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The Lucknow Sentinel, 1979-04-04, Page 35• • • = .- - It was high noon. On the meadows ot the Murdoch farm in the summer of 1946. the, hay lay on the ground,' awaiting the rakeand pitch fork. Within the barn mow, three men lay sprawled on the rarnain#_of last year's hay and passed a bottle of whisky fron] mouth to mouth. One was Hamish Murdoch. The other two were a couple of threadbare ne'er-do-wells he had recrujted from the Redtrees 1-fotel to help with the hay. The war was the topic of conversation and Hamish Murdoch had the floor. "Don't vou worry. when we pet 'em on the nnave, we'll chase 'em right back ter Berlin. But we gotta get 'ern rnovin', so we 'ave. Gotta poke 'em out ot them blasted trenches an' get 'em runnin' like a bunch 'o scared jack rmbbita." Hamish took a drink from the tottleand wipedhis rnouth with the back of his hand. "Wish | could get at 'em, he said, his alcoholic patriotism rising to the occasion. "By the jeeze, |'d give 'em shoot, so | xooU|d!" Threadbare number one could not resist the temptation to burst hi bubble f blarney. He i hed "pthe bottle and took a long drink, as if =.=.°.k"' he were about to make would deprive hip of any further indulgence in his host's hos'to|ity. "'an what's keepin' yer back mi boyo? They'll be needin' lots o' like you -full ' bleedin' spunk an' jest achin' ter dash across the mud an' slaughter, ter stick a bayonetiri ,a Jerry' gizzard.. Oh! Mother o' God, it's mheU of a liar that you are!^ H*m`^h fought `u*ck . He had to act quickly to salvage his image. '1t' | eyes, so it is. Mi eyes are too - ad - they won't take me for a sojer." His remarks made little impression on the threadbare ones, so he hastened he his '` 'an mi mother, she's old, so sheis, ter be left. She's an old .,w""n an'sick. She couldn't farm alone' He puffed out his chest infalse pride. "By the jeeze, |~d go an' fight them baskets ]f| oou|d1" When the sun began to snk in the west, nobodyhad made move towards the hay fka|d. The black and white beasts had returned by themselveS" from the pasture and stood lowing in the barnyard. Jean Murdoch had knownmnytirnes like this and told herself that her son had lost another day in the cause of his thirstShe al h |ly lifted each foot in turn on to a small footstool and fastened the'sides of her boots with a butthook. her way to the door, she picked up a Couple of buckets by the cream can, and prepared to do the chores. Inside the barn, the raucous laughter and conversation from the hay ltimes drowhed out the soundmf spurting milk on the side of the bucket. One by one Jean tended the herd until thetwilight dimmed the bottom of the barn. She fed slop to the pigs and then drove the cattle past a large mound of rotting manure andandoutinto the meadow beyond. % � 'm'n/m"x�m�m��ww�n�im. , ' Acres Memoryi.��� As darkness crept into the hay mow, Hamish Murdoch rose shakilyhis fetched lamp from the granary. Having || htod it with some difficulty, he brought it back to his companions and placed it upon an old three legged stool. He sat down bottle. When ''erealized what ''" had """/'"quickly grasped the bottle by the neck and righted it. "Gnnnavawitch." he said. "Damn near spilled the |cd." A crafty smile crossed his face. "But yer don't 'ave ter worry. I've got some more, so 'eve!^ The over abundance of liquor no longer impressed the threadbare ones. They could not keep pace with this seasoned veteran of the bottle. Threadbare number one made the first move. "We'd best begoin' now Harnish, but 1 guess you'lI beMaedin' uotornmorrer?'' Hamish was disappointed at the innpending departure. ''VVe'Uget into htornnorror. by the jeeze. We'll do 'er 'real quick, so we will. No need ter go right novii, let's 'ave another drink!" For Threadbare number one it was now or never. He 'grasped Threadbare number two by the arm and dragged him to his feet. They swayed together in a ` drunken dance, then lurched towards the door and staggered out into the night. ,"We'll see yer tnrmorrnr.^ Hamish called after them.There o' baskets, so they then get ter ell out without as much as kiss my ""^' Hamish was feeling drowsy and with nobody. to mn'tartain, he took in deep draughts of liquor which would carry him into sleep. • ^ ' When the moon was high,. HamMurdoch reclined � i� �ru, slumber,, oblivious to� the mosquitoes which histdood.Ahostm/Uyhng i mec\attracted to the light and a large moth circled the lamP. The lean barn cat observed its flight impatiently. It lept at the offender and knocked the lamp off the stool and unto the floor.' The glass Shattered and�thin oil see into the carpet of hay and cheff`Abr\gh(er light illuminated, Luekn»w� Swnmm�N Wednesday, April 11, Here are FIVE good r-e-.T.zIf»ITzi to consider a buikLing from Advanced Farming Systems 1 24 years experience means you get a building that works the way a good farm building should 2 MATERIALS & CONSTRUCTION - We constantly rade our materials and methods while searchifor economies that mean btter value for your doflar 3 PRE-ENGINEERED & PRE-CUT BUILDINGS - No short-cuts at your expanse 4 8F|FCT1OM 'Size, shape, purpmse. materials and colour of your choice 5 Representing Advanced Farming Systems in your area year after year is: Russell Yeoman: 3 9 56 1 5' the barn, Fed � million wicks,fired � the spread �p� 'to the hay moundwh� it spluttered and crackled inunoho:kadfury. ' F-larnish Murdoch was painfully flarning In{f half staggered tothe large open doors androlled down- tne embankment to extinguish the flames. He struck his head on a stone and lay very still, unaware that he was about to be deprived of the main bullding on his' 'property. TO BE CONTINUED © Lawyer s f ees�� to� rise� �. BY MURRAY GAUNT - Fees paid to lawyers under Ontario's Legal Aid Plan will rise immediately an average of about 20%, according to Attorney General Roy McMurtry. The last raise was in 1973. The will cost Ontario taxpayers about two million dollars this year. the new rules, more experienced lawyers vvill/be paid more for their work than ` inexperienced lawyers. Premier William Davissaid this week that he would not commit Ariore public funds to help solve the cial pr -e --s of Ryerson Polytechnical Institute. The President ofthe Institute had previously indicated that up to one hundred part time teachers would be laid off in September unless the province increases itby morethan the 5% raise it has made in each of the last two years. The Institute budget was $41 million last year. The safety of nuclear generating stations is ch in the news because of the crisis situation at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. Ontario has made a very heavy commitment to the nuclear lodom' ^ by in Canada, and the economicwell as energy implications of any debateregarding the industry are enormous. It'sobvious that the Canadian nuclear system is safer than the U.S. systetn. However, asked that the Select e Ohas Committee on Hydro--b-r specificAlly the immediate responsib charged ility of investieatina the matter nf nuclear safety. It is alSo recommended that Dr. Porter, Chairman 'of the Royal Commis sion on Electric Power Planning, be asked to act as special csnt.Itt....at, tys, Committee on the matter of nuclear safety, In this way the public can be fully confident of the facts on safety as they are made available. The Ontario Government will put $26 million to subsidize employees who hire students under the Ontario Youth Employment Program this summer, Treasurer Frank Miller told the Legis- lature this week. Mr. Miller said he ing, which is 30% higher t\han last year's OYEP budget, will create 40,000 jobs, compared to the 34,000 created last summer on a $20 million budget. Under the program, private employers, including farmers, receive $L25uo hour from the province towards the student's wage, which in most cases must be at least $3 in tOt'al a he or she is eighteen or over, and at least $2.15 _in total if younger. Turn to page 14 • "You can trust yourHMI Block to di income tax K�� __' ����0�'.` '' . Henry yvBlock Ourspeciallytroinedtam• experts sit down with you and ask dueStions, We look for every legi- timate deduction. |f'a part of our service,and that service is dedicated to'making sure you pay mini- mum tax. 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