gates from 's and 's attended the meet¬ ings scheduled for Credit Union Day, Co-operation Day, Farmer's day and a final Summation day. At least some of these gatherings were in the old Legion Hall, and they served to deepen the conviction on the part of those present that study group work of this type was the fundamental basis of a successful co-operative enterprise. The co-operative movement in the village prospered upwards of twenty years longer until it, along with so many rural businesses, fell victim to the change in trade patterns consequent upon the development of cheap and efficient transportation be¬ tween Charlottetown and its ever-widening sphere of economic domination. Gordon Douglas Due to a back injury suffered at the age of five, Mr. Douglas ' legs failed to develop, and throughout his lifetime, he was forced to drag him¬ self about on the ground. This handicap did not, however, deter him from establishing a general merchandising business in partnership with Mr. Artemas Jardine some time before the Great Fire of 1894. His living quarters were located on the second floor, and he used a hand elevator to get up and down. The partnership was dissolved in 1899, at which time Mr. Douglas was joined by his nephew, MacLeod Douglas, then a boy of 14. MacLeod inherited the business upon his uncle's death in 1908 and oper¬ ated it successfully until the time of his retirement in 1963. His wife, Margaret, presided over an Ice Cream Parlour, located in the same build¬ ing, for many years, and the quality of her ice cream and sauces has rarely, if ever, been equalled. James Dunn At the turn of the century the Examiner made frequent references to the rushing business being done by the village's rival butchers, Messrs. Coffin and Dunn. Hamilton Coffin's shop, located in the home presently owned by Mrs. Luther Coffin , became the Post Office in 1912. James Dunn rented a store from William Vickerson in 1899, which, in 1910, was pur¬ chased by John Timmins of . Timmins ' Grocery and Meat Store flourished until the time of the owner's death in 1950, at which time the business was purchased by Cyrene MacDonald . Operated at first by Pius Griffin , it was taken over by Ray Gallagher in 1960. The premises were destroyed by fire in 1966, and a modern super-market, a member of the Clover Farm Group, was erected on the site. Michael Egan One spring during the early 1800's, a trading vessel, which had spent the winter in the ice part way up the Hillsborough , dropped its anchor at a location near the present Foxlands Estate. Among its pas¬ sengers was Michael Egan , the progenitor of the prominent Mount Stewart merchandising and shipbuilding family which was to bear his name. Michael bought up a great deal of land and established a general store on the site of the present Village Mart. This store, as is mentioned above, incorporated a Post Office, the first between Charlottetown and Souris . Michael died young, and it was left to his wife, Ann Beck , to consolidate what he had begun. It was a flourishing business, enhanced by the addi¬ tion of a completely new shipbuilding operation, which this indomitable lady eventually passed on to their son, David. .___RR___