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gCI it:' he says. I went and brought it out and put it on the tablc. Hc said, "lfJ had
a girl:' old ick said. "Iike that, I'd fire her in the waler." ..1t wasn't her fault," I
said, ··Mr. Ghaney··. It was [though] 10 cook (that]. She ought to know better
[than] to get the fish that was brought in and headed Friday evening to cook on
Sunday evening or Monday evening and that's the truth as you're thcre. rm
telling no lies. "WelL" he said. "ifyou done that what would you doT "You
needn't worry,Mr. Ghaney. I ['m] not going to do any such thing:' Poor! There
were some bad girls on the Labrador, bad cooks. Milke the bre:ld. You'd see Mary
Ellen going right up on the hill \\ith a bag ofstufT flinging it away. hea\Cing it
away. [They'd] waste an 3\\fullot ofgrub.
My maternal grandmother. Elizabeth (Ryan) Griffin. was born in Colliers and
went to Splitting Knife on Cut Throat Island in 1883 at the age often. She went as cook
for eight men, including her uncles John. Mike, and Paddy Ryan. When I asked my
mother, Catherine (Griffin) Doyle, and aunt. ell (Griffin) Stoyles, 10 lell me what she
had lold them about going down on the Labrador, they told me the following story
intcrspersed with other memories ofgrowing up in the Griffin houschold:
N.S.: She was splitting fish on the stage one night and the bone wenl through
her hand. Anyway, she showed me the mark. 1remember her.
C.D.: he told us how she had to cook and bakc bread with hangers. I seen thaI
sure up in Toronto. [Black Creek Pioneer Village]
N.S.: Wire racks, you mean?
C.D.: She uscd to get the coals and put the coals IIp around her bread. The
boilers used to have a machine, a wirc, a piece ofstccl to hang 'cm. Alice and
them [James Doyle's sister] used to have n fireplace like that years ago.
N.S.: This was built up on an iron rod. No SIOVC. Shc worked hard. They had a
place to sleep, lhat's all. I remember Mom telling me how she used to work hard.
She had to work. That's alii remember.
C.D.: Wash for alilhe men. bake. go in on the stagc.
N.S.: Se\'enteen when she got married. No. twcnty-scvcn and Dad was twentysix.
Married in 1900 and she was twenty-scven. Aftcr Dad came home from the
tates.
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