Guest post by Pat Grafton.
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I first went to Ile Cadieux in 1947 so most of this saga will be written about events from that time onward. I was visiting next door at the Davidson house as my sister Doris had just married John Davidson whose mother owned that cottage. That year I met Geoffrey Grafton. I had noticed that there was a handsome young man at the cottage next door and that other young people would call on him and they all seemed to head down to the end of the island. I took my young niece, Nancy, for a walk down the road and it wasn’t too long before I met and was a member of the group (five or six people around my age).
The following August I spent a month at the Davidson cottage with Doris to help her with her children, Nancy, Joanne and Pamela. We were both kept busy as we had only a wood stove to work with, cold running water and ice box (that was always dripping over). As I recall, the weather in August in those days was always cold and windy and, of course, as neither of us drove a car, we were stuck in the house trying to keep two babies and small child content. Also John had the habit of inviting any friend he met to drop out to the country any time and, of course, they all did! They usually stayed drinking and carousing until the wee small hours. The idea of being in the country was supposed to be a rest for Doris; however, she would have been much better at home with all the conveniences and where she could control the visitors.
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| Joanne and Pam visiting next door with H.A. They were in awe of him but were persuaded to go over to receive a taste of honey from his honey jar. |
In spite of all this, Doris and I had lots of fun, both of us being blessed with a good sense of humor. A couple of gin and tonics at the end of the afternoon were also a big help! We spent many a happy hour trying to picture what was going on at the Layton/Grafton cottage with all those people in it. We knew there were Mr. And Mrs. Grafton, Uncle Army, H.A. and two maids but saw very little of them. Geoff’s father, Ross, was always trying to lure me out to go on trips in his motorboat with him and I was always trying to get out of going. Had Geoff asked me, I would have been thrilled, but it was no treat to go with his father who would go on boat trips for hours (not exactly a thrill for a young woman.)
Another thing I recall about that time is the bats. The children slept upstairs and one night Doris’s baby, Pamela, called out “Mommy, birdie”. We discovered that the birdie turned out to be a few bats. Doris and I screamed and called over to the Grafton cottage for help. Over came their handyman, a tough Lancashire man, who disposed of them all by hitting them with a broom. I remember him laughing at us and calling us sissies. I don’t think we slept a wink that night as we thought more might appear.
By this time, Geoff and I were together constantly and continued seeing each other throughout the year. However, I had never met the mysterious (we thought) Mrs. G., his mother, until Christmas when I was invited to see their Christmas tree. I found her to be a warm, friendly person and we became close friends. This close friendship lasted until she died. We often laughed about the mysterious woman business together when I told her about it many years later.
Geoff and I were married in June of 1951 and, of course, were expected to go to the cottage each weekend as this is where Geoff had spent his summers all his life. I was not particularly fond of it in those days as things were still quite formal and, as mentioned earlier, there was a large household in residence. The only place for Geoff and me was on the tiny side porch on which were bunks and room for very little else. (It remains the same today.) There was no privacy with all the various people milling about.
Dinner was served at noon and was a very heavy meal. There were always a roast and a pudding, plus cookies and cake. H.A.’s housekeeper, Elizabeth, did all of the cooking, which commenced as soon as breakfast was cleared away. After the noon repast, everyone had a rest for about two hours; the shades were drawn and no one could make a sound. Supper, another quite heavy meal, was served at 6 p.m. The large maple table was set right in front of the fireplace and it was difficult to have any conversation as old H.A. by now was quite deaf but still wanted to know what everyone was talking about. Ross (Geoff’s father) would make amusing remarks about old H.A. and make us laugh. This was very annoying for Mrs. G., who would have to make up something to tell the old gentleman, who would notice that we were all talking and laughing and would say: “What are they laughing about, Alberta?” Also, there was constant friction between Army and Ross, which seemed to occur mainly at table, most likely as this was the only time the whole family was together. This was due to the small, but no doubt, irritating habits of Ross. Army was a fastidious bachelor, while Ross had rather sloppy manners – crumbs flying all over the table, spilling berries, etc. – while telling endless jokes and puns that we had heard many times. As Ross knew these habits irritated Army, he would increase these activities and laugh hilariously.
I recall that Elizabeth (H.A.’s housekeeper) would often pass the dinner table at lunchtime with her potty to dispose of its contents in the bathroom. We were not supposed to know what she was doing but, naturally, we all did and Uncle Army (being a rather prissy old gentleman) found it most obnoxious. Of course, this would send me into gales of uncontrolled laughter, prompting H.A. to ask Alberta what was the joke. I could never figure out why Elizabeth would choose this particular time for that duty, except perhaps because she knew that no one would be in the bathroom at that time.
After supper, H.A. always wanted to play croquet. This sounds as if it might be fun. However, it was not, as the old gentleman had to win and was very upset if he did not. Consequently, we all took turns to spread out the “duty”.
