Trip to Winnipeg

It must have been the following summer George and I went to Winnipeg to the Fair. We left the three boys with Aunt Maggie in the Valley. I think it was a house near Craven they lived in.

We had quite a time of it, so we thought, at the time. There were some wonderful stunts performed; some as good as I ever saw at fairs in later years.

I persuaded George to go to the Winnipeg Theater one night, against his wishes, but I wanted to see something besides pigs and cows and chickens. Do not remember what was showing at the theater, but it was something like East Lynne and was a bit unusual for me.

Then, on going home on the train, I grew quite ill and surely was glad when we got to Regina. There we ran across Marian Colton, who had bought Uncle Tom’s farm and who had his team and democrat in town; we went home with him. He was always so dirty,’ And I had to sit in the middle between Colton and George. I remember I had a new coat on and when we got home discovered the side of my coat, which was next to Colton, was all smeared with grease.

I think the first real thrill and sight of the splendors of my life was before we went to the fair. It was before Tommy was born, when Eddie was running around and talking. We went to a circus in Regina; George, Eddie and I. Just as we were going in, a fellow stepped up to a young gawky couple and asked them to wait a minute, placed them, looking a certain way. He already had his big tripod camera, or what looked like one, set up and the couple took it for granted he wanted to take their picture. After he got them placed just so, and had their eyes concentrated on something the other way, he sneaked off and left them. They stood there for a few moments and everybody began to laugh. All at once they realized a joke had been played on them and were they embarrassed!

George said the fellow would be after me next and I was so scared! George got a great kick out of me. Of course, this was an old time joke, but to me then it was very serious. There were a couple of clowns who sang, "Father, dear Father, come home with me now, The clock in the steeple strikes one," and so on through the song; and whenever the one who was doing the clock striking, the other clown would whack him across the seat of his pants with a stick. This caught Eddie as very funny, and for days the little fellow would go around singing, "Father, dear Father come home with me now, The clock in the steeple strikes on," and whoever was near him got a whack with a stick across the beam. Eddie had a great sense of humor, even at that early age.

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