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Mari Tomasi
FATHER SAYS
Recorded ir
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fi^ 1 4 134U
14 1
Granite City was gay in holiday mood. Spirals of red,
green, yellow, blue, red lights colored the lamp posts and
the band stand. Small Christmas trees blinked their electric
bulbs with untiring rapidity. Snow -etched elm branches caught
the colors, toned them to pastel shades and held them overhead.
A woman in the blue cape and bonnet of the Salvation Army strode
through the park, head bent against the snow, homeward bound
after a weary evening of solliciting nickels and pennies from
the passersby. Now the tambourine lay silent under her arm.
Further down the street another of her brethren stood at his
post beside a great iron pot. The man dug his chin into his
coat collar for warmth. He stamped his feet; all the time he
shook a bell and urged the pedestrians to "keep the pot a
boilint with silver."
Jean MacMasterst car faced the brilliantly lighted park.
She sat there watching the city tire of its evening's cele-
bration.
She said, "This is the first night the stores are keeping
open for Christmas shopping. There'll be two weeks of it.
We had an official opening tonight. A real celebration. All
the kids in town were around to get bags of candy from Santa
Claus. Leave it to our chamber of common:lel My father says
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they can stir up more enthusiasm and public spirit in one even-
ing than your capitol city could in six months' time. Tonight
most of the smaller kids had their fathers and mothers or older
sisters with them, and after the Santa Claus party they couldn't
resist going into the stores to see the ahristmas stock and,
of course, to buy. We had a big fire about two weeks ago that
completely wiped out the Fishman store. It's already tempor-
arily established in a new location, and open for business to-
night. That's a sample of our Barre speed.
"I work in the State House in Montpelier. I like the
work but I'd much rather be in some office here in town. That's
difficult --I mean finding an office job in Barre. There's not
much other than office work in the sheds and quarries. After
I graduated from high school I waited all summer for work in
some local office. Fall came and I was still looking and wait-
ing so I went to Boston and took a one year commercial course.
Since then I've been in the State House, Four years now. I
commute. Seven miles each way isn't too bad a drive, but I'd
rather be working in town
"I've lived here all my life. My grandfather was the
first MaoMaaters in Barre. lie came over here from Peterhead,
Scotland, just before the turn of the century. Be was a quarry-
man over there, he came over here to do the same kind of work.
Father was about seven years old then. Father went into the
quarries as soon as he was old enough to work. He learned
everything he knows of the trade from his father. His people
have been quarriers in Scotland for four or five generations.
But it looks like it's going to stop with my father, I have
two brothers and neither of them shows the slightest interest
in granite. It's just as well. Father says ho wouldn't have
them down there with him. He says it was all right for the old
timers, but t,ore's no future in it for a young fellow. I agree
with him. I know the worrying my mother goes through with one
in the family down in the quarries all kinds of weather. It's
a nerve-racking job, being a quarryman's wife.
"Last year my oldest brother Mal went to Scotland with
my mother. They stayed away five months. Mother was born in
Scotland, and remembers it well. Better than father. Mal said
that they were digging new quarries close to the property lino
of grandfather's old farm. It was good news for us. The farm
belongs to us now, and I don't suppose any of us will ever go
over there to make our home. So father's got in touch with a
lawyer near Peterhead and he's trying to sell it to the quarry
owners. Father says that when he was a child there wasn't a
quarry within seven miles of the farm. Since then they've
crept closer and closer. Now they're right in the backyard.
Mal was all for hanging on to the farm a while longer, but
father says it's best to sell now before they get too deep into
the quarry. They may discover that the stone is inferior, then
the farm would be worthless in the middle of all those excavations.
On the other hand, if it happened to be an unusually good grade
of stone, the old farm would be worth a fortune.
"Mal brought back pictures of the country near the farm.
It looks to me like Graniteville. Not so hilly, but just as
scrubby in appearance. Mal said he enjoyed traveling over and
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back, but the four months on the farr was as lonesome a four
months as ever he spent. They had no car with them. Most of
the time they simply lay under the trees and read. Be was glad
to return to the States.
"Mal says in Scotland the granite men resent Barre and
Barre granite. Ihey think of those first ones who left Scot-
land for Barre as deserters, and look down upon them for having
brought their knowlege of quarrying and tools to another country."
The streets were emptying of people. A young couple strolled
through the park* Their pace was leisurely. Their heads were
inclined towards each other in conversation.
Jean was talkative. "See that couple? They were married
about a month ago. His father and her father are business
partners. MacLean and Ryan. They own the quarry where my
father works. My father always used to say they were ideal
partners. Never argued, Never had a word about how the other
was trying to run the business. They made money together, and
enjoyed making it together. They vacationed together this summer
in Maine for two weeks, and when they came baok they told the
workmen it was the best time they'd ever had. Then along the
last of July the boss' son, Johngie MacLean started paying
attention to the other boss' daughter. Ella Ryan is her name.
Old MacLean and Ryan beamed upon them. Ella walked into the
office one day and showed her diamond ring to old MacLean. He
joked about it, said his son Johnnie was certainly Scotch, she
deserved a biger diamond than that. He was pleased with the
match, and made plans to renovate a small house he owns up the
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Hill and give it to them as a we:1ding present. Ella began to
discuss her plans for a Catholic marriage ceremony, and right
away old MacLean put his foot down. Said his people had been
of the same faith for centuries back, and no Johnnie -upstart
was going to break the line now by having a ceremony performed
by a Catholic priest.
"Ella told him she wasn't trying to convert Johnnie, she
wanted only that they be married by the priest. Old MacLean
wouldn't hear of it. Said he'd rather have no marriage at all.
Young Johnnie didn't see things the way his father did. he and
Ella went right ahead with their plans. They were married last
month by the priest, in the rectory.
"Neither old MacLean nor his wife went to the wedding.
And he didn't give them the little house, either. Johnnie had
a good job in the quarry office. He had to give that up when
he quarreled with his father, he must have had a little money
saved, because he appears to be getting along all right even
though he hasn't worked for a month.
"Father says old MacLean and Ryan won't stay in the same
office any more. They pass each other without speaking. Each
one is trying hard to sell out his share of the quarry. Father
says it's telling on the workmen. They can't act natural with
the bosses. If they happen to be laughing and chatting with
MacLean, and Ryan appears on the scene they become tongue-tied
and awkward. They shut up like clams. They like both bosses;
they don't want to be partial to one or to the other.
"Other years the quarrymen'd get together at Christmas
and give the two bosses a gift they could both use in the office.
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They can't do that this year. There'll have to be two presents.
Father says their both stubborn. he won't side with one or the
other, he says that Ella and Johnnie were old enough to know
what kind of a wedding ceremony they wanted. I feel the same
way. It's their wedding, not old MacLean% and Ryan's
"Old MacLean used to spend half of his evenings at the
Ilan house. nlla's younger sister Mildred entered the convent
in Burlington two years ago. Ryan was delighted with the idea
of having a nun for a daughter. Es was so genuinely pleased
that Old MacLean couldn't help being proud along with him.
Fe talked about it to all his friends, you'd almost think it
we his own daughter, AØ even insisted upon sharing half the
expense of the habits or whatever you call those clothes they
have to wear. And the day they took her to the convent he
rode down with them in the Ryan car.
"Father says he's seen friendships like that broken up
before. Two people who have been friends all their lives, and
then when they're old and need friendship more than ever --they
have to break up. Father says one's as stubborn as the other.
he doesn't believe either one of them will ever make a move to
become friends again.
"Ella and Johnnie are still on good terms with the Hyena.
They visit there often. Father says that's Why Old MacLean
is so mad. :4 always thought the sun rose and set on his
Johnnie. They were pals. :4 misses him. I3ut he's just Scotch
enoua not to give in. eD'hnniels mother must feel it as much
as 7‘er husband. I wouldn't be surprised if she sees him once
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In a while secretly. But father says no, she'd stick to Old
VacLean."
Jean yawned. "I suppose I ought to be getting home. I
have to get up fairly early to make the State House at eight
o'clock. Father says it's a laugh to call this his car. I
use it every day driving to kontpelier, and evenings I have
it, like tonight-*