Archie MacNeill

“real" farmers in Little Sands. He had bought up a

ct of land of big level fields, and when one passed there but a few years ago, one could see many cattle in the fields. This was quite a sight as there were no other cows in that area, where most farmers used to have between 6-20 cows. One can drive through now and not see a cow.

I remember Donald MacNeill, Neil’s grandfather, with a long grey beard. He was the brother of Murdock and Malcolm MacNeill, and a first cousin of my grandmother. He was married to the sister of my grandfather Malcolm MacDonald. His son, Archie Duncan, was married to a MacNeill from Wood Islands.

They had five children. You may say, “Only four,” but they lost one little girl, I imagine long forgotten. When she became very sick, my father and mother went to visit them. There was a slight skiff of powdery snow over considerable older snow. When they arrived home and put the horse in the stable, they just got into the house When there was a loud clap-like noise, which was a howl- ing wind on a clear calm night. The powdery snow filled the air. Some of the younger people, coming home from Christian Endeavour in Little Sands Church, had to stay in the school all night while others had to follow fences to find their homes. That was the wildest storm I can

a s far as I know, Neil MacNeill was one of the last

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