Memories of Skeleton Lake by Paul Temple

30s, the cliff was blasted back and the highway built across Clements
beautiful sand beach, separating her land from the lake by a highway.
Dad & I were opening the cottage when one of the Fullertons came by
from Rosseau to invite us to Mrs. Clements 90th birthday party. We
were invited to stay overnight because they didn’t want him returning
after having a few beers. I was about 12 at the time and too young to
drive. The party was planned exactly the same as it would have been
around 1900. An age range from babies to those in their 90s. The
children were outside at picnic benches, and the adults were inside.
The meal was a many course feast reminiscent of meals served during
harvest time. After the meal came the entertainment. Take yourself
back to the 1900s-no radio or outside form of entertainment. The
status symbol was a piano. There was a violin, mouth organ or
guitar stashed away, or visitors brought their own.
After pianists, singers and fiddle players had entertained, they had
the feature of the evening—storytellers. I Googled Storytelling and
Wikipedia assures me that the art is still alive. Just a few years
back, wife Louise and I were driving through Tennessee, and came
across a fair. We decided to check it out and stay an hour or so.
There was a national story telling contest with several tents. And
we were entertained by many presentations, and spent the rest of the
day there.
Let me continue about the storytellers at Clements. Two of them got
up to tell the story of Skeleton LakeI could tell it was directed at me,
because of my young age, and they knew I was from there—also, Im
sure the others had already heard it, but they would not be bored,
because the presentation was different each time. Ill tell the story as
I remember it:
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