Maura Falton

C. Milley Johnson

C. Milley Johnson is an active senior in the Little Catalina-Port Union area. "Maura Falton" was a valentine greeting common in areas of Newfoundland settled by people from England. It is from the expression Good Morrow Valentine. It was shortened to Morrow Valentine, and with an outport dialect became "Maura Falton."

I RACED ACROSS THE GARDEN as fast as the devil could scorch a feather. It was February 14th, and I wanted to "Maura Falton" Uncle George before anyone else was up. Whoever Maura Faltoned him first would get fifty cents, and that was a lot of money fifty years ago.

Aunt Sue was up cleaning the old Waterloo before she lit the fire and the stove would get too hot. It was freezing indoors as well as out, but I didn't mind that. I sat on the chair nearest the hall door.

Aunt Sue had an old wool sock hauled over her hand for the final touch to the stove. I couldn't see how she could make it shine more than it already did, but she gave it a brisk once-over, then neatly folded the sock, put it in the blackening box, and stored it under the stairs.

She was smiling to herself and looked like I imagined Mrs. Santa Claus looked. She had a frilly dust cap on and a big apron that covered her entire dress and a black spot on the side of her cheek.

Her eyes twinkled despite her age. She was the best "old aunt" in the community; she gave the children more "martrimonies" – small raisin tarts – than all the other women who lived there. Without saying a word, she went to the sideboard and produced one for me as if by magic, and then, laying the kindling in the stove, it wasn't long before the pleasant crackle of burning wood could be heard.