THE CRIPPLE
by Edwin Brown

While we were watching a large vat of maple syrup boil off at a camp near Lee Brook, Edwin told me this little story. I had heard it before from Paul Kingston but couldn't understand what a cripple was doing in the woods. Well, the story goes that the Miramichi Fire come down this way while four fellers were in here cutting ties. The fire come upon them real quick and they couldn't get out ahead of it. Three of the lads run but they were overtaken by the fire and got burned to death. The fourth feller was a cripple and couldn't run with his friends so he crawled into a spring. A great big spring ... boiling right out of the side of the hill. I can take you there. It's right over in that direction. That's the same spring they filled the tank sleds from the time they iced the road through here to haul the popular. Anyway, the crippled lad got down in the water and the fire burned right over him. He lived, but the other three died in the fire. He was in here cooking for them. Ya, he was the cook.