The Autobiography of Ruth Tagg Caley

It had snowed and the snow was deep, the air was fresh and cold. I had never seen asmuch snow in one storm before. I didn't like it, you may be sure. I noticed a lot of the peoplehad dark skin and hair. Father said they were the French Canadians and spoke French. My fathertook us shopping for a few things he needed, such as can opener, tin folding cups, bread, etc. Hemade us some hot chocolate in our hotel room and I thought it would burn me so I dropped it. Itsplashed all over us. Father was out of patience with me I know, but he kept quiet and didn't sayanything.My Life in Western CanadaWe traveled eastward through the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, andover to Alberta, on to Lethbridge and last stop to Cardston, a small town. At last we reached ourdestination after five long days of traveling on the train. We all took a deep breath of relief. Iknow now, my father was thanking God in his heart for our safe journey. We all stepped off thetrain. A few moments later a tall young man came up to us and said there was a bus ready to takeus to the hotel. The bus was drawn by horses and bounced us on our way.I pulled on my father's coat tail, and said "who is that man?" That’s all I heard him say inbetween times was Gee-Whiz! and I wondered what that meant. I soon found out that Gee-Whiz! man was my own brother Bob, who I had not seen for a long time. Bob was younger thanSteve and Jim (twins), and older than the twin girls. Bob had left England with Jim a few yearsafter Steve had gone to Canada.I was so happy, I shook with joy knowing I could see brother Bob again. The change ofclimate had made a big change in Bob. Now he was tall, spoke different. We must have lookedstrange to him as he looked us over. We were so short, and had an accent or was it Bob who hadan accent? I must have been a funny looking little girl with long hair down my back and glasses.Bob was a bellhop in the Cahoon Hotel so we had free rooms for a day or two.One of the girls in the café knew Bob and offered to help us by making we girls somedresses. She was only about nineteen years old herself. So father and Bob went shopping forcloth, it was black and white check and they got red bias tape for trim. Inez Picture got busy atthe sewing machine and made two dresses alike for the twin girls. I didn't get mine as time wasshort. I’ll never forget those dresses as I fell heir to them later on. I had to wear hand-me-downsand they came by twos.In England all the girls wore long hair, but now we were in Canada and they wore shorthair. Inez decided we should have our hair cut so off we went to the barber shop. Yes, strangethings were happening these days. We stayed in the hotel for three or four days. One day a bigman came and talked to Bob. I looked up at him, he looked so big, I felt at that moment like littleorphan Annie standing near Punjab. The stranger man was named Sandford Dudley. He toldBob he had come for us and would be back for us in half an hour. He took father and we threegirls in his wagon of coal and lumber. He had brought to town a load of wheat, and hadRuth Tagg Caley pg 13