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Zurich Citizens News, 1969-08-21, Page 8PAGE EIGHT ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS _.. .....,- THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 1969 r,^ y NOW AVAILABLE AT THE by Alfred Ducharme (Correspondent for the Citizens News) pEAgS ON THE HOAQ' r NINE YEARS ON THE ROAD by Alfred Ducharme Ever since the legend of Paul Bun - yon excited the imaginations of people both young and old, stories of lumber- jacks and logging camps have always been popular. So, too, will be Alfred Ducharme's NINE YEARS ON THE ROAD. Bunyon- esque and brusque, but never brutal, it is an autobiographical account of nearly a decade in a young Canadian's life which he spent on foot throughout Middle Canada and the upper Mid - West of the United States, moving from one laboring job to another. The rugged life of abush-worker at the turn of the century makes for hearty reading, and Alfred Ducharme has captured the rough-and-ready attitude of a footloose buck, as well as the bone -wearying mode of exist- ence. Many miles are covered on foot in these pages and much of the north -r $375 Per Copy country is seen through the eyes of a hale, eager stripling who was willing to stand up to anything—whether it be a midnight thief or a noisy ghost which roamed the scene of a horrify- ing murder. The anecdotes are colorful and varied, told with the sure voice of someone who has lived an exciting, adventurous life. The people he meets and the experi- ences he has are afascinatingcombi- nation of humor and drama, with just the right touch of romantic interest and, as a shattering climax, the tragedy that befell his best friend and signalled the finale of the author's wanderlust. Over and above all, NINE YEARS ON THE ROAD is a stirring journal depicting a way of life fast fading into the shadows of the past. But it will never fade completely so long as we have the powerful prose and vivid word pictures of men like Alfred Ducharme, whose NINE YEARS ON THE ROAD is all the more engrossing because it is true.