Mother had a cousin who was an old man of eighty. He had worked for the
Hudson Bay and Great American Fur Companies of John Jacob Astor,
carrying great loads of provisions to the trappers all through the Lake
Superior country, then taking the loads of fur back to market from the
trappers' camps. He being now too old to work, and without a home, my
father feeling sorry gave him a home with us. He was so grateful and
happy he could scarcely express his gratitude, speaking very little
English and that very broken. French, Spanish and Indian he spoke
fluently. He was born in Canada of French and Spanish parents. His
mother and my mother's mother were sisters. His name was Bertemau
Mazoka. The trappers called him Magazau, meaning "store" in English, as
with his two dogs, Bob and Maje, he carried a regular store for the
trappers. One dog, Maje, had died. Bob, the other, was eighteen years
old, and inseparable from the old grandpa, as we children were taught
to call him. He loved to have us call him grandpa. He was very kind and
patient with us, never tiring of doing something for our comfort.