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7issrryTOMS/
63 Lame rt.
tIcetpolicr. Vt.
crartite ;,crker
1.
-,:,00dbiso shaded most of the kitchen porch. 'acre the,
sun in patohos on the floor, leaf-ohavedl patterns moved
lently back and forth. The Ireneb6 MOM= 00t in 0 rocker
peelinc potatoes, 4,4 pail standing an a *boa in front of
mcloolved thc peels; sho dropped the potatoes in a white-
cn4:47-ielcd pun at her zLjit.
:7eu vill excuse Lc if I 4.;() right an and peel," lire.
alance &i4. 1/1 have just no muah time before supper,
there are no Lamy thins to be dome. Potatoes1 It
scum must coat: mountains of them to satisfy the Aen.
Ten of theta hero, anC all but one aro staneemttere4,9
!lie van a Laddle-areal voran, plumj reamehesco
ploasunt. "I %axe %ad as mirs as eitlitoan boarding here,
but with that smaber I havo to take an an extra girl. ath
only ten, my daughtor aLC wool: menage. It my dawlater
happens to want the evenir uc lire a girl from next door
to help with the dishos.
Pro, have not always taken in boarders. It 13 only
einoc my :.nadbund dtoG same years azo. Dot ore that, I did
not have to. C L11C enough for us to get alonc ecU. lo
wax, a letter carver. teventcem years hstd worLed at it.
"ost of tbs.) Lt.* in harm, but one year in :;ontpelicr.
do not t441.....e rooLerv, you can coo the house is not
big enough for that. Zino( two of tho girls wore married
19813
ve have given one upstairs bedroom to the family on the
other side, 47 youmgest girl graduates frami high school
next year. There vas sn older bore he died at the time
of the 'flu'. is vas just a baby.
6i vas born here in Larre. Ur husband ow me down from
Zhamblys Canada, vithhis folks then he was a bor. They
were a farming family. 310 started working in the sheds
when be was eighteen. Idoing odd labor, but be uorhod up
to letter Garver. no made good never, but I was not happy
having him in the sheds. It bade eSpeeially for a men
with u family, and most or thc; rrendh stonssutters ar;und
here have large families. I 1.1ave a neighbor a few houses
down the street who :Imo !ac nom than her share of unbap.
places fru icr bnabanuic wort: in the sheds. lie died the
year after my own husband. Yes Ills lungs. Unix then
tut) of his hors have died from the same thine .‘"he remain-
ing boy and girl are fur frac well. :;:he girl has been to
a preventorium for six months; the boy has to take vor7
coed eure og himself, uorl:s in an °fame roma
think the granite isn't worth all the sorrow it brings,
but it's there in the earth, it's worth money to tI owners,
and If a -Jan works there, von, licoc the fool or dolma
it. Moroto no am to Wane but :21neolf. :!y buebAne2 used
to say no, he still said se then he van flat on his buck.
zould think it would have rude him bitter. It didn't. re
was resimod to it, je uosepted it as something he hue es.
parted all along Be didn't mind talking to re about its
but when bia friends visited him im other etonecutters
neither be nor they would nention the 'lames that takes
co nany of then. Perhaps they are all like that. ierhalliS
in their families they will diseuee it. but not with others.
I euproes it is like any deep misfortune or unhappinees,
you vill talk about it only to these ebe are dear to yeus
ors sometimes, to a strums, you never expect to coo againse
Ladhamee pensive to Give orders ceneerninc. the
Rayner to her daughter wile appeared at the kJ:When door.
f:lac vas a mall girl vitla her notheris red ckeekes anl. an
abundance of blaoko wavy hair. Underneath the apron the
tore a blatbmand-White dheel taffeta armee. Vben sibs had
acapnuared into the kitehens the nether confided in a low
voices .hola roin to a dance tonight at Joels 'Aston
thy she's all dressed for L7oine out. Z. lase with a rrlychaa
boy ...P hatitatee ua if- undecided to continuo.
rubbed a finjer over u o1oret forehead, 'Jake
rracas 1 don't nhia your LmotinG it. zlhc coos with that boy
telline you about, the ono lido lost Us fatLler and two
brothers, "le u fine -Joy,I like him, but I can't !)elp but
vial that it we soneact:7 case omeone stronr ax. val. I'd
bat() to think of her ci her _Alabilne as I did. 7Tsually
tIley are sick for lanc tir1 maths of sorrow anC beartaohe.
aftcrwards, to be loft !Alone with your ohildren, To
strucle the best you can. Aas yeas it is a hard life. nom..
tims
!lave wanted to eveat to her, but than 1 taink: the
story as well as do. It vill do no csoL abe
vill do at Cho swots and it in her life to live,"
The potatoes were fast piling as Mre. Ladhance spoke.
rho nilod. 6.11mnet encuCh. nay ny other twee
uehtore have married wen. Ono with a Trench boy free
flhombly. Loots met him whom dhe was visiting her father's
people They are living there new with her grandparents.
No, ny father—in4as didn't like stonecutting. Vary went
back to the farm after a feu years. The other girl in
TIMM" oe to an Italian. 7o sells insurance here in Darro•
"Le I like Lorre? ell I've lived here all ny life,
I coule have moved, to (Jano7 Vino I sopriod, My hnnbi4nd
hae an offer from a the0 aoen there But I was satisfied
vlt &WO It's just laire eneugik, the stores are load,
are t'leroln always been lively enough excitement for the
chllZren. I don't thin!' you coul2 finea better 'rirlh
eohcol tban Ipauldinc ir the rtate. The only fault I find
vit% Earre ic that there are not enough lobe in tom for
tIle young people when they fret out of high newel. luny
of then rot office :obit th"ontpolier, the rest bevel to
co to larcer cities ou eontt nee many of the h1,7h sOhool
eeneatod boys :oing into the sheds, 7ou can't bland? thew
T7t.oretp nothing of a future for them there, not nor*
"The bi- strike& oortt know mudh about it. used
to. husband, struck alenr: with the rest of than. I used
to hoar hin talk about it a lot, but it was all so long ago,
ou 'Ater so little about It not/ that I've forgotten. I de
rommbervg husband engin- that ewe of the wnekillod Prom*
'she cove in to break the strike could be excused. hut was
quite a statement from my husband, he was as much aziinet
thou as anybody. One of tbOce Strike breakers was a friend
of his. lhey'd grown up tocether in tilembly, good friends.
c Liadn't soon or heard from his t.= years, then all of 4
sudden be sees him paraaing through town with the relit of
them. 'umbel* was dosed be could hardly believe it.
rihis friend, 4este was his name, came up to the Musa to
see my talsband the nest day. :told inquired 4round town
anL found out his address. Jt first I thought they we
*oak. to blows, mi husband was no mild manip and he vas
firm in the belief that Clic herd of strangers was ruining
the :7ranite industr7, not only the wages ana the boures but
CIL) %Jork itself. Lut than Pete explained why be bad come
to :,,aro.
:erase= 2etels story is the same Ja many of those
trangere reao Dame into ...arito. T. don't L. him this
Dportunity for week was a _vdsend. Lit was badly in need
of money. 71s farm, like so mu m other :roma- fl:.6e that
was not paying Af: crops amounted to notht t U•
:lb lad a mire ana t ax. dLileven to teed. c coula see no
el:ps work for him in ,Thembly. Not for months. Then
Vim opportunity for work in Larry wale to bin. :mak meant
keerin his family together. Can 7ou blame him for accept
1w it'r
I don't. :leta mver worked in granite. ever
toueAce. it before. :Jole 'noard, of course, of Dorm and the
cranitc vorlmrs. 3ut be !mow of them vaguely, just titi ae
c.
Immo of miners and stool wasters* I mean, hew bard the
work was, and danreroua* Dut be bad to be amonrost the
rorlgors„ live with them anC Oo their work, before !le could
really appreciate the fact that they neodod a strne to
better their conditions .o„ rete came here from narre
abseliltely irmorant of the Tranito business and the people
tn it. 1came for work, for money to keep his family to..
Tether _ou can't be too hard an him* I don't blame him*
I haven't seen mudb of him einee my husband died* r'ut
or nets a 'nice ran nor, vmd a mod one*"
Trs tacharec oallee te her ,r that the 7,otatose
we reud. be leaned back in her *air and bean to roOk
lazily, comfortably* "You hnow," she said, "the lonreas you
live tn this wand the better you realise that thew are alp.
uTre two sided to a queetion. :lid it isn't fair to ladre
unt/1 Tou know ane stud7 both sides*
I =mitt thinLdnr only of the strihe. Of
eourse, that one of these two -aided queetions. nirbt
nor 7tr, thinItinr of a wonan who Uwe down the street. an
Italian woman* Me cello beer end vim. "axd stuff, to04
note had to ar a fine trice for sentry- without n liconme,
he still sells I don't tinre ber. f'one of the meirhbors
look down on lir?.
eantt surt their children to play
with hers. 7er busband died a few years ago* ..cr„ 7118
lUnrts t014 c TiVig a stonecutter* :no bads six chilaren*
rent, of than
anourt to bc worhim* ner hip me badly
crueed the your after her ,msband died. !last was ehe to
7.
Tha bad to find cove vay of foedInc them dUlaron.
Ttle luze. for hcr to zlet aroma. r.rhere aren't Liam- %Inds
of wort: she or* do. The eaalost way oo it seined to he,
roe o aell liquor In own home. That way etc oonle be
"lone all the tiny to loo, aft° her abIldren.
cps tt'3 iUc1. Lit thralls Acr aide, took. the wants
!.Acr children. :Ze wants to Imor than tojetber. note
oad, won't want ehurItif. rho doea Ztallun baking,
too. That br/nrs In a lIttic money