TWO BUDDIES

Peter and Michael McGaugh were the sons of Michael and Mary (Curran) McGaugh. Both men lived in Bear River all their lives. They did make an occasional trip to Nova Scotia, where they worked in the woods to supplement their income on the farm.

Peter and Michael never married, but their home was so neat, that one might assume that either, or both of them were married. They were good housekeepers and everything was clean and tidy in their house.

They had a very successful mixed farming operation. They were good stockmen, raising fine horses, cows, and sheep. Many times, they were lucky. If the prices for cattle or potatoes escalated they would always have some to sell. Where you saw one you saw the other, for they were inseparable. In fact, they were so close that one

carried the cigarettes and the other one carried the matches.

Peter was a very jovial man. On one occasion, his sister, Mary, was at home cooking the dinner. Peter and Michael were at the wood pile splitting wood. It was April Fool’s Day and they were trying to think of a joke to play on their sister. Finally, Peter went to the door and told Mary that their uncle, who lived down the road, had a red flag showing through the upstairs window. This was something that the earlier generations did when there were no phones. It was a means of communication when help was needed. Peter told Mary that she should go right away. Mary left the house quickly, ploughing through the deep snow, and crossing the fields to his home. She arrived all out of breath, wondering what might have happened. Pete and his wife were sitting in the kitchen in great spirits. When Mary asked them if they needed something, they looked surprised. Mary told them about Peter’s concern. Pete laughed, and said, “I think Peter has played an April Fool’s trick on you.” Mary hadn’t noticed that there was no flag flying

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