Friday, May 11, 2007

My friend Paul and I were hunting near St. Peter's Cape Breton when an awful Nor'Easter came up late in the afternoon, we decided to hold out as long as possible and continued to hunt. Just before dark, the winds were really high and blowing snow right into our faces as we headed back to the truck and camper. The snow piled up fast and impeded our travel. Between the wind and deep snow, we weren't making much headway. Off to the right I saw a light once in a while through the blowing snow. I suggested we make our way toward it, it turned out to be a farmhouse. We knocked on the door and a nice looking lady answered. She immediately seen our dilemna and invited us in. Getting out of that roaring wind was wonderful and then the smells coming from the kitchen were even more wonderful. We explained what happened and where our vehicle was. She insisted we stay for supper, she told us her late husband loved to hunt and more than a few stormy evenings she had awaited his return.
Supper was superb, then dessert in the living room followed. She insisted we stay the night, with the warmth, full bellies and the TV glowing we weren't in the mood to argue. After a while I must have dozed off on the coach. The next thing I knew, Paul was arranging my legs on the sofa, an she was putting a pillow under my head, along with a blanket over me.
The next morning I awoke to the smell of bacon, and the voices of the other Paul and our hostess in the kitchen. By the time I washed up, breakfast was ready. We had a liesurely coffee, then headed out in two feet of snow for our truck. More than once on the way home to Halifax, I commented on how wonderful that lady was. Paul said he couldn't agree more.
Just about nine months after that hunt ,I received a letter from a law office in Port Hawkesbury, I couldn't make heads or tails of this letter. Then it struck me, I telephoned the other Paul.
I said, "Remember that widow that took us in last year near St. Peter's?" He said, "Yes.", he remembered. "Tell me", I said, "That night after I fell asleep on the sofa, you didn't by any chance make your way upstairs with her, did you?" "I May have!" he answered. " And by any chance did you tell her your name was Paul Crawford instead of Paul Anderson?" "Well, I figured you were single and I was married, so it wouldn't do any harm." "Did you ever go see her again?," I asked. "Just a couple of times during the summer ." he said. "That explains this letter from a lawyer in Cape Breton." I said. "What letters that ? " he inquired. "Well, it seems she died, she left me the deed to the farm, $10,000 dollars in the bank and a 1977 Ford station wagon!"

CC#6 First heard this related by Hugh F. at a wildlife banquet. His "good" friend was Joe.

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