Back in England

I am sure I would have gotten ideas of making chocolate and fruit ice cream like we have today.  I should have gone into every city and town of any size and in a few years all England would have been selling my ice cream. Today I would be a billionaire. But ignorance has a high price and I paid that price.

Although I arrived in Bradford on Saturday afternoon Jessie was not there to great me. I knew from the beginning that she didn't love me and before I left Canada I made up my mind I would try to make her give me up. I treated her coldly and deliberately tried to make her dislike me but it didn't work. I did not understand then but I learned later. Jessie was not as young as she used to be and she knew her chances of getting married were not good. Like most other young women Jessie wanted to get married and I was her best prospect, therefore she was going to hang tight to me. She knew I loved her although I had given her up twice before.

I don't suppose I tried very had to make her dislike me because I loved her so much. We went out like we always did and things were very much the same. 

I had made up my mind to return to Canada and so I got back on to the subject of religion once more. Her father had died while I was in Canada and so Jessie took me home.  I could see that the rest of the family were still hostile to me and I did not mix with them.  Jessie and I spent our time in the front room. 

Through bringing Alf home with me another romance sprung up. Alf took a fancy to my young sister Teresa. He went home after he had his dinner but he was back again that same night and took Teresa to the picture show. Alf lived in Keightley. 

Alf was like me, he wanted to return to Canada. He promised to send for Teresa and I promised to send for Jessie but I tried hard to set her on the road to becoming Catholic. She had always said she was afraid to cross the ocean but I think her fears of being an old maid were greater than her fears of crossing the ocean. 

I had been in Bradford twelve weeks when Alf and left for Liverpool. We boarded the S.S. Montlaurier and sailed for St. John N.B. April 4 1924.

                                     

                        Another Turning Point In my Life

My father and mother did not want me to return to Canada but fear of being out of work was too much for me. 

We had a good voyage and landed at St Johns April 13. The next day we were back in Hamilton. 

I didn't stay in Hamilton and on May 25th I left for Guelph. The next day I started work with Page Hersey again. I made a mistake when I said I sent Jessie an engagement  ring because I did not send her the ring till I came back to Canada the second time. I had been working at Page Hersey's a while when I sent her the ring. I was trying to save all I could to bring her here but I would have given her the moon if I could. 

I worked steady till January 23rd then I got laid off. I left Mrs. Brewers and to live at Mrs. Sweeney's place. When I was at Mrs. Brewer's I made a desk and a wardrobe and I bought a sewing machine.  When I moved to Mrs. Sweeney's I had these things move to her place but now that I was out of work I sold them.

Mrs. Sweeney was a nice lady. Being out of work I spent a lot of time my room and every day Mrs. Sweeney would come half way up the stairs and call out in a soft voice and give me a big rosy apple.

In the morning I looked for work and in the afternoon I worked on my course. There were a few fellows living at Mrs. Sweeney's and I had a lot of company. During supper and after supper we always had lots to talk about. 

Things didn't look very good so on Feb. 9 1925 I left Guelph for Toronto. I got a room in a house off Young Street. I had been in the station before but this was the first time I had been in the city.  Incidentally Union Station was much further west on Front street at the time.

I was in a big city, but I did not know anybody and I felt a little lonely but I always had my drawing work to keep me occupied and I didn't mind having no friends. Every day I went hunting for work and at last I got a job. On Mar. 29 I started work with the Summit Dying co. But this did not last very long. On June the first I was laid off.

I didn't stay long in this house on Young street, I went right away on Queen street and got boarding's with Mrs. May in Gore Vale. On June 8th I got work with Canadian Dyers Association.

In my letters I learned that Jessie had come into the Church. I thought that was wonderful. Tommy had said it would be a miracle if she ever became a Catholic, but God had worked miracles for me before.

In spite of all the times I had been out of work I managed to save enough money to send Jessie her passage and on August 1st 1925 Jessie and my sister Teresa landed in Toronto. I had got work for Jessie at the York Knitting Mills and it was her own work, burling and mending. I also  got her boarding in a good Catholic home three doors higher up from where I was living. 

I had worked on my course under difficult conditions but I had always kept my marks very high.  I had gone through four years and was getting to the end of it. I had some mathematics to finish and it would have taken me about three months and I am sure I would have then got my diploma but Jessie came I had no time for my course and never touched it again. 

The two obstacles that had always stood in our way had been overcome. Jessie was a Catholic and she had crossed the ocean. I felt sure that all our troubles were over and soon we would be married and settled to a happy life. I soon realized that all our troubles were not over. Becoming a Catholic had not changed Jessie in the least. She was just the same as she had always been and going out with her in Toronto was no different to going out with her in Bradford, we still had our quarrels. When I talked about getting married she said she wanted to see the country before she got married. I reminded her that Canada was a mighty big country and she would be a grey haired old lady be the time she got through and I could not wait  that long.

Things got so bad with us that one evening I lay on my bed  in my room before going in to see her. I thought over the whole situation and convinced myself I would make a terrible mistake if I married her. When I went to see her I told her what I had been thinking about. I said, you had been instructed and baptized and today you are a Catholic. I thought that would make you understand the difference between right and wrong, I guess nothing will ever change you, you will always be the same. It is eight years since I met you, and in all that we have never got along. I we cannot get along when we are courting we certainly won't get along when we are married. Marriage for us would be a terrible mistake, therefore the best thing we can do is for you to go your way and I will go mine and try to forget we ever met.