The Gully

Enid Smith

Mrs. Enid Smith married Canon Tommy Smith, a minister for the Anglican Church. Their second parish was at Salvage, Bonavista Bay. Of all the places they lived, Salvage was Mrs. Smith's favourite. The Smiths moved to Salvage in 1948. It was a big change moving from a city church to an outport church.

WE WENT OVER to the rectory. The parishioners were all there. The fire was lit and it was enough to bake you.

The minister was always called "parson." One said, "Do you think we got everything for the parson?"

They all started to think and count up what they put in. They all got talking. They had food stored away. Everything had been cleaned and papered. They had our beds made.

Bejeepers was a term they used to use. Not everybody, but this old gentleman did. He piped up. "Bejeepers. We forgot the gully!"

I looked at Tommy and Tommy looked at me. What was a gully? We dared not go asking questions. We just pretended we knew.

The first thing in the morning, Tommy said, "Enid, have you been thinking what a gully is?"

I said, "I really don't know what it is."

Then the old gentleman came in.

He said, "Parson, I got the gully, but she got to be plimmed first. It will take about three days, but you will be all right until then. I got it plimmed, but she's got to dry out."