Clara was 97 years old...
Illustration
Clara was 97 years old when I met her almost 30 years ago. She lived alone in a large house on the shore of Mahone Bay. The first floor of her home consisted of a large room, which had once been the village dry goods store, a large kitchen and dining room, a living room and a bathroom. The second floor consisted of five bedrooms, two of which had their own baths and walk-in closets. The third floor consisted of a large room suitable for dancing, and the attic held the maid's quarters and the stairway that led to the widow's walk.
Clara could remember walking along the widow's walk with her grandmother as they watched for her uncle's clipper ship to enter the bay.
Each room in Clara's house was filled with treasures from foreign countries; china, furniture, paintings and tapestries filled every room. Many of the rooms were so full that it was literally impossible to walk through them. It should have been a beautiful sight, but it wasn't because Clara's treasures were coated with at least 25 years of dust. Cobwebs hung from every fixture. The heavy drapes were closed and held together with clothespins so that no one could peek through the window. Our footsteps could be seen as we disturbed the dirt on the floor.
Clara's treasures were filthy because she was afraid to let anyone come into her home to clean. She was so afraid of being robbed that all of her windows and all but the kitchen door was nailed shut. Clara catnapped on an old cot beside her kitchen door. She spent 25 years of her life waiting for the thief to come.
--Conroy
Clara could remember walking along the widow's walk with her grandmother as they watched for her uncle's clipper ship to enter the bay.
Each room in Clara's house was filled with treasures from foreign countries; china, furniture, paintings and tapestries filled every room. Many of the rooms were so full that it was literally impossible to walk through them. It should have been a beautiful sight, but it wasn't because Clara's treasures were coated with at least 25 years of dust. Cobwebs hung from every fixture. The heavy drapes were closed and held together with clothespins so that no one could peek through the window. Our footsteps could be seen as we disturbed the dirt on the floor.
Clara's treasures were filthy because she was afraid to let anyone come into her home to clean. She was so afraid of being robbed that all of her windows and all but the kitchen door was nailed shut. Clara catnapped on an old cot beside her kitchen door. She spent 25 years of her life waiting for the thief to come.
--Conroy
