I sold a car to a lady in Belle River at that time. She was 75 years old. Yeah. The day I brought her in to sell her the car, my boss asked me if I was getting crazy, selling that old lady a car. “Well.” I says, “she’s got the money. IfI don’t sell it to her somebody else will.”

I could tell you a funny story that struck me the first year I was selling cars. I sold this car to an elderly man... . The day we went in to pay for the car, after he settled for the car, hecome over to me and he said, “don’t come to town very often but I don’t like to be mean when I come.” And he says, “Could you get me a bottle of liquor?” I says, “By gosh,” I says “Mr. Nicholson, if I had’a known before we come in... . You can’t get that without a doctor’s prescription.”1

So I walked back into the office and I asked my boss, and I said, “You wouldn’t have a prescription, would you?” “I have one,” he says, “but I want it tomorrow. I’ll give it to you if you can get me one tomorrow.” I said, “Yes, I’ll get you one tomorrow.” So he gave it to me, so I went out, and I got the quart for the old gentleman.

“Now,” he says, “I want to take you to dinner. When I come to town I like to be all out and I want to take you to the Old Spain2 to have a lobster dinner.” And there was another neighbour of his happened to be with us, so we took him too.

When we got to the Old Spain we thought we’d go to the toilet and have a drink... . So we went in and had a drink and we started back out to the table. And he was the last one to come out. He shut the door of the toilet; and then he opened it again; and he put his head in and he says, “Well, so long. We’ll see you again.” That was Charlie Dan.

I was in every pantry and kitchen in the whole Belfast district. And I could always go back. That was the beauty of it.

Victory Bonds

It was the most, I think, the most rewarding thing I ever done in my life. I wasn’t able to go overseas the second trip. I certainly tried to do my bit

in this war. I was the Victory Bond salesman for the Belfast area for nine loans and

I had the honour to be the top country salesman on P.E.I., which gives great

1. During the Prohibition years, alcohol was sold for strictly “medicinal” purposes, and

only upon presentation of a doctor’s prescription! 2. The Old Spain was a popular restaurant on Kent Street in Charlottetown. It was owned

by the Bell family and was a favourite eating spot for Belfasters on a visit to town.

Cameron MacPhee 193