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hecklers who were always present in force. The verbal exchanges between audience and stage were often more entertaining than the actual program. Occasionally, the sallies from the floor became a little more peppery than -a particular thespian could take, and resulted in his losing his temper to the extent of challenging his tormentor to step outside. Cast and the male members of the audience thereupon hurried outdoors; a ring was formed; someone assumed the post of referee, and the fist fight got underway. The lighting facilities -- a couple of lanterns -~ left much to be desired; many well-intentioned punches landed on empty air. Rarely was any serious damage suffered by either combatant. At the end of the fracas, handshakes were exchanged; everyone went back indoors, and the show was resumed. | Quite often, the fistice interlude was the best feature of the evening.

During the drab days of winter, house parties were frequently held. There was daneung to the music of fiddle, mouth organ, or at a pinch, the jew's-harp,.followed by a supper prepared in the traditional Island style. Roast goose was the customary main item, with potatoes ahd vegetables,.and dessert consisting of three or four varieties of pie. Included in the menu was country style fruitcake -- a delicacy which has no rival anywhere in the world. 1 have tried samples of fruitcake in many other places, but they ajl proved'‘to be very pale imitations of the Island product. Because of space limitations, those house parties were necessarily confined to small groups; the need for winter entertainment on a. large scale was met by the basket socials presented by the various churches.

Their primary purpose was the raising of funds to help defray church maintenance expenses and to assist community improvement projects, so that they were alwayS well-patronized. In that time, when the horse and buggy, or the sleigh, furnished the chief means of transportation, friends and

relatives separated by distances of ten or more miles were seldom able to