Document text
rary Tomasi 1.
rontpolier, Vt.
FATHER SAYS
Granite City was gay in holiday mood. Spirals of red,
g/e)n, yellow, blue, red lights colored the lamp posts and
the band stand. Small Christmas trees blinked their de-
corations with untiring rapidity. Snow -etched elm branches
caught th3 colors, toned them to pastel shades and held
them overhead. A woman in tiz blue cape and bonnet of the
Salvation Army strode through the parks head bent against
thc: snow, homeward bound after a weary evening of solicit-
ing nickels and pennies from the passersby. Now the tam-
bourine lay silent under her arm. Further down the street
another of her bretheren stood at his post beside a groat
iron pot. The man dug his chin into his coat collar for
warlath. Ile stamped his feet, and all the time he shook a
bell and urged the pedestrians to 'keep the pot a boilin'
with silver.
Jean lacrasters' car faced the brilliantly lighted
park. We sat there watching the city tire of its even-
ing's celebration arid settle to night's quiet.
She said, "This is the first evening the stores are
keeping open for Christms shopping. There'll be two weeks
of it. he had an oficial opening tonight. A real cele-
bration. All t]ya kids in town were around to get bags of
candy from Santa Claus. Leave it to our chamber of co=ercel
Yy futl:.er says they can stir up more enthusiasm and public
19817
2.
spirit in one evening 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
after the Santa Claus party they couldn't resist going into
the stores to see the Christmas 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 temporarily est-
ablished in a new location, and open for business tonight.
That's a sample of our Barre speed.
"I work in the State Douse 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 Bare.
There's not much other than office work in the sheds and
quarries. After I graduated from high school I waited all
sumer for work in some local office. Fall came and I was
still looking and waiting so I went to Boston and took a
one year commercial course. Since then I've been in the
State louse. Pour 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 1:,aaasters In Barre. He came over here from Peterhead,
Scotland, just before the turn of the century. he was a
quarryman over there, he came over here to do the same kind
of work. Father was about aoven years old then. Father
went into the quaries as soon as he was old enough to work.
Ye learned everything he knows of the trade from his father.
his people havo been quarriers in Scotland for four or five
generations. But it looks like it's going to stop with my
3.
father. I have two brothers and neither of them shows the
slightest interest in granite. It's just as well. Father
says he wouldn't have them down there with him. Ile says
it was all right for the old timers, but there'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 peace -racking
job, being a quarxyLan'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 diLging new quarries close to the
property line 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 co 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 ownerw. 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 hang-
ing onto the furm 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 as hilly, but
just as scrubby and hardy in appearance. Mal said he en-
4.
joyed traveling over and back, but the four months on the
farm were 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. he was glad to return to the
states.
"Mal says in Scotland the granite men resent Barre and
Barre granite. They think of those first ones who left
Scotland for Barre as deserters, and look down upon them
for having brought their knowledge of quarrying and tools
to another country."
The streets were emptying of people. A young couple
strolled through the park. Their pace was leisurely and
of a contented slowness. 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 yan. 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 back they told the workmen it was the best time they'd
ever had. Then along the last of July the boss' son, Johnnie
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 bigger
diamond than that. he was pleased with the match, and made
plans to renovate a small house he owns up the Hill and
give it to them as a wedding present. Ella began to discuss
her plans for a Catholic marriage ceremony, and right away
old lacLean 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 per-
formed 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
racLean 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. 1:13 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 :ob in the quarry office. he had to give that
up when he quarreled with his father. Fe 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 of ice any more. They pass each other without speak-
ing. 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
G.
be partial to one or to the other.
"Other years the quarrymen get together at Christmas
and give the two bosses a gift they could both use in the
office. They can't do that this year. There'll have to
be two presents. Father says they're both stubborn. Ee
won't si4ewith one or the other. Ile says that Ella and
Johnnie were old enough to know what kind of a wedding
ceremoney they wanted. I feel the same way. It's their
wedding, not old MacLean's and Ryan__
"Old MacLean used to spend half of his evenings at the
Ryan house. Ella'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. Ile was so
genuinely pleased that Old MacLean couldn't help being
proud along with him. He talked about it to all his friends,
you'd almost think it were his own daughter. He even in-
sisted upon sharing half the expense of the habits -or. what-
ever you call those clothes the have to wear. And the
day they took her to the convent he rode down with them. In
tLe ran car.
"Father says he 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
evert- they have to break apart. Father says they're equally
stubborn. he doesn't believe either one of them will over
make a move to become friends again.
"Ella and Johnnie are still on go, -d terms with the
Ryans. They visit there often. Father says that's Why
Old nacLean is so mad. he's always thought the sun rose
7.
and set on his Johnnie. They were pals. 1.:e misses him.
But he's just Scotch enough not to give in. Johnnie's
mother must feel it as much as her husband. I wouldn't
be surprised if she sees him once in a while secretly.
But father says no, she'd stick to Old YacLean."
Jean yawned. "I suppose I ought to be getting home.
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 !ontpelier, and even
Jags I have it, like tonight-"