Part 6 - From Saint-Fortunat to Sanford

[copyright 2017: Dennis M. Doiron]

Monday, July 11, we had to leave for Sanford. After giving our thanks to everyone at my uncle’s for welcoming us so warmly, we made our goodbyes to his family and to Delienne and Alphonsine. And after that, we left at seven o’clock in the morning with Uncle Hilaire Aubin for Sainte-Victoire-d’Arthabaska [now, Victoriaville] for the train to Richmond.

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We had to go twenty-eight miles by wagon. The road seemed very long to us. We arrived at Sainte-Victoire at twenty minutes to noon, and we had to wait for the train until three o’clock in the afternoon. After reaching the station and learning the train schedule, we went to the store to purchase different items and sweets for our train ride.

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Awaiting Permission to Publish the Photograph.

Click the link below to view the image.

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Post Card, circa 1900.

Grand Trunk Railroad Station, Victoriaville.

Collection numérique de Bibliothèque et Archives nationales de Québec :

http://collections.banq.qc.ca/ark:/52327/11261.

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While waiting for the departure, Éva and I occupied the time by talking about our trip to Canada and recalling our adventures, but each of us was still annoyed about not having had our clothes trunk during our stay in Canada. But what consoled us was that we had a pleasurable trip all the same.

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We left on the express train at three o’clock for Richmond. We arrived at twenty minutes to four, and then we had to wait until eleven-thirty. The time seemed very long to us. There were a dozen or so other passengers in the waiting room.

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Awaiting Permission to Publish the Photograph.

Click the link below to view the image.

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The Grand Trunk Station in Richmond, Québec.

Post Card, circa 1900.

Collection numérique de Bibliothèque et Archives nationales de Québec :

http://collections.banq.qc.ca/ark:/52327/1953907
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We visited a church to say our evening prayer. On our way back, we went to a restaurant where we had some good cake and, from there, we returned to the station where we had only the memories of the several weeks which had just rolled by to shorten a bit the length of the evening. I wrote several notes which kept me well occupied for at least an hour.

Shortly before the arrival of the train, we had the pleasure of meeting Mr Charles Langlais and his wife who were returning from their wedding trip. We spoke a few words,

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but the train announced its arrival, and we went to take our seats. It was a quarter to midnight when we left Richmond for Portland. While leaving, we met Madame Roulx, her two daughters and her young boy who were returning from their promenade. We rode together. As I was so exhausted, I slept peacefully.

On waking, I noticed a young man sitting next to me. He spoke to me immediately, and I continued the conversation. We each talked about our promenades. He informed me that he was living in Berlin Falls and that he had visited several places around Saint-Fortunat where we had gone. He had also departed from Sainte-Victoire, but only on the evening train. I hadn’t the indiscretion to ask him his

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name, but he was a very friendly young man who also seemed very nice from the first meeting.  He was also going to Berlin Falls with the rest of us. I informed him that we had met Madame Joseph [Délienne] Lambert of Berlin Falls while visiting Saint-Fortunat. He told me that he knew her well.

He joked in saying the he had his laundry done in Canada, but he complained that the Chinese had not served him well. The washing had been very good, but the ironing had left a bit to be desired. I thought that they must have had their training with those of Saint-Fortunat because his shirt and our collars seemed to have been ironed at the same shop. We had a lot of fun with our story of the Chinese.

While talking he suggested that we leave the train in Berlin Falls, where we could make a short visit, and take the express at three o’clock for Sanford. But seeing that we

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did not have our trunk, we thought it better to not show our beautiful outfits in Berlin Falls. We thanked him for his invitation, after which he wished us a good evening and a good trip.

On arriving in Portland, Charles Langlais came to make a brief visit and stayed with us until we arrived at the station. We arrived at nine o’clock, and then we had to wait until twelve-thirty. While getting off the train, we met Monsieur Joseph Benoit who was coming back from being with his family in Sanford. While talking, we told him that we had arrived back from Canada and that we had not had our trunk, that it was likely that it had stayed in Cumberland Mills.  He went to find an agent who assured him that it was there and that we could retrieve it while passing by the station.

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He took charge of retrieving the trunk.  I was very happy because we had started to be a bit bothered by the whole story, especially Éva, who was obliged to use her English, but which gave her some practice. While stopping at Cumberland Mills, Monsieur Benoit got off the train but did not have the time to speak to anyone because the train had only stopped for several minutes. The conductor informed us that we should telegraph him on arriving in Springvale, and that he would send it to us immediately.

We arrived in Springvale at two o’clock and we boarded the trolley cars to go to Sanford. We found all the family very well and after informing them of our trip, we told them that we had a happy trip, while keeping from them the story of our trunk.

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And as mother had waited for our return to do her weekly laundry so that she could do ours, we informed her that she didn’t have to wait any longer, that our clothes were clean. She thought the we had done our washing in Canada, but by posing some questions of one fashion and another, we came to tell them all.

The Demers family home, purchased in 1891, 56 Allen Street, now Pioneer Avenue, Sanford, Maine, circa 1905. Standing: Adreanna, Odelie, Virginie, Odias and Henriette Demers, the mother of Odelie and Éva. Sitting: Virginie’s children, Rose and Ernest Reid.

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And on Thursday, our trunk arrived after a telegram that Monsieur Thomas Chason had sent to them Wednesday evening. We were happy to see it arrive, but we would have been much happier if it had reached us in Canada. I very much hope that a similar event does not happen on my next visit.

Odelie Demers,

          Sanford, Maine, U.S., July 1898

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