24 OVER ON THE ISLAND

fully. Apparently she was accustomed to illnesses

requiring such a remedy “One . . ."

“Two . . .”

“Three . . . teaspoons . . . exactly."

Then, hot water and sugar.

The stranger’s eye brightened suddenly as she returned to the kitchen and handed him the drink

. . I didn’t look ill apparently!

“Thank you,” he said gratefully, and buried his nose in the glass.

After several gulps his nose reappeared.

“Which did you put in first?”

“The whiskey. "

“Um . . . I thought so . . . Well, per— haps I’ll come to it by and by. ”

Strange, I thought, I must remember that the water goes in first.

6

It does not matter very much, from the standpoint of scenery, which road one takes to Charlottetown. I sat at the fork of the road in De Sable and pondered. I had been told that the road through Bonshaw was a vista of hills and valleys—a riot of colour. But Holland Cove and Fort la Joye beckoned with curved historical fingers. And, as I sat, I thought of the comparison that is so frequently drawn between the Island of Prince Edward and the county of Devon in England.

The English settlers brought their love of hedges with them. And all over the Island their influence is visible. Hedges are a frequent sight, particularly in Queens County. Tall hedges and short hedges, big