100 OVER ON THE ISLAND

The cause and effect of his disturbance, in addition to the tire, was the dust.

“In New York,” he sputtered, “the roads are all paved."

”If they had known you were coming," Jean remarked acidly, “they would probably have paved this one, too.”

He grinned apologetically. We went on—the tire forgotten.

3

Belfast is the Canterbury of Prince Edward Island. And the Pally is the Mayflower of the Province. Mixed metaphors? Perhaps, but accurate. Visitors, and even Islanders, are not immune from the ever- frequent question, “Have you ever been to Belfast?" Assuredly a Province must have a shrine of its own. I suppose, strictly speaking, that the Confederation Room should be the Island shrine. It has the back- ground of history, the memories of famous men, and the records of important events; but even these do not make it the Mecca for tourists or Islanders. It is not a Canterbury. There is something altogether different about Belfast compared with other parts of the Island. The setting is different. In Scotland, any would-be-hiker is caught short in the midst of his tale of travels by the simple brief inquiry, “Hae ye been to Skye?” It is valueless to reply that he has seen the sun rise over the Matterhorn; that he has trekked through South Africa; that he has shot polar bears within the Arctic circle. If he has not been to Skye he might as well cease his tales; if he has been there, he may take his place among the elect of the elect. For a hiker is only admitted to the inner