roll - roll it by hand - and you wrapped them in a blanket. It cost 87 cents to send it from here to California ; and to Charlottetown, it cost 32 cents. We had a spinning wheel down there. You'd have to see if the rolls were right because you'd get a different kind of wool. Some of it'd be easy carded and some if it'd be as tough as leather - thin sheep and stuff like that you know. Then you'd get some of it wouldn't be picked too hot1 and you'd have to watch that too. We used two kinds of oil. There was regular wool oil, and if you were into a tough bunch you put a little kerosene among it. That'd chuck all the garbage out of the wool where they were carding it. My father was pretty smart at those things, but he didn't go near the cards very much because he had asthma, and the smell of the wool oil and everything used to bother him. It's a special oil for wool; came in a 45- gallon drum. You put [the wool] in the bin, and you put all the layers in that, and then sprinkle the oil on it, then put another layer, then put another layer, then put another layer. Then you had a stick and you mixed it all up. And then the oil was all through the wool. Oh, it was great. You met an awful lot of people — in Newtown , everywhere, Little Sands and everywhere. After Hours Do you remember when Hall was there? We'd be down every second night to a dance or a debate or something. And the best place you ever wanted to play cards was Angus Neil 's. My neighbour Angus Neil MacDonald ... . I'll have to tell you about playing cards over at Angus Neil 's. We'd be playing and, oh, we'd have a great time, and then Angus and I'd be beating Fanny and Katie. And then Katie'd get wild and she'd stand up and she'd say, "Now, Angus. You're stealing that ace of hearts and you got it up your sleeve there." And he would, too, you know. But that was twice a week we used to go over there. Oh, we used to go everywhere. We never used to be home you know. Remember old Frank Cook at the debates? Oh my God? And Alex Taylor ? And then they'd get into a row. Oh the fun, the fun. No fun today. Rabbits and stuff like that.2 That's how Frank Cook and Alex Taylor got 1. Some wool would still contain sticks, grass and manure. 2. Formal debates were held regularly at Hall. Frank and Alex were well- known local combatants at these events. The resolution being debated in the instance described here obviously made reference to the relative merits of rabbits. 74 BELFAST PEOPLE