Alex was afraid that he was going to lose his little boy, and kept lamenting about his loss. Finally he could not take it any longer, so one Sunday, he hired some one to take us all to Georgetown to bring Terry home.

There was not a dry eye in the Murphy house when Terry said good bye to all his new family of friends. Cuddled

in his father’s arms he left to renew acquaintances with his own kinfolk in

Souris.

Our grandmother, Mary Isabel, lived in the adjoining apartment. She was a L_R Manna (Malone) MacDoanld tall, stately lady, who was very competent (deceased). Patsy (MacDoanId) MacNeiI and a top notch business person. She believed in education, and as a result, four of her children became teachers and one a secretary. Unfortunately, she was now aging, and experiencing poor health, so my father had to hire a maid. It was a strenuous job with so many young children and small wages, there was nothing to entice a housekeeper to stay. As a result, we had a new housekeeper quite often.

Finally, Dad’s prayers were answered when Celia Walsh became our housekeeper. She arrived at eight o’clock in the morning, and left at five

each evening. It meant that I was tied down with chores and lessons, not to mention the

clean up.

After supper, our father would lie down on the couch in the kitchen and collapse from exhaustion. He had many aches and pains from rustling with the weight of horses leaning on him, and from lifting heavy irons. This, coupled with the mental anxieties he had as a single parent, made life difficult for him.

It never occurred to my father that I was a student, and that I might have homework to do as well. I was never asked about lessons. I attribute my good education to the sisters of Saint Mary’s Convent and my two girl friends, Patsy (MacDonald) MacNeil and Marina (Malone) MacDonald

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