The Other Side of the Bridge (46 page)

They sat in silence, comfortable apart from Arthur’s labored breathing. Once, looking out the window, Arthur said, “You reckon it’s gonna rain?” and Ian turned and looked and said, “It could, all right. Did March get the oats in?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s okay then.”

Arthur nodded and they settled back, Arthur thinking about the harvest, Ian guessed, and he himself thinking that he was lucky—unimaginably lucky—to have had this time with him.

Finally he said, “I should go.” He badly wanted to stay, but the morning was progressing and he had other calls to make. He got to his feet, resisting the impulse to check Arthur’s pulse yet again. He knew what it would tell him. “Is there anything I can get you?” he said, fighting hard to keep his voice light.

Arthur shook his head. “I’m okay. Thanks.”

“I’ll see you later, then.”

“Yeah.” The smile once more. “And Ian…thanks for comin’. Not just now. All those times, back then.”

By the time he had finished his calls and got home, it was late morning. He and Helen divided the office hours between them and it was her morning for the baby clinic, but she must have seen the car pull in because she stepped out into the hall to see him. It was a weekday, so their daughters were at school.

“How was Arthur?” she asked.

“Pretty bad.”

“I’m sorry.” She studied his face. He smiled at her, and she said, “It’s quiet this morning. Do you want to go out for a while?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am. Really.”

“I will, then. Ring the dock bell if you need me, okay? Or if Laura phones.”

“I will.”

He went down to the dock and slid the canoe into the water. It was full daylight now, but quiet and still. He paddled slowly around to Hopeless. The
Queen Mary
was there as usual, Pete bent over his jig like a patient vulture.

“How’s it going?” Ian said. There was a fair-sized pike sloshing around in the bottom of the boat, teeth grinning wickedly.

“So-so,” Pete said.

“Any sign of him?” He tied the canoe to the rowboat and climbed in.

“Nope. But he’s down there, man. He’s down there.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The town of Struan is an invention, but in my mind it is located at the northern edge of the vast and beautiful area of lakes, rocks, and forests known as the Canadian Shield, in northern Ontario. I imagine it west and a little north of the real—and much larger—town of New Liskeard, and I would like to thank the people of New Liskeard and the surrounding area for their help and advice about how things were “up there” in the past. In particular, thanks are due to George Dukovac for answering many questions and for parting with a rare copy of
Northern Doctor,
by Clifford Hugh Smylie, M.D.

For sharing his knowledge and memories of what it was really like to be a family doctor in the Canadian North in days gone by, I would like to thank Dr. Jack Bailey of Manitoulin Island, Ontario. The reality of such a life lies in the details—the bell on the dock, the volunteer system for person-to-person blood transfusions—and those details I could have obtained only from someone who had been there.

For further help with medical information, my thanks go to Jane Bremner, of Lakefield, Ontario, and to Dr. Oscar Craig and Drs. Alison and David Elliman, all three of whom live in England. Any errors, medical or otherwise, are my own.

I found the following books particularly helpful:

Ten Lost Years 1929–1939: Memories of Canadians Who Survived the Depression,
by Barry Broadfoot

Six War Years 1939–1945: Memories of Canadians at Home and Abroad,
by Barry Broadfoot

Up North: A Guide to Ontario’s Wilderness from Blackflies to Northern Lights,
by Doug Bennet and Tim Tiner

The Way It Was,
by Dave McLaren

In the Beginning: The Story of New Liskeard,
by Edna Lillian Craven, MBE, and its twin publication,
Now,
by Nora E. Craven

Home Farm: A Practical Guide to the Good Life,
by Paul Heiney

The “Paper of Record” Web site, surely one of the most useful research tools for authors ever devised, provided access to back copies of the
Temiskaming Speaker
dating back to 1906. The title of the newspaper changed over the years, but for the sake of simplicity I have referred to it as the
Temiskaming Speaker
throughout the book. I am grateful to that newspaper for its headlines, as well as for providing much information and a wonderful picture of life in the Temiskaming area.

Thanks are due to my agent, Felicity Rubinstein, of Lutyens and Rubinstein, and to my publishers, Alison Samuel at Chatto & Windus in London, Louise Dennys at Knopf Canada, and Susan Kamil at the Dial Press in New York, for their patience and encouragement.

Gratitude also to Amanda Milner-Brown, Norah Adams, Hilary Clark, and Karen Solomon, for their insightful comments and many heartening words along the way.

And, above all, huge thanks to my family: To my brothers, George and Bill, for their help with all things relating to the North; without their knowledge and assistance I would not have attempted this book. To my sons, Nick and Nathaniel, for their unwavering support (and thanks for finding the “Paper of Record,” Nick). And finally, to my sister Eleanor and my husband Richard. For both of them, thanks are not enough.

Mary Lawson, 2006

Also by Mary Lawson

Crow Lake

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BRIDGE

A Dial Press Book / October 2006

Published by

The Dial Press

A Division of Random House, Inc.

New York, New York

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved

Copyright © 2006 by Mary Lawson

The Dial Press is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2006048483

eISBN-13: 978-0-440-33637-2

eISBN-10: 0-440-33637-6

www.dialpress.com

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