We had to let the horses out on pasture. We had a temporary l‘enoe, however, some one left the gate open and the horses wandered off. The country was strange to me as well as the horses. I had no idea where to start looking, so a neighbor, Angus Smith, came by, and said “Willie are they gone?“ —- We should walk up the Mill Ridge way.” This we did and found some hoof tracks, so we kept on going, often through very thick bush and dead fall. I recall we came upon a trappers cabin in a small clearing: the place was alive with garter snakes, Angus assured me they were harmless. He also said, “i think we are lost." I was of the same opinion. We were sure mixed up -—~ I suggested we take our direction from the son. He agreed, but insisted the sun set in the east I finally said, “i‘m going towards the sun." We walked on and came to another shack, by now we were both getting tired as well as hungry, so we slept there that night. We were three miles from Spearhili and about ten miles from home, still no sign of the horses, so we set off for home. All the time I was trying to make up my mind as to whether I should give up the idea of farming and return to the city. Some two weeks later a man came to our place and inquired about horses that had wandered to his place, sure enough, this was my team, so I got them home. Shortly after one of them died. i am sure it had injured itself when it felt in the box car. i was able to borrow a horse from my brother-indent, as i needed a team to haul logs with which to build the house and born.

About this time the Soldier’s Settlement Board was selling horses, cows, and implements, that the settlers had bought and then given up, as they gave up trying to form. I bought a smali horse, called her Goldie. I discovered later she had been foundered. She was fine once she get moving and warmed up, but to see the poor thing come out of the barn, she was so stiff, it was pitiful. i also bought a cutter at the same time.

We needed groceries, so i hitched up Nell and Goldie to the cutter. While we did not really have enough snow for good sleighing I took a chance. Going, the horses were not too eager, but coming home, there was no holding them. About five miles out I hit a stone and broke one runner -— what a messll I had to try to hold the horses with one hand and hold up the side of the cutter with the other. i managed to get to a neighbor, who loaned me a wagon. By now most of my purchases were scattered along the road.

I managed to get the log house and ham built. Next job was to clear a bit of land for a garden, and ordered vegetable seeds through a seed catalogue. i remember ordering either a pound or half'pound of turnip seed, which we planted. These grew like mad. One day a neighbor called and asked why I was growing so many radishes. 1 did not know one seed from another, and the packages had been incorrectly labeled —~ our neighbors were well supplied with radishes that year. You can imagine, this was a standing joke for a long time. However, we did have a good garden from then on. Shortly after we arrived, a neighbor invited us over for supper. I had a habit of drinking water after every meal, so I walked over to where the water pail was (a water pail with dipper, was standard equipment in every kitchen in those days). My eye sight is very poor w I took the dipper and was about to take a drink, when i realized this was NOT drinking water ——- but a pail of slope for the

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pigs. The lady of the house said, “Oh Bear Dan, go feed the pigs and fetch a pail of fresh waterlll"

Ethel Webster, 3 school teacher, who boarded with us, as did many of the teachers over the years, had a Friend that taught school at Springbnrn. some distance away. Ethel had promised to go to a school dance at Springbum. Her boy friend did not Show up, as it was a stormy night. Ethel was disappointed and was anxious to go, so my wife and i decided we’d hitch up our team and take her. We bundled up Maurice, who was only a few months old, with tots of blankets and set off, and had not gone for when the horses stopped. i got out to try and see what the trouble was. only to find we were up against a barbwirc fence, in our own yordll i asked Ethel if she knew where we were m the had no idea. i told her if she thought she could find the way she could drive the team. She did and we arrived at the school. By now the storm had stopped and it was quite pleasant. We had a whale of a time. My wife and I had done a bit of entertaining, we played and sang Scotch and English songs. The dance went on till the early morning hours. The next dance was at our schooi -— Walmore. i said to my wife, “You go, i‘ll stay home with the baby.“ A short time later i heard sleigh bells, there was a knock at the door, and in walked several young men. They said your wife sent us to come and get the piano, so they loaded the piano onto the Sleigh. They had arranged to have a horse and cutter to take Maurice and me. While the piano was being loaded, someone bundled the baby and we were off. They told me there were people at the dance from Dog Lake who had come especially to hear the Millers perform. The piano got dumped oil in a snow bank, but no one noticed that the keys and felts were snow packed until a lady sat down to sing and play. However, after an hour the keys thawed out and the entertainment went on, ‘till the “small wee hours" —— and a great time was had by all.

By now we had acquired three horses, some. cows and a Holstein hell. The animals all pastured together, with no problem. One day a horse was at the salt-lick, when the bull suddenly lunged at him and ripped along gash in the horse’s belly, This determined me to out off the bull’s horns right there and then. I chased him into the born, on the way I picked up an iron bar. The hull went into his staii then suddenly turned and headed for the door where l was standing. I struck him with the bar which stunned the animal for a moment, 1 then put a logging chain onto the ring in his nose and led the animal outside where I tied him to a tree, then commenced sawing off his horns, when 1 out into the “quick” the bull let out a mighty roar and lunged Forward, tightening the chain so I could not release it. I called to my wife to bring me a butcher knife and E out its head of? --- now what to do with the meat? The teacher suggested we contact neighbors, which we did. The animal was skinned and the meat divided, so none went to waste. You can imagine the reputation I had for “dehorning” after that.

in the early days there were no roads, on telephone, no cars. {the day a neighbor came to get me to go to town to get the doctor. A man he had working for him had fallen off the roof and was badly hurt, so I took my team and went to Ashern for Dr. Peahe. While driving the doctor home i asked him what made him come to such a place, he said to make a living _.. I am able to go to the