In reply to Gary Metcalfe, although I knew Alcide Lajimodier fairly

well, I don’t know who his dad was. He lived with Ward and Annie Anthony south of Horseshoe Lake for a few years and I went there to visit several times. One time when winter had closed in and the lake froze over, I took an old gun and headed across Horseshoe Lake to hunt a bit on the way to Anthony’s. It was like going back in time. When I got to their place and walked up the steps and as I knocked on the door, I noticed a pancake in the window down behind the stove. They had me in and we sat around the table and Ward started his jargon about horses and the like. Then he said, “The damndest thing happened this morning. Ma was flipping pancakes and one never came down.” I told them it was behind the stove. Alcide and Ward jumped up and looked and then let fly with another banter about how dumb the other one was. They used to get so bored down there, they would start an argument just to have something to do! I saw it with my own eyes. Ward would say, “Yes it did.” Then Alcide would say, “No it didn’t.” Pretty soon it was, “You dumb ass, you wouldn’t know if it did or didn’t.” It was hilarious! They used to sit around the table and feed the dog candied orange slices, the fakey sugar kind. He was so fat he would lay on the floor and pant continually. I thought it couldn’t be good, just watching him. One time later when I was there, they were all sad so I asked what’s going on? They said, “Poco died– had a heart attack right there on the floor.” No doubt! I always thought Alcide was an uncle to Alice Bergan so she must have been a Lajimodier. I found out later she was a Laverdure, so I don’t know the connection. Gary’s mention of four gates on the road to Anthony’s was exactly right, I opened and closed them many times. As kids, Keith Smith and I would go down the trail south of their place, through all the gates, to Anthony’s. They were so far down in the woods, it was nearly an adventure just to get there. My old buddy, Carroll Carlson worked on the Miller ranch at Chinook, MT in the late 30s. He said Alcide showed up there as a ranch hand. He said Alcide was deathly afraid of snakes and would jump off a hay stack if someone yelled “snake”! Vickie Metcalfe confirmed the story, as her dad also said the same thing. I was at Kelvin when Alcide had a heart attack. I remember Richard Slyter and I were there with Leo and Betty Poitra, who took him to the hospital. He passed away later that night. I think Alcide was a veteran of WWII, but I’m not sure. Thanks Gary!

Dick