NEIGHBOURS SHARE WITH A FAMILY IN NEED Over one hundred years ago, Alexander and Marjorie MacDonald lived in St. Margaret 's, and later moved to North, where they bought a small farm. Marjorie, the daughter of Alexander and Sarah, relates some stories about what they had to endure. Before Marjorie was born, one of her sisters, Etta, became very sick, and was diagnosed as having scarlet fever. The disease was contagious, and it gradually spread to other members of the family. A neighbour, Phil Costello , was worried that his family might contract the disease. He decided that the MacDonald's should be quarantined. A flag would be placed on the premises, which meant that there was no trespassing near this residence. The next morning, Phil planned to go to Souris to have this procedure completed. Before he left, he noticed that a yellow flag was already in place on the neighbour's property. This pleased him greatly. It so happened that Uncle Bill, who lived with the MacDonald's, heard about Phil's intentions, and he had placed the flag there himself. Later, Bill hitched up the horse-and-sleigh and went to the store for groceries. This upset Phil greatly, who left for Souris to notify the authorities. He was informed that there was no quarantine issued on this family. Uncle Bill had the last laugh. It was thought that Etta contracted the disease from a pair of her father's rubber boots that she liked to put on and prance around the house. It so happened that her father had purchased the boots at Kickham's store in Souris West . Someone had purchased the boots before Alex bought them, and had returned them. That person had contracted scarlet fever, and they thought that was where the disease originated. Etta was sick for a long time, and then her mother noticed 120