Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

THE ROMANCE OF BANKING 273stood during the operation. One night I had my nosefrozen when in bed. The stove downstairs generally burnedout about seven or eight o'clock in the evening, and the coldcame up through the floor so that it was impossible to keepthe upper floor warm. During the summer the roof leakedsomewhat, and one of our lady customers asked us to buyher a new hat, as she had had her's ruined while making adeposit."It was difficult to secure decent meals in those early days.The two or three hotels and one restaurant which were in thetown were usually packed, as there was a large transient population.It was not unusual, in fact for many months it was anevery-day occurrence, to see a queue formed which would leadfrom the door of the hotel dining-room to the corner of theso that unless one got into line for dinner (supper, asstreet,they called it) at 5 p.m. it was not likely that he would getanything to eat before 9 p.m., and then only what was left over.The first persons to arrive at the dining-room door naturallythought that they had secured the best places, but by the timethe doors were opened the crowd behind pushed so hard thatthe first-comers usually found themselves flying through to thekitchen, while the others obtained the seats in the dining-room.By the time they got turned around there was no place for them,so they had to dine at a later hour."Another occasion which called for all the fortitude andcheerfulness of the pioneer was the opening of branches atWillow Bunch and Bengough in southern Saskatchewan.Willow Bunch had been the centre of an old-time ranchingdistrict, but was then a picturesque hamlet, inhabited for themost part by French Canadians. When the bank's branchwas opened there, there was no railway within a distance offorty miles. Some time later an office was opened atBengough, which was over twenty-six miles away on a newline of railway, and Mr. Harold Cameron was placed in chargeof both branches. At that time the only means of communicationbetween the two places was by horse, and as the business