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The Lucknow Sentinel, 1979-04-18, Page 7OId James MacCrimmon lay restlessly on.a lumpy feather bed and listened to the heavy breathing of his wife. The cheese cloth which had been tacked to the openwindow, did little to cool off the warm sweaty atmosphere. It wasa night without wind andthe cry of an owl drifted across the still air. James had thrown off the sheet in an effort to cool his hot aching body. His. heart thumped within the lean framework of his bones and drummed its beat through his head. Within his mind, he wrestled with a host of anxieties, but foremost in his thoughtswas the image of his absent son, Angus. In that year of 1916, there were many young men from Redtrees serving Canada in France - menwho could handle- a pitchfork with more skill than they could ever hope to .,handle a.bayonet. Until Angus returned, James would have to postpone his retirement and force his aging body to continue working the land. Pale moonlight flooded the room, revealing the brass bedstead and the uneven squares of the patchwork quilt which now, lay on the floor. Slowly a new fight appeared. It was a soft pink light.at first but soon it changed .to flaming red. James swung 'his feet to the floor and crossed to the window. What he saw caused him to call out in horror. "My God Liz - the Murdoch barn - it's on fire!" His wife Elizabeth woke with a start and sat upright:°Strands of matted hair were sticking to her- sweaty ersweaty face and her half-closed eyes looked at the figure of her husband by the window. 'Mot did yer say? she asked still half asleep. "Can't yer see it? - Murdoch's barn's on fire!" From th,e window, the countryside was a panorama of stillness. The fields were meaningless rectangles where the cattle appeared like shadows. Reflecting in the moonlight, the creek was a silver serpent which wriggled under the road and escaped into the hollows of the rolling land. Foreign to the scene,. the Murdoch barn belched black smoke into the night sky, tinged with the glow of the inferno which wasthe roof. A large yellow . tongue of flame protruded from the mouth of the hay mow and licked at the boards of the siding. James pulled on his pants and boots. He called out to his wife when he was half way down the stairs. "Call the neighbours - tell 'em to git the fire engine I'm gonna see wot I can do!" James took to the fields,' climbing the rail fences in • his path until 'he reached the barnyard. He felt the heat upon his bare chest ashe entered the doorway at the bottom of the: barn. The interior was filled with thick choking smoke and the floor of the hay mow above him glowed and crackled. He said a s.i'ient prayer of thanks that it was summer and the cattle and horses• were out oh the pasture. Terrified squealsof pigs greeted him. He groped,; hips, way to the pig pen and fumbled with the unfamiliar latch before he was able to swing open the gate. A, bunch of crazy, half-grown pigs nearly floored him. Colliding with each other, they remand stumbled until they found the barn door, then escaped still squealing into the night. James relied more upon his ears than -his smarting, running eyes, to tell .him there was no more livestock to be rescued. He thankfully returned to. the :night air and quickly took stock of his surroundings. On the other side of the building the hay field had started to burn, ignited by „falling pieces of roof. NOW A Chequing Account that pays 0 INTEREST. PLUS 3 Free Cheques each month PLUS,A Passbook Record of all your transactions PLUS Free Chequing for senior citizens 60 years of age and over •PL"US Cheque Forms provided by STANDARD TRUST OPEN A STANDARD TRUST CHEQUING•SAVINGS ACCOUNT TODAY ACCOUNT, STANDARD TRUST 237 Josephine Street, phone 357-2O Lw. Scarcely out of danger, the crumped figure of Hamish Murdoch lay halfway down the embankment. James picked up the bundle of stinking, . liquor sodden humanity and dragged him to the pump in the barnyard. The rusting iron screeched in protest, as a continuous stream of water.engulfed the unconcious form. The drenched figure writhed under the punishment and spluttered and gurgled back to life. One by one the neighbours arrived. Some came panting for breath having travelled some distance on foot. Others had waited only long enough to attach bridle and bit, riding bareback to the scene. James took command.. " Don't worry, about the barn - it's gone. Get some sacks and beat the hayfield. Is the fire engine coming? Alright - they can help when they get 'ere!" By the time the frothing horses arrived, dragging behind them a gleaming engine of red carriage work and brass, there was little to do except wet down the area surrounding the. barn. The heavy beams burned slowly, devoid of the tighter structure, which had dropped into the masonry of the barn bottom, like ashes falling into a grate. Men stood in groups and secretly enjoyed the diversion from the monotonyof life. The women made journeys to and -fro from the house to bring coffee for the. audience. They watched, talkedand waited until a grey light appeared in the east; birds twittered in the,. trees and hedgerows. An old rooster, heralded the. dawn and declared his supremacy to a bedraggled group of hens, imprisoned in a Compound of rotting wood and wire. James MacCrimmon rnoved away from the gather- ing. The fire was safe now and if he stayed he would have to resist -the temptation .to take Hamish Murdoch by the throat and squeeze the life out of him: He walked a few yards•theniturned and looked back at his neighbours. His grey hair had been singed,by the fire and his chest was blackened by a mixture of smoke and 'sweat. "Wanna thank yer fer the 'elp," he told them. "We stopped it,,spreadin' an' I wanna thank you,s all. He walked slowly away, feeling the stiffness- and pain from every muscle. "Gotta ,get back," he, said, more to himself than anybody in particular. "It'll soon be time fer the chores, so it will." © fpring fhower of UJED CAR BUYJ 1979 FORD F '100, pickup 1978 ASPEN, 2 door 1978 ASPEN, 4 door 11 0 A. 1977 CHRYSLER NEW YORKER, 4. door, with air 1977 CHRYSLER, 4 door . 1977 DODGE, 4 door stationwagon 2 - 1977 DODGE, vans 1977 ASPEN, '4 door, 6 cylinder automatic 2 - 1977 ASPENS, 2 doors, 6 cylinder automatics 1976 HORNET, 4 door, 6 cylinder 1976 FORD F 150, pickup 1975 DODGE CORONET, 4 door 1975 FORD F 150, pickup 1975 FORD, pickup i SEE THESE AND OTHERS ON OUR LOT SEVERAL OLDER CARS TO CHOOSE FROM ••••••••••••••••••a•••••• HAMM 'S CAR. SALES LTD . BL YTH PHONE 523-4342 Lueknow Sentinel, Wednesday, April 18, 1979—Page 7 NOW A VAILABLE • Seed Grain • Flax and Rape Seed Contracts • Full Line of Agricultural Chemicals Anderson Flax Products Ltd. Lucknow, Ontario 'Phone 528=3203 lower Interest Rates NOW AVAILABLE ON 1st and 2nd Mortgages ANYWHERE IN ONTARIO ON RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL AND FARM PROPERTIES Interim Financing For New Construction and Land Development 'FOR REPRESENTATIVES IN YOUR AREA PHONE SAFEWAY INVESTMENTS & CONSULTANTS LIMITED Mac McNeil: 1-800-261-0600 pg. 1233 Head Office, 741 King St. W., Kitchener [519] 579-4600.. $ranch Office: 705 Goderich St.,Port Elgin [519]832-2044 We buy existing mortgages for instant cash STOCKERSALE 1200 Head Henson Livestock Sales Ltd. Sat., April 28, 1979 at 1:00 p.m. Consisting of: Steers, Heifers and Calves Victor Hargreaves [519] 482-751.1 Clinton or Barry Miller .[519]235-2717 Exeter or -229-62O5'Kirkton Doug Carruthers 289.5480 Greg Hargreaves 262-2831 Auctioneers: Larry Gardiner & Richard Lobb Johnston Bros. [Bothwell Ltd.] Dungannon, Ontario New Gravel, Prices Cash & Carry Effective Immediately FiII Stone Dust Sand Crushed Gravel. Cement Gravel Drainage Stone Oversize Stone Pit' Run Gravel Ton .15c .95c • .90c . 95c . 95c 1.75 . 95c .40c Open Daily 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. Dungannon Pits Only 529-7947