst. The mills were being torn
down and the lumber and machin-
ery shipped to Toronto. Only the
grist mill was left, which was Iater
to be the neuclens for the Brig
End Mills Farmers Co-operative.
But the Palling away of village
industries had affected the store
of Sigmund Kelson surprisingly lit;
tle. There was still the Brig End
creamery, where farmers brought
their cream and then hauled away
the buttermilk ...to feed to their
hogs; there was still Gerald Fox's
blacksmith and repair shop, second
only to the store itself as a hang-
out for talkative idlers; and there
was still the ten -bed hospital that
had, once been the village's largest
Private dwelling -house, in the days
when coal was 'six dollars a ton.
Doc Spencer ruled here with a :firm
and kindly hand and the help of
two local nurse's, a cook who could
also administer an anaesthetic if
she had to, and a girl Who washed
dishes, changed beds, and hoed in
the hospital garden.
People still ate, and broke dish-
es, and wore out their clothes, and
if they didn't buy what they wanted
it
in Kelsons attire • they sent to a
mail-order house, and Sigmund,
through the post-of6&9e, got Ms
commission on the money order.
Wherever travelling salesmen
gathered together anywhere in
Western or Central Ontario, the
enbject of Kelson's store eventual-
ly rose to the surface. It was, good
for any fifty -mile run on any train
--passenger or milk. An ent
ed listener had once remarked'„
"Gosh! I wish I travelled for
groceries!"
Felix Barton, spices, sugars and
citrus fruits, had answered, confi-
dently:
"Oh, that shouldn't stop you
from going to Brig End. Kelson
sells everything, and 1 mean
EVERYTHING. If you think I'm
kidding, go down there some time.
What do you sell?"
"Beer."
Barton's face fell.
"Well, say, you are out of luck.
They're dry down there. That is,
officially. Not that there aren't
lots of folks in Brig End you can
slip a bottle to on the side. Old
Sigmund himself can down a pint
of anything and never bat an eye.
Just puts a little added sparkle in
those pale blue eyes of his. Doesn't
even make him: talkative:"
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'Would he handle the stet front
the back door, do you think? What
With these counties going dry one
after the other us beer salesmen
have a hard row to hoe, We ;have
to be always on, the lookout for
new customers."
Barton shook his head.
"No dice. Sigmund might. I
don't say he would, but he might.
But he has a mighty nice wife and
I'm sure she wouldn't like that
sort of ting. And you' couldn't
possibly: pull ft off without her
knowing. Believe me„ she knows
everything that goes on around
that store. Nice family, too—three
boys and a couple of girls. Oldest
girl married over in Tanner. No,
Wilson, you'll have to peddle those
Poisonous wares of yours some-
where else."
"Poisonous wares, my eye! 'Why,
yon—"
And the battle was joined.
IV
Kelson's store is a long, rather
narrow room with the post office
at the back. The store itself is a
one -storey frame building, built
against the two-storey brick dwel-
ling that is the Kelson home. The
family living quarters are in the
brick part with a connecting door
between house and store. The bed -
KEN ELLIS
Sports director of CFPL - Radio, reports the
current happenings in sports throughout the
world daily on his . Sportscasts at 6:15 p.m. and
11:20 p.m. His sports anecdotes and guest inter-
views maintain a high rate of listener interest.
In addition, his play-by-play descriptions of
sports events command a wide audience from an
area within a radius of'60 miles around London.
SPORTSCASTS
Ken Ellis
Sports Director
CFPL • Radice
We incite you to take
for a:5 MILE TRIAL
3rd mile
..:rr.9i➢fcdkj
TAKE THE WHEEL and relax on
wide, comfortable, chair -high
seats. Because you sit higher, you
enjoy an unobstructed view of
the road. Note, too, the luxurious
Dodge interior appointments.
HURRY UP A HILL or along an
open highway. Zip away from a
standstill. That way you will feel
the flashing reserve of power that
makes the beautiful Dodge the
..action car for '54.
TEST ITS EASY HANDLING next
. around corners, through
traffic, in tight spots. Pressure
you exert on the steering wheel
'is multiplied 21 times to make
turning easier.
CHECK FOR EXTRA VALUE .. .
the "big car" feel and perform-
ance that is yours at such low
cost. Take the 5 -mile trial soon
in the big Dependable Dodge,
now at your dealer's.
HEAD FOR THE BUMPS you
ordinarily would avoid. Feel how
Oriflow shock absorbers, unique
spring suspension and low centre
of gravity bring you a steady,
level ride that's 3 ways smoother.
Nearby are 5 miles of road you
drive often. Why not drive them
in a new Dodge ... and see the
difference.
We know you'll enjoy every
mile of the ride. And we're sure
' that the more you learn about
the new Dodge, the more you'll
be impressed by this great car.
Your telephone call will bring a
Dodge to your doorstep for a
5 -mile trial. Call us soon.
Before you buy anywhere,
ask your Dodge -DeSoto dealer
what extra value he can offer on
a new or used car.
MANUFACTURED IN CANADA BY CHRYtLER CORPORATION OF CANADA, LIMITED
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tittle
TOP PICTURE—AB. Lloyd E. Eisler, of Seaforth, Ont., sees to it that Alistair is comfortable in his
navy hammock during his night at sea en route from Dunedin to W ell'ngton, N.Z.
LOWER PICTURE—Eight-year-old Alistair McLay is shown here wi'h some of the Ontario sailors
who decked him out in a real navy uniform. Left to n:ght are AB. Lloyd E. Eisler, Seaforth, Ont-; Ldg.
Seaman Donald E, Perry, Winnipeg and Victoria; Alistair McLay, P.G. Arthur Dayton, Melville, Sask.,
and Victoria; AB. Orville Cairns, Port Elgin, Ont., and Victoria, and PO. W, G. Mitchell, Winnipeg.
rooms are upstairs. but the main
part of the house and the store
are inextricably mingled. The od-
ors of the stot e, the smell . of
oranges • and lemons, coil oil and
turpentine, flannelette blankets and
moth balls penetrate the house;
and the odors of cooking. the rat-
tle of pots and pans, the argu
ments, scuffles and laughter of
children reach the ears o: the cus-
tomers in the store.
Anyone wanting to reach the post
office at the :back must run the
gauntlet of the box -stove league.
The extent of his importance in
the community can be: gauged by
the depth of the silence that fol-
lows him to his mail box. If there
is scarcely tiny interrtlirion in the
c•ouersatiou, then he is small pota-
toes,v
The store is never ti ty. For over
twenty years Jailer i.... 'iivaeed a
ceaseless but losing battle in the
endeavor to male s:-nnua,1 'neat.
She might just as well novo tried
to make a hurricane neat. The
reason Sigmund can lime in such a.
turmoil is because he really has a
pigeon -hole type or mind: '1' he
store n'y look as rituu,lt no one
could ljossibly- In:n'A here any-
thing is, but Siennu•d knits„ where
everything is. and his In•owled•ge
of the stock is i'etri 11 hie Is
there only one shoe brush left.?
The kind with the brush 00 one
side and the dauber ot; the other?
Sigmund knows it is in that draw-
er there, under rhe one -fingered
mitts.
Hundred -pound bag= of salt are
piled at the front of the store "so
the customers will not 'Rave so far
to carry it." ...he Mc; that the
pile of salt looks like he devil
means nothing to Sigmund.
'I3ut the store does t,r thriving
business. even though the years
since 1929 have been bleak ones.
They buy eggs and do their own
grading; that is one of Janet's
jobs. They take in all manner of
farm produce—butter. potatoes, to-
matoes, cucumbers, maple sugar
and syrup, home -rendered lard; ev-
en the occasional side of home -
cured bacon sent 111 by some hard' -
pressed farmer who wants to
reduce his grocery bill, but has
no ca.ah with which to do it.
Surprisingly little went to waste
P Y
in the store. Janet watched the
perishable goods closely, and any-
thing in danger of spoiling was
salvaged and canned Or preserved.
It was nothing for the Kelsons to
start' the winter with seven hun-
dred sealers of fruit. vegetables
•and pickles in the cellar.
v
It said much for the character' of
the people of Brig End Mills that
the Kelsons were not cynics. Sig-
mund bad been heard to say that
eighty per cent of the people were
honest.; ten per• cent tried to be
honest and failed; and the rein m-
ing ten per cent were dead beats.
Collecting during the had times
was the,, very devil. When Sig-
mund and Janet were literally at
their wi's end for ;money ...with
which tdsatisy the wholesalers,
they took -the store ledgers into the,
living room, evenings after store
hours, and went glumly over the
accounts.
"Just look at this bill of that son -
of -Ines -cook, Bob McCrae. Ninety
dollars; And I'll bet he has five
ROWCLIFFE MOTORS, Goderich Street, Seaforth, Ont.
blossom Ante
to -be: #orgotten '
eight -year -Old- triune
victlfli,
M11hen the enaiser
tarso held '°ones 'beeSet,l 4v'
;ting Dunedin in lata'a,b4olr;y,
of those who went on tbliardr 'v
crippled boy, Alistair iljeT,ra'yt.:
Members of the crew, .inCludiii g
A.B, Lloyd E. 'Eisler, of . Seaforit lt;
son of Mr. and Mrs. Bohn Bs1T1-
saw that.Alistair was haViagtroti
ble getting around inn the lsbip a441
so picked the boy up and curried-'
him from one point of int relit t '.
another. They became firm friends
and when the rest of the visitors,
went ashore, Alistair stayed on.
board as a supper guest in the en-
gineering mechanics' mess.
Afterwards, Alistair was fitted
with a naval uniform, provided
with an ample supply of chocolate
and other treats and taken home
in the ship's jeep. That, however,
was just the ;beginning of Iris ad.
ventures. Members of the shiVe
company' obtained the permission
olio Captain; D. L . Raymond, com-
manding officer of the Ontario,
and of Alistair's. parents, for him:
to go along as guest of the ship
from Dunedin to Wellington, N.Z.,
the next port of call.
In Wellington, the boy was taken.
on a sightseeing tour of the city,
which included a visit to the zoo.
and then was placed on board a
coinwercial airlines plane and
flown home to Dunedin.
In addition to paying Alistair's
plane fare home, officers and men
of the Ontario presented him with
a cheque for $500. T -he money was
raised by voluntary subscription
for the welfare of Alistair and his
four brothers and one sister, two
of whom are also crippled.
wider range of types and varieties
of good quality and germination.
II The late shopper will have a nar-
rower choice in both variety and
quality and quite likely at higher
prices.
F. J. Twiss Marks
His 75th Birthday
Mc'. Frederick John Twiss, father
of Dr. Donald J. Twiss, 119 Erie
Ave., Brantford, was honored Sat-
urday,
aturday, April 3, at a "Milestone An-.
niversary" party when approxi-
mately
pproximately 70 friends and relatives
gathered to celebrate Mr. Twiss'
75th birthday.
Born in Seaforth, Mr. Twiss, 'who
is well known as "Pop Twiss",
went to Brantford 40 years ago,
and until his retirement in 193'9
was a furniture finisher. He is a
member of Alexandra Presbyterian
Church.
Still an active man, Mr. Twiss is
an enthusiastic sport fan. He has
three grandchildren, Buddy, Jane
Elizabeth and Catherine Ann, chil-
with
large
birth -
from
Ayr,
dren of Dr. and Mrs.• Twiss,
whom he lives.
The guest of honor •cut a
decorated cake inscribed with
,day wishes.
Out-of-town guests were
Barrie, Toronto, Hamilton,
Binbrook and Caledonia.
(Continued from Page 2)
apply to the small seed situation
this year.
While the Canadian crop of al-
falfa., timothy and red clover w'ss
better than avt rage:, United States 1
yields, particularly of timothy and
red clover,' were down considerab-
ly. ,
1-p to February 1, exports total-
led ovt;r 14 million pounds of al-
falfa, red clover and timothy. Bas-
ed outlast year's domestic consUml,-
tion u' these seeds and comprising
them with the present visible sup-
ply as estintalcd by the Plant Pro
ducts Division of the Canada De •
-
ptu'tnaet:t of .-\gricltlture. we could;.
he 0- nturii 712 million pounds
short. wish the bulk or the short-
age occurring in timothy. This'
may be partially offset by unknown
supplies still in growers' ,htimis
tvhiclt may come on the market.
should seed prices advance. in
any ease, there is not likely to be
tiny last-minute bargains in forage
seeds this year.
Seed houses have arranged fo' •
reasonable supplies of other forage
seeds such as Orchard Brome. Mea-'
docv Fescue. Reed Canary, Birds -
foot Trefoil and Alsike, but should
ad'dition'al supplies. be required
these late purchases are likely to
be at higher rather than lower
price:;.
Seed prices generally. with the ;
exception of scarce items such as'
Kentucky and. Canada Blue Grass,
are moderate this year, certainly
below the peak pric•es.,of 195e and
1951.
The early shopper for forage
seeds this year is assured of a
hundred dollars in the bank if he
has a nickel: But, will he draw
out enough to pay this? Not by
a jugt'u1l, 'He'll wait and wait and
make me wait until his cows fresh-
en and his hens start to lay, and
then his wife will pay it off piece-
meal. '
"Never mind," Janet soothed.
"The point is Ibat they are abso-
lutely sound and We'll gat our
money some day. The bill you
should be worrying about is this
$17.35 of those worthless Parrs.
Half of it, at least. is- for tobacco."
In the winter the Kelton store
was the meeting place for all the
hockey- fans for miles around. Sig-
mund had a little electric radio.
installed on a shelf back of the
counter, and farmers with battery
radios in need of new batteries.
hitched up the horse and cutter,
sheltered it in the church sheds.
and diel the Saturday night, shop-
ping during the intermission of the
hockey broadcast.. Hat pools cir-
culated freely, organized usually by
the Parrs, and it burned Sigmund,
up to see men who charged every-
thing that went into their mouths,
always able to unearth a quarter
,for a ticket in a hat pool.
(Continued. Next Week)
She took him for better or for
worse, but he was worse than she
took him for.
s�MAW
M/IKPROOUCTIO#8Y
EEEOI#6 fOt/fi IIENO 1116
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Depending on your grain supply you mix
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l to t;
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