bit too much “Joy Juice”. He was treated with molasses toffee. He’d just purchased two new sets ofdentures. They soon became one mass ofgoo—o-o! He ended up throwing teeth and toffee into the coal scuttle, uttering a few cuss words as he did so.

We’d spend time in the winter months rehearsing plays and variety concerts. We didn’t know very much about Hamlet. All we knew of the performing arts, we learned from Aunt Lou Deacon, who was our producer, stage manager, costume designer and what have you. In the spring, we’d take our masterpiece to many neighbourhood communities. Aunt Lou was also our choir director. We’d spend one evening a week practising and rehearsing music for our local church. We’d travel by horse and wood-sleigh and I can remember the lunches we had most vividly, especially Mrs. John Campbell’s cream puffs and Russel Burns’ walnut butter

cake with thick butter icing and the scotch cakes with icing and cherries.

The village school wasn’t outstanding. It was a one roomed school, but later another room was added. A pot-bellied stove for heat, and plumbing was the out—house, a typical two-seater with a thin wall between. The only furnishing was last year’s Eaton’s catalogues. Decorations were the initials and carvings of the former students. The school was built on a swamp. I can remember jumping puddles in the spring to reach the door. The winter was so glorious no one complained. We skated for miles. As far as you could see were fields of ice.

The teacher who taught there the longest was J.B. Lewis. Since he was a bachelor, we were his family, and his pride and joy. He was lame and carried a cane and had quite a job to get us to settle down after a skating session. He just swung the old cane around the room a couple oftimes and threatened dire vengence on us. We all knew he meant business, so we settled down. I can’t remember him ever beating any of us.

We’d have geography and spelling matches on Friday. Each morning, he opened school with the Lord’s Prayer, and clausal analysis for the senior grades. We had school concerts and school closings. School Fairs were achievement days. You exhibited things you’d grown or made. You took great pride in your work. That old schoolhouse wasn’t much to look at, but from this humble beginning, pupils went on to become doctors, nurses, lawyers, priests, teachers, business executives, missionaries and politicians. All became useful citizens, and contributed their talents to society.

Hallowe’en was a great event. We’d plan for weeks. One year stands out in my memory because it exceeded our utmost imagination. We threw a turnip through a neighbour’s upstairs window. The window was open, and the turnip hit the “thunder mug” dead centre. First we heard a splash. Then a crash!

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