WE OWE THE PUBLICATION of this document of a working man’s life to Bill Webb, who in the 1960s encouraged his father, Arthur Webb, to take pencil to paper and write an autobiography, and four decades later granted permission to bring it to the readers of Labour/Le Travail. What follows is an account of a working man written in the third person. His decision to write in the third person is largely the result of his modesty, as evidenced most emphatically in the second part of his story, in which he refers to himself as "John Doe." In creating a typescript, his son replaced the pseudonym with his father’s name. Webb’s reminiscences clearly reflect the norms of narrative storytelling. "Our Arthur," as he styled himself in the opening of the "story" of his life, looked back upon his decades of work from the vantage point of a retired man at the middle of the 20th century. He did not dwell upon his own accomplishments, but constructed a narrative that contrasted implicitly childhood and work in an English industrial city in the 1890s and rural New Brunswick in the early 20th century, with life in post-World War II urban Canada. Webb describes work at a time of muscle rather than machine, both for the opportunity this gives him to contrast his life with the lives of his readers and because men of his generation valued themselves through their physical work. The strength, skill, endurance and stoicism that allowed him to survive are the qualities that men measured themselves against and prided themselves on.

      Webb’s life story is remarkable, but he was not a public figure of the sort that traditionally warranted the attention of a biographer or led to a published memoir. The historian of working-class life will nevertheless find that his description of work and society merits attention. Webb’s life illustrates the intersection of world events and individual experience, played out within the minutia of daily undertakings. While we know that there were hundreds of thousands of lives like his, we cannot help but admire the tenacity and resilience that figure so centrally in Webb’s life story. People such as this often appear in historians’ accounts, but usually in the aggregate. Men such as Webb would be reflected in statistics as an immigrant, a worker, a recruit, one of the wounded, a returned soldier, and a union member. Historians usually see such individuals only through the lens of their own research interest, but rarely as a whole life. In this document we can see Webb’s reflections as a coherent narrative – the way he saw it from the vantage point of his kitchen table near the end of a remarkable life.

      Arthur’s father, George Frederick Webb, seems a distant figure of work and corporal punishment. The elder Webb had been born in 1853, the second son of the postmaster at Bromsgrove, attended Grammar School in Surrey and he too entered the postal service. He retired from the post office due to failing health, and lived for 16 years in Liverpool before retiring to Alcester, Warwickshire. When his youngest son, Arthur, was born in Liverpool, George Frederick was working as a commercial traveller for a firm of builder’s furnishers, but soon started business on his own account as a tobacconist, stocktaker and valuer. In his retirement he was a dedicated volunteer for local philanthropic causes, a member of the Conservative Party, and a man with artistic talent. But he appears in our view as a distant and domineering father whose insistence, as head of the household, on dictating which trades his sons followed drove four of the five to immigrate to Canada.

      Arthur Webb spent his boyhood in the streets, shops and factories of Liverpool during the last decade of the 19th century. While his parents worked, he played with the gangs of neighbourhood kids and revelled in the life of a street urchin. He did not thrive at school, and at the age of ten entered the workforce. As a boy, he worked in a number of industries, from a "watcher" at a shoe store to a delivery boy for a tailor shop. He laboured in a tobacco factory, a bakery, and on his father’s insistence apprenticed as a harness maker. His eye for the detail of work makes this a compelling document of a childhood in an English industrial city. At the age of 16, with the collusion of his mother, Webb immigrated to Canada to escape the trade his father had chosen for him.

      This account of being a "farm boy" and a labourer in New Brunswick during the first decade and a half of the 20th century stands as an effective antidote to the saccharin romanticism of the rural ideal that appears in television representations of Anne of Green Gables and the reconstruction of a fictional New Brunswick past devoid of social context at Kings Landing. This was a rural community in which people sometimes abused their farm labourers, cheated their neighbours, drank too much, and lived a rough life similar to that of their pioneer forerunners. Even when relating his participation in a threshing bee, an archetypal example of rural families working together, Webb tells us that one family was left out, likely reflecting communal punishment for some transgression. It was not that there were no acts of kindness. After having been cheated out of the final leg of his passage, Webb was rescued from the docks at Quebec City. After a succession of abusive farmers, the boy found the warmth of a surrogate family in New Brunswick, although they too did not pay the wage that had been promised.

      Over the next decade and a half, hard work enabled Webb to feed and clothe himself at a variety of occupations. As did so many other immigrants to Canada from the British Isles, he accepted the call of King and Country and enlisted in 1914. His account of the war is brief, but reads like a textbook retelling of the fate of so many members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The enthusiasm for war at the recruiting office was dampened by the mud of Salisbury Plain, and extinguished in the battle for Ypres. We know he lived a horrific life in the trenches, although as is the case with so many veterans he chose not to relate these conditions. Having been gassed and wounded, he fell in love with the woman who nursed him back to health. He returned to Canada to be discharged from the Army, and worked running telegrams from the ships in Halifax harbour. His initiative once more served him well, and he took a job at Aldershot military camp. Webb then travelled to Alberta on the promise of an even better job, well in time to avoid being in the harbour during the Halifax explosion of 6 December 1917. The job in Alberta did not materialize, and he joined thousands of transient men bringing in the harvest on one farm after another, before drifting into a career with the fire department in Saskatoon. This was a time of high costs and poor living conditions for working men, and Webb joined the union struggle for better working conditions. The fight for the two platoon system, which gave the men more time off work, occurred at a time of considerable labour tension in the city. ¹ The fire fighters had expressed their sympathy with the Winnipeg General Strike, and faced a hostile city administration. On at least one occasion management’s animosity toward the union took a comic turn. The 13 June 1918 ceremony initiating new firemen into Local 80 of the union had to be cut short to answer a call. There proved to be no fire, and the Fire Chief later sent a letter of apology for having pulled the alarm. ² The life of a fire fighter was a dangerous and heroic one, and the Fire Chief noted Webb’s heroism in rescuing a child in 1918, and his being injured in a fire in 1919. Perhaps out of modesty, Webb relates neither of these incidents, but focuses instead upon how the nature of the work differed from more modern labour at the time he was writing his manuscript, and on the hardship of his bride-to-be travelling alone from England to Saskatoon. The steady wage enabled him to have a family of his own, and they coped relatively well through the 20s, the Depression and war years. After 47 years in Saskatoon, Arthur Webb died at his home on 22 December 1964.

The Arthur Webb Story 1885-1964

This is a short story of a boy who immigrated to Canada at age 16 years.

      Our Arthur was born in Liverpool, England 28th January 1885. He had four brothers all older than him. Our story starts when Arthur moved from his house of birth to Stanley Road. His parents opened a Tobacco shop on Stanley Road. He was one year old, as his parents both were busy in the shop he had a nurse to take care of him. When he reached the age of three he was taken to school, the age they started in baby class in those days. He attended baby classes for two years. At the age of five in January 1890 baby school term ended, so he had to wait out of school until the autumn grade 1 opened. He had lots of time to play.

      When school started they found out he was hard of hearing but Doctors said nothing could be done to his ears. His seat in class was at the back of the room, so he could not hear the teacher very well and kept asking the boy next to him what the teacher said. For this he got many canings for talking in class. At the Christmas examination he failed, then he took sick. Doctors said he had a nervous breakdown and must not attend school until he was seven years old.

      One of Arthur’s pleasant memories is his rides to town with his mother on the horse drawn trams. Some trams had an open seat behind the driver, he would hold the loose end of the reins and pretend he was driving the team. Another exciting thing was at Christmas time when they would go to Lewis’s, a large store on Ranelagh Street. There would be Santa Claus beside a large crate full of parcels. Tickets were sixpence half penny each. The kids bought tickets off Santa’s helper, then gave them to Santa, that was their present for their stocking. They did not know what Santa gave them until Xmas morning. They all hung their stockings on mantel piece over the fireplace. They would find an orange, apple, few nuts and bag of sweets in the stocking on Xmas morning and their mystery box. That was their toy for the year.

      After Xmas Arthur and his next older Brother Fred were taken to Birmingham by their mother to visit their Aunt. There they would sit on garden wall and watch the steam trams pass the house. These trams were pulled by a little steam engine pulling three or four trams behind them and when stopping or starting they blew a little whistle. They stayed there a week and then went back home, as school opened then and his brother went back to school.

      Arthur just played alone as all the other kids were at school. Sometimes he walked to the docks to watch the ships coming and going. Of course, kids were not allowed around the docks so he would sneak in when the Bobby (nickname for a policeman) was not looking, or hide under a lorry that was going in through the gate, but when he was caught he got his bottom tanned by the Bobby.

      Other times he would wander down to town, he had nothing else to do, he sometimes got home late for dinner then he got no dinner, but a good caning and sent to bed.

      Sometimes in warm weather he would go across the river on Ferry boat which cost a penny each way. Passengers paid at Birkenhead both getting off and on the Ferry boat. Arthur having no money would have a tear in his eyes and tell the Bobby he lost his mother. When all passengers had cleared the turnstile all lost children would be taken care of until their parents claimed them. Our Arthur got wise after a few trips and would tell the Bobby there’s my Mother and run away. He would play on the beach and if the tide was going out he would paddle along the edge of water to next ferry, Egremont, fare from there home was two pennies. Arthur would tell the Bobby he had lost his mother and wanted to go home. He would give his wrong name and the Bobby would tell him to crawl under the turnstile and go home.

      There was no home life, his parents were busy in the store and the servant was always too busy to bother with a kid. So Arthur was left on his own and so the summer passed into autumn. His brothers all back to school after summer holidays, all passed into higher grades. So Arthur was left alone again, then came winter and outdoor play and trips to town dropped off and nothing to do until school let out for Xmas holidays.

      After Xmas Arthur and his brother Fred again went to visit their aunt in Birmingham, returning home at New Year, all brothers and Arthur went to school 1892.

      Our Arthur being seven started in grade one with a handicap, all other boys had four months start and knew the alphabet, and the two times table, and could print the letters of the alphabet. Our Arthur could do none of this work. When his teacher saw this he sent a note to his parents asking them to teach him. There was no homework as the school provided all books and necessary equipment used in the school. Arthur’s parents were too busy to teach him, his father was out most of the time and his mother was in the store. The elderly housekeeper, when sober, tried to help him but did not have much schooling herself, so his mother gave his older brother a penny extra a week to get him started. This helped Arthur some.  His mother bought him a copybook to practice printing the letters but Arthur and his brother wanted to get out to play so little printing was done. Both his parents were highly educated. It was quite a strain on Arthur but he did two hours every night. Sometimes his mother would help him but he began to get his nerve trouble again so study was reduced to half hour after dinner and one hour at night after some play time.

      By the time spring came he was almost up to the other boys, but he was seven years old and the other boys only six. They teased him so much he began to get behind again, but he was ahead of the class in drawing and map making. The Teacher would put an object on his desk and the class had to draw the object as they saw it. It might be a teapot, a jug, a cup and saucer, vase with a flower in it or any object he had. They, then, stopped teasing him and picked fights with him. Some boys were bigger than him, so every night when school was out he had to fight one of them. Sometimes he won, sometimes he lost but every night went home for repairs, a bruised fist or bloody nose. If his father saw him come home that way he got a good caning for fighting, his dad was very handy with the cane. That kept up until the summer exams in June, Arthur just made enough points to pass, it was his map making and drawing that helped him.

      In July his mother sent him to a private school two afternoons a week there he learned to read and write, and do arithmetic, and now being seven years old was put into the boys choir at Church. His mother was a devout church goer, brother Fred was already in the boys choir, so on Sunday, it was to church eight am, again at 11 am, choir practice, Wednesday night to bible classes and learn the catechism to get ready for confirmation.

      When holidays were over and school opened Arthur went to grade two, having made up his lost time at Private School was able to keep up his end in class, but still could not hear the teacher too well, so his mother talked to the Head Master about it, and he had him moved to the front. Now being seven years old he was admitted into the gang. Childhood play was over, he was a big boy now. He did fairly well at school and just passed examinations at Xmas.

      The street was the only play ground, the school yard was locked after 4 pm and the park nearest to them was two miles away and none of the kids would go that far to play. One favourite game was kick the can, they would get a tin can, the game was hide and seek, one boy was it, that is they would toss up who would do the seeking, then one would kick the can down the street, the one to seek would run for the can and return it to the starting place, the others would hide in the mean time, then the seeker had to find them, the first one found would be the next seeker. Sometimes they would play football against another gang. There would be 8 or 10 kids in a gang. The girls also had their gangs, they played at the bottom end of the street. If the boys wanted the whole street the girls used the street around the corner. Things went along as usual until the Summer holidays came, as before Arthur failed exams.

      Maybe now I should explain what our back yards and alleys or lanes were like. The yards were about 12 feet square, with a brick wall surrounding each yard. At the back end was the Toilet and a back door leading out into the alley. On one side of the yard was a midden or garbage pit or refuse heap, which served two houses, at the lane or alley there was a curve to the garbage pit to make it easier for men to shovel out the garbage. The walls were about eight feet high and two bricks wide. The alley was about 3 ft wide, they were always dirty, they were shaped, open at each end. The alley running North and South served the houses or stores on the front street, alleys running East and West served the homes on the side streets. The kids would play and run along the wall and jump across the garbage pit curve, they also used the curve to get on top of the wall. The curve came down to about 6 or 5 feet from ground. The kids would chip toe holds in brick for quick climbing. At night some kids would hide on the toilet roof others would tease the policeman and get him to chase them into the alley, while those hiding would knock his helmet over his eyes so he could not catch them running away. It was great fun, there was always tricks played on policemen, according to the law, kids were not allowed to play on the streets.

      Sometimes the girls and boys played together. About this time Buffalo Bill brought his circus and Indians to Liverpool, admission was six pence each. The kids had no money, so had to sneak in. They would dig holes under the wooden fence at the rear, and crawl under. Some nights the girl’s gang would join them, there was the usual animal tricks and clowns but what interested the kids most was the wild American Indians and Cowboys. The Indians scalping captives was the most interesting, but they saw wigs being scalped off, not human scalps. The cowboys would fight the Indians and shoot them and save the captives. The Indians used tomahawks and knives, that gave the kids some ideas for their games. After the circus left the kids played Cowboys and Indians, some got wounded or hurt. Once Arthur was a cowboy with a girl on his back, the Indians had sticks and knives, they were knives of broken glass, pieces about 6 to 8 inches long, the cowboys had sticks and heavy string. Arthur’s mounted rider got caught, Arthur fought the Indian while his girl tried to tie the Indian’s hands or feet, but the Indian stabbed our Arthur in the arm. He left his girl and he ran home for repairs, which meant he was taken to Doctor’s house to have a piece of glass taken from his arm and bandaged. For that adventure he was well caned and sent to bed, that ended the Cowboy and Indian game for him for the remainder of the holidays. He still has the wound scar and will always have it.

      The gangs would play football in the street, boys against the girls, or two boys gangs, according to how many they had. Of course the police would come and chase them as it was against the law to play in any street or road, but there was no other place for kids to play. The kids being young could outrun the police, but sometimes one would come to the top of the street, and one to the bottom. That would add to the fun. Some kids would run into any house and over the back wall into the alley and out onto the next street, others would dodge past policemen, very seldom were any caught, they were speedy and as slippery as eels. Police would come with arms spread out and legs wide apart, but the kids could pass them or dodge between their legs sometimes knocking them off balance but if you did get caught you got a darn good strapping from the policeman.

      By this time his two oldest brothers had left school and were working at their trade, the oldest Charlie, learning French Polishing, the second oldest, Earnest, learning Barbering. All too soon holidays were over and back to school, our Arthur remained in grade two, most others advanced one grade up.

      School was as usual. Arthur was now a big boy in a smaller boys class, which did not help him any, as the kids still teased him, and playing football in school yard one day he got his collar bone fractured and was away from school for a long time, so missed more schooling.

      Another bit of fun the kids has was turning the gas lights off after the man lit them, the lamp lighter had a torch on a long pole which he would light the street lamps, the kids would follow behind him and climb on a boys shoulder and turn the gas off.

      It was about his time the city was changing over from horse drawn trams all over the city to electric trams, the last horse tram ended in 1900. It was about 1898 that change was made on Stanley Road.

      Winter ended and spring came. Some of the gang would like to walk out in the country on fine days, when school closed for Easter holidays. They could always get a bite to eat at farm houses but sometimes had to work for it, usually it was clean stables, and during the summer holidays they would toss hay when the farmers were stacking it, and sleep on the stack at night.

      Summer holidays over and back to school, our boy passed to grade 3.  That year after Xmas holidays our Arthur was 10 years old [in] 1895. So [he] did not return to school but went to work. There were no brothers now going to school, the three elder were at their trade. Arthur’s parents thought he was still going to school until one day his mother decided to walk to town, which she very seldom did, then she took another street for a change and it happened to be the street our Arthur was working on. He was a watch boy standing outside a shoe store, stores used to hang merchandise outside to advertise them, the watch boys’ job was to see they were not stolen. His mother wanted to know why he was not at school, and took him home, he got a good caning for his not being at school, and next morning was taken to school, then he got another caning. A few days later he was back working in a Tobacco factory down town and inside. In the spring and summer he worked in different departments. All employees were searched on quitting time especially those in tobacco, cigarette and cigar departments, and sometimes men would give the kids that were in other departments tobacco to smuggle out. Our Arthur was in the bag and printing department and was not searched, but the overseers got wise and all were searched. He worked in that factory until the next spring 1896, he was now 11 years old. Then he took an errand boys job on Whitechapel Street for a Mr. Bradshaw who had a Tailors store, by this time his parents saw it was not school he wanted and decided he may as well go to work, as he was not learning anything, having failed his examinations.

      Now they knew he was working they took his wages off him and gave him two pence (4c) a week for pocket money.

      This new errand boys job was exciting and long hours. He was at the store at 7 am, his first work was to sweep the floor, gather up the bits of cloth around the cutter’s table, and general cleaning. The tailors came at 7 am also, they worked on floor above the store. They worked piece work, so much money for each garment they made. Arthur’s next job was dusting the store and brushing the bolts of cloth which took until about 11 am. The boss and cutter came in at 8am and opened the store. Orders for suits that were cut and ready for the tailors upstairs were taken by Arthur and he brought down those that were finished or basted together for first or second fitting. At 11:30 am he went to the pub for the tailors’ beer for their dinner. He would eat his lunch with the tailors if there was no work for him to do. His lunch hour was from 12 to 1 pm. Once he had eaten his lunch he would go to Lime Street Railway Station and carry passengers baggage to trains and get a few pennies tips, that is if Porters were not looking, or too busy to watch him. The station was near the tailors shop, so it only took few minutes to get to or from the station. He did very well some days, and this was extra pocket money for him. This was a first class tailors shop and was very particular with their fit. They were noted for their good quality cloth and workmanship. They made formal clothes and had many customers of sea going vessels, so made a lot of sea officers uniforms. In afternoon the errand boy delivered any finished clothes, if there were none to deliver he would be busy keeping the shop clean, there was always something to be done. He would sneak upstairs and wax some thread for the tailors, they used waxed thread for some of their sewing. There were four tailors and one seamstress, she machined trouser leg and sleeve seams, all their sewing was done by hand. There was a speaking tube from cutter’s bench to tailors above, there was a whistle at both ends, if shop wanted information about suits, the cutter would blow into tube and foreman would answer and if tailors wanted any information they would whistle down, there were not telephones. If the tailors had no work to be finished for Saturday they would quit at noon, draw their pay, and sometimes give Arthur a penny or two.

      I might say that Mr. Bradshaw was very punctual with delivering goods at the time garments were to be finished and delivered. Sometimes our Arthur had to run all the way to make delivery on time, especially Sea Officers that were leaving port. If ships were in the dock, police would not let boys enter dock gates, that would hold delivery back, but after explaining the errand he was allowed to go through. Once he just got to the ship as the gangplank was being taken down, he made his delivery but was out of the dock before he got back on deck, so he had to sail to the harbour mouth and returned on the pilot’s boat. When he returned to the store he got almost discharged for taking so long, but after explaining the reason, Mr. Bradshaw got a pass from the harbour board which Arthur took with him when he was making dock deliveries.

      Most of the customers lived in the Eastern and Southeastern part of the city, in the Wavertree district and Walton & Anfield, but some lived North in Boorle district. All were in the middle or rich class. The errand boy had to be neat and polite to the customers, but our Arthur soon learned that the middle class gave him the most tips. Friday and Saturdays were the busiest days for deliveries but some were delivered through the week. The autumn was the heaviest load, as overcoats were included. Some days he would start out to deliver in three directions, go Southeast, swing East and one or two deliveries in Northeast end, getting home late at night. He might walk ten miles before getting home. When winter and Christmas came, deliveries and tailors would work late at night.

      1897. The whole winter months were hard work, and Easter was a busy time. One very hard and frightening trip took our Arthur to the far South district, which was the district where all the foreign sailors and Negroes lived. It was a terrible part of the city for a young boy to be, with valuable parcels, and not knowing that part of the city made it more difficult to find the address, although he had been given an idea of where it was. After walking up one street and down another until late at night, he saw a policeman and asked him where the street was. He did not know but said a boy should not be there after dark and with a parcel so he took Arthur to the end of his beat and gave him to the policeman on next beat, who took our Arthur to the address, which was an alley off another alley. The policeman went to the house with him, the house was dark but policeman knocked on door with his night stick, when door opened a large Negro was standing in a long white night shirt and a big club on his shoulder. The policeman told him that a boy had a parcel for him, that changed things, he said it was a formal suit he was to wear at a big wedding the next morning and gave the boy sixpence. The policeman took our Arthur back to first policeman, who took him to the end of his beat and sent him on his way home. The Summer came and Autumn arrived with little change, until the large Negro again came for a uniform. It turned out he was a sea captain on the African line, he asked if I was the boy that delivered his dress suit, when told I was, he told Mr. Bradshaw never to send a boy down to that district again, and to deliver his uniform to the African Steamship office, as it was no place to send a boy with parcels either day or night. It was the same winter rush for our Arthur, but after Christmas it eased up some.

      1898. Easter came and business started another busy season. Our Arthur was to be confirmed at 2 pm Easter Saturday and during the week had asked for time off to attend church, but the boss said he could have his lunch hour at 2 pm and to hurry back, as there were suits to be delivered. What suits were ready were delivered in morning but Arthur was at the church on time. He returned to the store at 4 pm for which he was reprimanded and was not finished delivering until very late at night. He arrived home about 3 am and had to be at church at 8 am.

      Play and the gang was almost over for him, but they did have some play time on week nights. They were all big boys then and football and fights were the order of things. They would play ball against other gangs, which usually ended up with an all out fight for someone playing rough, but there were other plays that were pleasant.

      In the Autumn our Arthur got fired, he was delivering a lot of suits and overcoats one Saturday and returned to store and found it closed, so went home. On Monday morning he went to work as usual and saw a sign in the window "Boy Wanted." He thought the boss was giving him a helper, and went to work. When tailor opened rear door to start work at 7 am he had sweeping done and was busy dusting when the boss arrived at 8 am. He was mad because he had to hire a cab to make a delivery himself, as Arthur had not returned Saturday night. He told our Arthur he was discharged, he told the boss he returned to store after last delivery about 9pm and found store closed. But he was fired just the same. He got his wages then went upstairs to say goodbye to the tailors, they all wanted to know why. Our Arthur was well liked by them, and when they found out why they all went down to the boss to try and save his job, but the boss was firm so Arthur lost his job in early winter.

      In January our Arthur found a new job at the Old Calabar Biscuit Company. The Biscuit Coy was north of his home, the other job was in the main business district. The new job was in industrial part of the city. The back of the factory was on the Liverpool and Leeds canal, which was built in 1770 to bring coal and other material into City and Docks, as there were only narrow cobble stone roads at that time.

      This new factory had many departments. They made hard tack sailor biscuits, fancy biscuits and the famous Dog biscuits. There were many employees, men and women, boys and girls. Every morning heavy drays would bring supplies to front of the building, to be unloaded by cranes. There were three cranes, certain supplies went to different floors, the building was six floors high. There were sacks of flour, carcasses of beef, tubs of butter, lard and other ingredients that were used. When drays were unloaded they would be loaded with finished products to take to city or docks. At rear of the factory was the canal, boats pulled by one horse would stop at rear and load cases of biscuits or unload products they had for the company. Along the canal was also a short cut home. Sometimes a boat would be going towards city and workers would ride down in them. Working hours for boys and girls were from 7 am to 6 pm except Saturday, they closed at noon. Wages for boys and girls were 1s 9p to start, and raises were made of different types of work.

      The first work for newcomers was wheeling supplies to the bakers. There were long tables on which the dough was measured and put through rollers and formed into shapes. After it left the mixing machines, it was sent to meat tables on endless belts, where the meat was pressed into the dough, then it was transferred to an endless tin baking sheet which passed over the lines of ovens, where they were cooked then pushed into another room, where they were then cooled and packed. This is the way dog biscuits were made.

      At 11:30 am the bakers would prepare a dough for themselves and the packers, the butchers would put a steak on biscuits and send them through the ovens for their dinners, the boy would go to the packers room and bring them back to the baking room. They were very tasty and hot.

      Our Arthur got several promotions and with each a raise in pay. He left that factory one year later as his father decided he should learn a trade. He wanted to be a Carpenter and Cabinet Maker as he loved making toys with wood, but like his brothers, Father chose all their trades, which none of them liked or followed.

      Our Arthur now being 15 years old was a year too old to enter to learn a trade. The age was 14 years old and 7 years were required to learn then at 21 he was a man and fully trained. So our Arthur found another errand boys job with another tailor ship, near his old job. He received 2/6 a week at this shop, but they were a second class shop and most customers called for their suits. Arthur’s work was keeping shop clean and polishing the many brass plates with the odd delivery. In June two of his brothers left England for Canada. Arthur stayed at this shop until end of December. His father had found a harness maker who would take him on to learn harness making. He started January 2nd 1901.

      The hours of work were from 8 am until finished at night. At opening time he was given pieces of harness that had been repaired the day before. He was to deliver it to the barns from where it was sent in for repairs and to pick up pieces to repair. Sometimes the barn attendant was there, other times not but harness for repair was hung on a nail for him to take to the shop. Most days he would be loaded very heavily. It may be a heavy iron bound saddle, two or three collars and several other pieces of harness. He got back to the shop around noon, none of the repairs had name tags on them, he had to remember which piece he brought in. No stable had no repair work each day, there was always something to take, it took him a long time to recognize each stable and where it was located.

      After lunch at noon, he started to learn how to make waxed thread until 3 pm he then would gather up finished work and deliver it, picking up any to take back to the shop for repairs.

      Rats were his greatest terror, they were in the stables, they were larger and fatter than the ordinary alley rat. Some as large as a medium cat, he was more terrified of them than they were of him. They were mostly seen in early morning and evening.

      If he returned to shop before closing time he would get more instructions at his trade, he first learned to sew two broken end of straps together again. Next he learned to put buckles on straps. In a month he could attach buckles, make his own and other men’s waxed ends and sew two straps together. The next month (February) he learned to work on heavier pieces of harness. He was learning quickly, there were different knives for different work and different sizes of waxed ends.

      There is quite an art in sewing. All sewing was done by hand and care had to be taken to get proper size awl and strands of waxed ends for the kind of leather one was working on. Care was needed to push awl through straight, as both sides of sewing had to be identical. If awl went through at an angle stitches would be uneven and work spoiled or charged less money for the job. That also lost the workman the cost, also lost the shop prestige.

      There was a vise like chair to hold work firm while being sewed. This seat or bench had two heavy boards upright, one was firm, the other on a hinge. The hinged one had a piece of rope or leather strap attached to it, the other end passed through the solid upright board and down to a foot lever. The foot lever was an iron bar. When work was put into the vice it was held tight by pressing the iron lever down with the left foot and hucked into the iron cleats on leg of seat or bench, that held work firmly. If one was working on a long strap, like a trace for instance, there would be a strap or rope hanging from above, with a loop at lower end, the end of trace not being worked on would rest in the loop, so work would be held straight in the vise. These seats were quite comfortable when one got used to them. One may say it was like sitting on a horse with a saddle with the foot in a stirrup. Sewing small straps and putting on buckles was not too hard to learn. Sewing was done with both hands, in this shop dull pointed needles were used, needles were entered in an awl hole at same time, so as not to cut through wax ends. When finished it looked the same on both sides, like the present day sewing machine does. As time went on our Arthur learned more and worked on heavier work, but still did all small work if any to be done, as it did not pay to have the tradesmen do it.

      Then April came and our Arthur still wanted to be a carpenter and cabinet maker, but his Dad insisted he remain at the harness making. His mother thought differently about it and made inquiries about sending him to Canada. On 16th of April 1901 he and brother Fred sailed for Canada, to start a new life on their own and to their own choosing.

      They went aboard the S.S. Lake Champlain at noon. They traveled second class, they shared a four berth cabin with a Frenchman and his son. The trip across the ocean was very pleasant. They had two stormy days in the crossing, but remainder of the trip was calm. There were some wounded Canadian soldiers returning from the Boer War. Our Arthur had tried to enlist in the army when war was declared but was turned down as being too small. So he chummed up with the wounded soldiers and asked them lots of questions, they took to him and they became good pals all the way across. They saw icebergs one day and all passengers went to that side of the ship to watch them.

      On the same boat were a lot of Italian immigrants in the storage part of the ship.

      The boys were told to eat plenty and they would not be sea sick, which they certainly did. Breakfast was at 7 am for first sitting passengers, and at 8 am second sitting. At 10 am lunch was served buffet style. At 3 pm and 9 pm our boys were lined up for all meals in Dining room. The boys did not miss a meal in the dining room or a buffet lunch, nor were they sea sick. They had a very nice trip across the ocean.

      Every night there would be a concert, with passengers taking part, on April 29th the ship reached Quebec City, the ship steward put our boys ashore, even though they were booked to sail to Montreal. Why they were put into Immigration shed with the Italian Immigrants they did not know, but they heard that the steward lost his job over it, as it caused the shipping company a lot of trouble. Arrangements had been made for the CPR to meet and see they got on the right train and to collect their baggage which was in the hold of the ship. They were the only English passengers put off the ship, only steerage passenger "immigrants" were to leave at Quebec City. They did not know what to do, as everybody spoke French at Immigration Office. They left the ship in the morning so they sat on their hand baggage until about 11 pm. Inquiries were made for the ship that two boys were missing and may have left the ship at Quebec City, that was when they began to look for them. They were asleep on floor of shed with the Italians who were not very clean. Nor were the two boys by that time. They were found by an elderly Scotch Lady around midnight. She took them to her rooms over the station, and as they were dirty, she told them to take all their clothes off to be cleaned and washed. Brother Fred was sent to the bathroom to take a good bath, then she took our Arthur and scrubbed him clean. She gave both boys a night shirt and put them to bed, it was a lovely clean room and bed. Next morning being Sunday, there were no trains to Montreal, so they had to wait until Monday.

      Sunday morning she brought their breakfast to them and said their clothes were being cleaned and to stay in bed until noon, while they were eating she told them about the steward putting them off the boat at in Quebec City. At dinner time the dining room table steward missed them at their table, as they had not missed a meal all the way across, and he reported it to the Officer in charge of dining room. He went to their cabin to see if they were sick. The Officer found another couple in the cabin, they did not know of any two boys, so he returned to the dining room and asked the Frenchman who had been in their cabin if he knew where the boys were. He told him the steward put them off at Quebec City and brought a man and wife into the cabin for Montreal. The officer questioned the couple and found they had paid the steward for the use of the cabin. So the steward was arrested, and word was signaled at the next village for them to telegraph Quebec City to locate the two boys, that is how they were found, had they not been regular diners they may never have been found.

      At noon they got their clothes and went to dinner, after that they walked about old Quebec City taking in the sights until supper time as only the Scotch Lady spoke English the boys went to bed early. After breakfast Monday morning she told them they would leave at noon on the train for Montreal, they would be met there and given supper, then taken to train for Woodstock. Before getting on train she tied a tag on coat button so they would be recognized when they reached Montreal. On arrival in Montreal they were met and taken to a house near the Windsor CPR station. They were given their supper and later taken to the station and put on the train for Woodstock, the end of their exciting trip. They arrived at Woodstock noon the next day. They were tired and hungry after sitting up all night on a very hard uncomfortable railway seat. There were no brothers to meet them, as they were two days late in arriving.

Arthur arrived at Quebec City April 29th 1901 with 35 cents in his pocket. He was booked for Woodstock, New Brunswick. He arrived there May 2nd, 1901 with no money in his pocket and no job, he was tired and very hungry.

      Woodstock was a small country town with a population of less than 1,000, it was an agricultural town. Arthur got a job with a farmer six miles from town for one year for his bed and meals. Arthur arrived at the farm about 5 pm and was at once introduced to the barn and handed a dung fork and told to clean the cow and horse barns. When that was finished it was time for supper. After supper Arthur was taken to a shed filled with old harness and broken farm machinery and told that was his bedroom. There was an old straw mattress and couple of old blankets, also a lot of spiders and mice for company. After supper and shown the bedroom he was sent to pasture to bring the cows to barn for a milking. He was told to only bring in the cows and leave the other animals in pasture, but Arthur being a city boy did not know a cow from any other animal brought all the animals in, for his ignorance he got a few kicks in the rump, and told what a cow was. He was then taught to milk a cow, teaching Arthur was a hard thing to do, but he soon got the idea, but his poor hands being small soon got so sore he could only milk two cows to the farmers six, for which he got another kick in the rump. When milking was finished Arthur returned the animals to pasture, then feed the pigs, then the sheep, and clean the cow barn, fill the wood box, carry two pails of water to the house, it was then about 9 pm. Arthur was told to go to bed. He was a very tired and homesick boy. His bedroom having no window he groped his way to his bed and just fell on it and cried himself to sleep. That was Arthur’s first real day in Canada as a farmers boy.

      At daybreak next morning he was awakened, and another day started, he could feel every bone and muscle aching but being fully dressed and door left open he could see the stairs and made his way to the barn where he could see the farmer (who’s name was Howard Everett) feeding the horses. Arthur was sent to the pasture for the milking cows and warned not to bring other animals. The pasture was at the back field and into the woods. There was a narrow lane leading to the pasture, after some time he located the milk cows and started them down the lane. When he arrived at the barn he was told to be quicker next time. Milking finished the farmer drove the milk to town. It had to be at the dairy by 7 am. Arthur’s job was to clean the barn, return cows to pasture, feed pigs, clean two stables, fill the kitchen wood box, carry several pails of water to the kitchen, water small calves in the stable, then have breakfast. After that he was to have horses harnessed ready for work by time the farmer came home. Arthur had no idea how to harness a horse. He asked farmer’s wife how to do it, she was more understanding than her husband and she showed him how. On his return Arthur had the horses all ready for work. About 7 am he was taken to the field and taught how to harrow. A harrow is a farm implement usually formed of pieces of lumber or metal crossing each other and set with iron teeth called tines. The farmer walks behind the horses and harrow to break the plowed land to make it smooth ready for seed. Arthur was told to harrow until sun was in a certain place, then unhitch horses and take them to barn and feed them, and come to house for dinner. After dinner he was to do chores until the horses had eaten for an hour. Then go back to the field until sun was at another place, then come in for supper. After supper Arthur was to get the cows in for milking, then return cows to pasture, clean barns, feed pigs, and other chores until dark, then to bed.

      Next day and others to follow was much the same. Farmer sowed the seed on harrowed field, Arthur followed with harrow to cover seed, which was sowed broadcast by hand, Arthur was also taught to sow seed. Later came plowing, that was very hard for Arthur he being small could not reach the handles so was put to work picking stones and carrying them to piles along the fence. Arthur was a very tired sick homesick boy, but he was learning and growing stronger every day. It seemed like every day there was something new to learn, then hay making time came. By this time Arthur’s shoes wore out, being light city shoes, so farmer gave him an old pair of his several times too big. His clothes got too small as Arthur kept growing so farmer brought him a pair of overalls and straw hat. Mr. Everett had three horses, two heavy work horses and one driver. Now that hay making was started Arthur got his first riding job of raking hay. Arthur used the driving horse for this light job, work became easier but the hours longer. When haying was finished Mr. Everett did not need Arthur so made excuses to fire him (all lies). After dinner Arthur packed his few treasures and left. He had outgrown all the nice clothes he brought to Canada, so left with one shirt, overalls and straw hat, socks and old shoes too large for him.

      Half way to town he got a job at 40 cents a day to help a man, Mr Harding, who on Sunday was Deacon of the Church. The haying was completed in ten days. Arthur asked for his wages but the Deacon said he had no money and the Lord would pay him. So Arthur was out of a job once more with no money or clothes, but not for long, across the road was another farmer that could use him. This farmer was running this farm for a very old couple who had a separate house that they both lived in and farmer and wife lived in the farm house, Arthur was given a room at back of the house upstairs. Harvest was just starting, there was only one cow and a few pigs on this farm so after days work ended there were few chores for Arthur. He wondered why there was no hay in the barn, also why farmer took the day’s harvest into town every night while he did the few chores and went to bed. Arthur worked all through the harvest and it was getting cold weather. Arthur asked farmer for some money to buy some warm clothes, (this farmer was called Bert) he said he would fix him up for the winter the end of the week. Harvest would be finished and we would all go to town on Saturday. Friday night all went to bed as usual, Saturday morning Arthur awoke to see broad daylight, no one had called as was done every morning. On dressing Arthur went to the barn as usual, but there were no horses nor cow to feed, and the ground was covered with snow. Arthur returned to the house to wake up Bert, but there was no Bert, and his bed was gone and all the furniture. Arthur was very worried and went over to the old folks house to tell them. They were still abed, when Arthur told the two old folks what he saw, the old folks burst into tears. The old man asked Arthur to walk the three miles to town and ask the Marshal to come out to the farm. The Marshal’s name was Owan Kelly. Arthur did not know Mr. Kelly by sight so he had to ask where he lived. When Arthur reached the Marshall’s house Mr and Mrs Kelly were having breakfast. They invited Arthur to eat when they heard he had not had breakfast, then Arthur told his story and Mr Kelly said he would drive out to the farm to see the old folks. After breakfast Arthur helped Mr Kelly with the chores then they took the horse and buggy the half mile into Woodstock. On their arrival in town Mr Kelly stopped and tied his horse to the rack and took Arthur into the restaurant and told him to wait there until he returned. Mr Kelly found out that Arthur had no warm clothes while driving into town.

      Mr Albert Palmer who owned the restaurant gave Arthur a mug of hot tea and packet of cigarettes, first smoke he had since arriving in Canada six months ago. Mr Palmer asked Arthur a lot of questions and told Arthur there was an English boy working across the river in Grafton, then Arthur said he had three brothers somewhere around Woodstock but he did not know where.

      Mr Kelly returned about two hours later with some warm second hand clothing he had gathered about town. Arthur put them on at the back of the restaurant. It was a small one man restaurant. Mr Kelly found out that Bert had crossed over into the USA about daybreak, so could not bring him back for punishment. Bert had sold all the years crop and took all the money with him.

      Mr Kelly and Arthur drove out to the old folks farm. He picked up his few treasured things then joined the Marshal inspecting the barns and fields. There was no machinery left nor anything moveable. Bert had stripped the farm clean, the Marshal told the old folks to pack what things they wanted and he would come out in the afternoon with a team and wagon and take them into town.

      Mr Palmer gave Arthur his dinner and told him he thought he could get him a good home at Maplewood about twenty miles from Woodstock as he had relatives there. Arthur ate and slept in the restaurant for a few days while Mr Palmer wrote his relatives. A few days later a letter arrived saying a Mr Smith would be glad to give Arthur a home on his farm for a year and would give him board and clothes and pay him the next year $100. So Arthur started a new life. The Marshal bought his railway ticket (one dollar) and put him on the train for Millville the nearest station. On arriving at Millville a country village with railway station, two general stores and a few houses, Arthur inquired from station agent if Mr. Smith was at station to meet him. Agent said he knew him but had not seen him and for Arthur to inquire at Post Office which was in one of the general stores. Being a small place everybody knew everybody and Postmaster knew Arthur was coming but did not know when, so when Arthur asked him if Mr Smith was in the village was told he was not. The postmaster told Arthur Maplewood was five miles out, but the mailman was going out there and he may get a ride out with him and to wait in store until he came. Mail went out once a week, and lucky for Arthur, that was mail day. Mr Sid Palmer was the mail carrier who also farmed in the settlement. When the Mailman came for the mail he saw Arthur and asked him if he was the English boy going to live with Alfred Smith, on finding he was, he said he would take him out. Mr Palmer was a nice Christian man and asked Arthur a lot of questions on the drive out, and seeing he was poorly clad wrapped him in a robe. On the drive out he learned all Arthur’s hard story. He also told Arthur that he had no children of his own but had a niece and two boys at his farm home who were also homeless, also an old man who just did chores, he also was homeless and alone in the world. Arthur learned a lot about all the people in the settlement on drive out. There was not enough snow to use the sleigh yet so the mailman used horse and buggy which was too heavy for the horse to run, on account of the muddy road, so the horse just walked. It took a long time to reach the Smith farm, and since the mailman lived a mile further up the road, Arthur was dropped off at Smith’s gate and he walked to house. They were having supper when Arthur got into house, so invited him to eat. During supper they asked a lot of questions, some of which they already had heard by letter from Woodstock. The Smith family consisted of two old parents, father and mother of Alfred and his wife, Arthur was told to call the old couple Grandpa and Grandma, Mr Smith as Alfred and his wife Carole. Arthur liked his new home and people. After supper was cleared away Arthur was told he could go to bed, and Grandpa would bring all his clothes down stairs and they would make them to fit him. Arthur at last had a bedroom and bed in a warm house. In the morning Grandpa brought Arthur’s clothes to him and told him he could get up and come down to breakfast.

      Now let us describe this happy family, for that is how Arthur describes them. Grandma was tall and thin and very old fashioned, but very nice. Grandpa was shorter and fatter and had whiskers, they were both in their 80s. Alfred and Carole were average build, there were no children yet.

      The kitchen was average as farm kitchens go. There was a low stove with the oven over the stove on the stove pipe which heated the oven very well, a table in centre, Grandma’s rocking chair, several chairs and a wash bench which served as a seat. This wash bench was used in the winter with a bowl for washing hands and face, in summer it was out in wood shed. In the kitchen there were shelves with a clock and spice tins on it, a kitchen cabinet for dishes, flour, sugar, bread and other things, also an old couch. Later Arthur was shown the barn and the animals, he did very little all day. The animals there were two work horses and a driving horse, about six cows some calves and sheep, pigs and hens. By supper time Grandma had knit him a pair of mitts and Carole had a stocking and a half knit.

      After supper Grandpa and Arthur did the dishes while Grandma and Carole got their knitting out, it was time to get at knitting winter woollies for all the sheep kept them in wool. In spring sheep were sheared and wool either carded at home or sent to the mill 40 miles away to Fredericton, for carding. At the mill they took one quarter of the wool for pay.

      There was not much work other than farm chores to be done so Arthur helped with the house work. He was taught to cook and learned to churn butter and many other useful chores. The weather was getting colder and snow got deeper. Alfred took butter and eggs to the village and traded them for a pair of moccasins, money was not used, nobody on farms had money. Arthur at last was clothed for winter, in October winter was settled in.

      Now work started, it was time for butchering for market, but first the wheat and oats had to be threshed. Threshing was a community undertaking as there was only one threshing machine and treadmill in the settlement. The treadmill was a heavy box like contraption large enough to hold two heavy horses, it had a moveable floor, this treadmill had a large wheel on one side, which turned as the horses walked. The treadmill was tilted, a long rubber belt went from the wheel of the treadmill to the wheel of the thresher. All farmers congregated at the barn where threshing was being done (what was called a Bee). Some fed the thresher, others piled the straw, some carried the grain to the granary, everybody worked. When that farm was threshed they all move to the next farm and thresh his grain, and on to the next farm until all are finished. The farmer’s wives do the cooking and feeding the men, several wives come to help out. Arthur met all the farmers during the threshing, one farm was missed and Arthur never found out why. From the Smith farm the first one in the settlement they moved on to Arthur Kelly’s farm, next was Bill Kelly, then Arthur’s sons, then Geo Newells, then Manzer and Arthur Newell, next Shepards, then Loves then Palmers, then Faulkner, and last Bill Smith, Bill was the brother of Alfred. When all were threshed, all returned home, then butchering started. Alfred killed and dressed two steers, 4 sheep and four pigs. Grandpa and Grandma killed a lot of roosters and plucked them, all meat was frozen. Arthur learned the new business of butchering, but killing pigs was tricky, and a cold and wet job. A big barrel was set at an angle into which boiling water was put in, then dead pig was pushed into hot water, pulled out and all hair shaved or scraped off with sharp knives. As the weather was freezing the pig soon got cold and was put into the water again, then scraping continued. Then the job was to clean the wheat to take to the grist mill to be made into flour for the next years food. Each farmer grew a few acres of wheat for their own use. The cleaning of the wheat was done on barn floor, both barn doors were opened just enough to allow enough wind through to blow chaff out of the wheat which was slowly dropped from above, then bagged. When all was ready for market, the sleds were cleaned, new straw put on floor of sled, covered with a sheet and meat, poultry and butter were loaded and covered, and bags of wheat were put on top. Alfred started for market at Fredericton, on the way he would leave his wheat at Grist mill, sometimes several farmers would go at same time for company. It was a two days drive to market. They would stop at some farm house over night. Each farmer had a list of things needed for house or farm, and would trade his load for needed articles, which could not be grown or made on farm. Grandpa and Arthur stayed home to do chores and look after the farm and clean and slice apples for future use, which was quite a chore in itself. Apples were cored, sliced into thin slices and threaded on string which was strung around kitchen near the ceiling for drying. This was all like pioneering to Arthur and he liked it very much, it was a real new life for him and he learned many new things which in years to come was very handy to know. We will learn later what all these new things meant to him. Alfred returned home late Saturday night and drove the sled load into barn for the night and all went to bed. Sunday morning after chores were finished we unloaded the sled and put the things he had bought in their places. On the way home he stopped at grist mill to pick up his flour and bran. Flour was hung from rafters in attic to keep mice from eating holes in the bags. The flour was stored for a year to mature. He also brought Arthur a pair of shoe packs and snow shoes. Something new for him to learn as snowshoes were used a lot in winter with the deep snow.

      Now it was time to go to the woods (forest) to cut the years supply of fuel, axes were sharpened and all was ready. Arthur had been practising the art of walking with snowshoes, so he and Alfred started for the woods. Alfred carried the two axes in case Arthur fell and cut his head off, and Arthur carried the pot of dinner and bag of bread stuff. The morning was taken up in teaching Arthur how to chop a tree down in proper direction, and the different kinds of trees, hardwood and softwood trees. The hardwood trees were the ones we were to cut for firewood Maple, Birch and Beech. On arriving where cutting was to be done Arthur learned how to make a temporary camp and fireplace, which Alfred made and built a small fire. He set a pot of beans near the fire to keep hot while we located what trees to cut, marking them so Arthur would know them. By that time we were hungry, so back to the fire. Alfred made up the fire while Arthur got a pail of snow for tea water. While things were heating they got out plates and knives, bread and butter, etc. When the water boiled Alfred threw a handful of tea in water and set the pail to one side, this was amusing to Arthur for he had not seen tea made that way before. When all was ready they set about eating. After dinner Arthur chopped a tree down while Alfred watched and corrected any mistakes. This went on all afternoon until time to put on snowshoes to return home, which was about two miles away. Bean kettle and dishes were taken home for refill and axes were left at the camp site. All week they went into the woods. By this time Arthur had mastered the art of a lumberman, with a lot of aching muscles, but he was growing stronger every day and soon got over aching muscles, ready for any new experiences that may come along. When enough logs were cut, enough for about ten cords of firewood when cut and split into stove size. The next job was getting the logs into farm yard. The last few days of cutting they took horses and bob sleds, they would cut till dinner time, then they would load the bob sled and head for home, taking five or six logs to a load. When enough was cut they would haul two loads a day until all logs were piled in farm yard. That ended the hard work for a time, just the chores to be done morning, noon and night.

      In the long winter evenings Carole would read and knit, Grandma would knit and doze off once in a while. The others would sit around the stove, mitts and stockings hanging by the stove drying. The one who was the lucky one had the old couch, all were equal, first on the couch had it.

      When all the farmers had their wood in, the round of visiting would start. Some farmers went to the woods with their horses to work for the winter, but Arthur liked the visiting. Every house would have the visit in turn, all would gather in the parlour for singing, every house had an old organ. They would sing hymns and tell stories until about 9 pm then have lunch, usually doughnuts, cookies and milk, at about ten they would all go home. The next night another house had them all. What Arthur liked the most was that every house always had a jar full of doughnuts and cookies, for he was growing and always hungry. Arthur had opportunities to learn many things, for there would be sick animals to doctor, and towards spring help cows, sheep and pigs at births of their young, and bottle feed weak ones. The lambs seemed the main ones to bottle feed. He also learned to carpenter, if something made of wood broke it had to be remade, so off to the woods for right kind of tree and size of wood, then see the article made perhaps a wagon tongue, or neck yokes or wiffletrees, stanchions for cattle barn, every repair had to be made and winter time was when it was done. He also learned to shoe horses and was jack of all trades, not forgetting the cooking, butter making and churning and darning his own stockings, mitts and sweater, and many other trades. One could not drive 40 miles every time something needed mending or repairing. There were no telephones, electricity or motor cars, or washing machines. Washing was done on washing scrub board, there were many interests for Arthur.

      There were no Government snow plows breaking roads after a snow storm, the people had to do it themselves. This they did with a long log split in two pieces and formed like a triangle about seven feet wide at the base and poles or planks nailed across to keep base out the width. They would have horses tied to the point of plow, with the driver standing on it to hold it down. One farmer would go until he met another, each would help neighbour turn around and on return trip he would leave the road about every half mile and plow a turn about along the ditch so teams could pass. The nearest turnout would wait for oncoming team. There were bells on the horses in winter, not only for music but to warn oncoming traffic. Most farmers used the two horse sleds when going some place. When going with a one horse sleigh the horse was not in the centre of sleigh like a wagon in summer time, the shafts were on a sliding bar, and shafts were moved to one side in front. That was done when there was a ridge in centre of road made by the two horse sleds. The bells on the one horse sleighs were very musical, some fastened on the shafts, some loosely belted around the horse, one could hear the coming a long way off. They were not all the same tone and one got used to the different sound, and you could tell who was driving past the house. We could hear the mailman coming long before he got to our farm and would go out to the road to give him any letters to mail, or a list of small things needed from the store. You could hear him returning home and go out to the road and collect articles he brought you, but he did not deliver mail, one had to go to Arthur Kelly’s son, the postmaster, for his mail. The mail was delivered to the postmaster in locked bags. Arthur usually had the job of picking up the mail at the postmaster’s house.

      In winter time Arthur would set out a few traps along the brook that ran at back of farm in the woods, if he caught any furs he would sell them to Mr. Palmer, who did a lot of trapping in the winter. He would get credit of 25 cents for a good mink, 20 cents for a muskrat and 5 cents for a weasel. Days passed rather quickly and March came and new things and work came to Arthur, for in March 1902 another Bee came in the settlement, it was wood sawing time. Now this was done with the treadmill and horses like the threshing, only the belt from the treadmill went to a wooden frame on which a cross cut saw was attached to an axle which moved forward and backward to saw the logs into stove size length, about 20 inches long. One man marked the cut length and moved the cut pieces, another man pushed the log to the saw as each piece was cut off, several men split chunks into slabs, Arthur threw the slabs onto a pile to dry. The saw cut very quickly, what the saw cut in one day would take two men a week to cut, it would take them less than a day to cut all the logs. After all the logs were cut and slabbed the crew moved to the next farm, and set up the machine ready to start next morning. These piles of slabs stayed outside all summer and in spare time slabs were split into stove size and thrown into another pile to dry. This job was usually done during March and April. In the fall after harvest was all done the wood pile was wheeled or carried into the woodshed for the winter, and the yard cleaned up ready for the new logs to be cut during the winter.

      On arrival of spring Arthur was able to plough and do all kinds of farming, he worked through the seeding, haying until harvest time. When finished Arthur had worked and his year was done. He asked Alfred about the next year and the one hundred dollars but Alfred told him he could not give him any wages so Arthur quit. Mr Sid Palmer said he would give him a hundred dollars a year so Arthur moved to the Palmer farm but hated to leave the Smiths, they were very nice about it so they parted good friends. Arthur often visited the Smiths during that year.

      Now at the Palmer farm things were somewhat different, one boy had left, so Arthur took his place. Mr Palmer had many other occupations. He bought and sold cattle for city cattle brokers. He brought them to his farm for fattening ready for spring market so the two boys and Old Bill had lots of barn chores to do. Mr Palmer also did a lot of trapping in the winter, sometimes Arthur went with him, sometimes Charlie went, Charlie was the other boy. Arthur learned how to set traps, but only small traps. Mr Palmer trapped bears, foxes, lynx and any fur animal there was to trap. If Arthur caught any he would get credit for them, other winter’s work was about the same as at the Smith farm except Mr Palmer cut and stored a lot of ice for his ice house.