Bras D'Or

Dennis Jessome
The Boy From Bras D'Or

"George (Father) Swan."

Ever since I can remember there was a small canteen on the opposite side of the tracks from the Bras d'Or Train Station House.

It wasn't too big of a place when you come to think of it .If there was six people in there at one time that was a little crowded. The place I'm talking about is George (Father) Swan's Canteen...

To get to it from the main road ya hadda go behind the Station House and cross over the tracks. It had room for a Ball Machine, a Pop Cooler; a little "L" shaped counter where on one side was the wall full of canned goods and what have ya for the bare necessities if ya were stuck for something. Not like the co-operative or that and Candy in the little showcase where Father sat.

He didn't have to reach too far to get what ya wanted, it was at hand. Everyone knew him as Father Swan. He was a big man and always had a stick of gum chewing on it and if he talked to ya he never stopped chewing to talk. The other part of the counter was to serve hot-dogs and food from the little kitchen he had at the back. His daughter, Lois, (m) Tony Currie from Sydney Mines, worked in the back as did Anne MacLean. We called her Ann Swan as she was always there, like a figure head, and always with that friendly smile and full of the devil like the rest of us. Growing up with Anne was lots of fun and even today she still has that impish little smile.

Some people just don't lose those little things that amuse people. There were four or five stools and two were always taken up for the Cribbage Games that were held all day, every day, and there's not too many fellas growing up in Bras d'Or that didn't have a game of cribbage with Father. He won a lot of games.

The old saying going around was "ya got hands as quick like Father Swan," which meant he was pretty quick on the pegs. Ya couldn't see him pegging with his big hands he used to hide the board when he was marking so ya hadda watch him like a hawk.

I'd say Naish Jessome from across the bridge, son of Long Will and Aunt May (Marsh) Jessome, played the most games against him. Father couldn't beat Naish Jessome too well cause he always watched him and when he marked three for two points he would let him know and that was almost every play ha ha .

When we were old enough he would teach us and let us play. I've been playing since I was 11 years old and he taught me. We would send someone old enough in to get a couple of smokes and share them outside. We always got our nickel worth it on the two cigarettes. Someone always had a bobby pin and ya'd put the butt in it and suck till there was no more tobacco in it. If ya saw someone with a little blister on the top lip ya knew he was the last one to have the butt. Wincie Ross was pretty good at it, there wasn't a puff left when he was finished and he always had the little blister on the top lip. We bought a couple of Juicy Fruit and everyone had a little piece so ya couldn't smell the nicotine when ya went back from recess. The school was pretty close to Father's so we would go there almost every day.

Father Swan was married to Kate Marsh, my grandmother, Nellie {Marsh} Carey sister.
They had a fair size family.
Oscar (m) Agnes MacDonald and lived across the bridge.
Dennis (Din) was married to Marie MacMullin,
Marion (Maunie) (m) Fred Arsenault from Cheticamp,
Mary Magdalen (Mag) was married to John MacLean and lived in Wilfred Jones house by the tracks.
Bridget (Bitty) (m) Reginald (Reg) Thurbide,
Catherine (Katie) married John MacLeod and lived by the Station House next to Fred and Maunie.
Lois (m) Tony Currie from Sydney Mines.

Father left his mark on Bras d'Or with the family he left behind and his offspring and their offspring will go forever. Father had a job opening and closing the old swing bridge at Bras d'Or Gut. The boats would blow the whistle and he'd get right up in the middle of the card games and say: _"Duty calls boys, Duty calls."

He'd walk down to the bridge and all the kids were waiting for him to see who he would get to help him. Con Newton had the key ready fro him when he came .The key was put down this hole in the centre of the bridge and a plank went through the eye of the key and the boys would walk with the planks as if they were winding a big clock and it would open the bridge by turning the key.

Con Newton, Eddy Stapleton, Jimmy MacIntyre, Keith Cantwell, Dave Young, Cook Young were the boys from this side so he would share the walk with some of the boys from the other side, Skinny Din Jessome, Lloyd Huntley, Bernie MacNeil, Jimmy (Red), Muck and Blackie White, Johnny Conway were a couple from the other side and they shared who was gonna turn the key.

When the bridge was closed and the boat went through, back to the canteen they would all go and father would give them a treat.

Like the Bras d'Or Station House, Ernie Clifford's garage, Old Post Office and a few more, Father Swan's canteen was a landmark also.

The odd time he acted a little cranky but ya hadda know him he was a gentle man and we had a lot of laughs with him. When we worked on the railroad we hung out there a lot and he was good to us. When we got older we always made a point to come see father and spend the cold winter months in his little canteen playing cribbage and reminiscing of the things we used to do when we were going to school.

"Ya's were little Geesers I tell ya, but, I loved everyone of ya's and now look, yer all grown men. I'm so proud of ya's." It kinda made ya feel good coming from Father Swan. He managed to come with us once in a while as he was retired and came out with us for a few toddies, him and Harold Young, Alonzo and Mag Young from down at Cashin's tracks. Father played a big part in my growing up in Bras d'Or. I spent a lot of my school days there at his canteen as did a lot of the boys from around Bras d'Or. He was a well liked man and everyone knew him. He will be in my memories forever as one of the nicest persons I had the chance to share some good times at his canteen with him.

Thanks Father for the memories. They will live in my heart forever.

These pages were created by Lark Szick
© Copyright All Rights Reserved. Mar. 2007.

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