Posted by Ed Kiser on October 04, 2004 at 19:31:42 from 152.163.100.6 user Kisered.
In PP, CH3:
They are in the old mine, talking with Slater Bob, and he says:
"Yer mother's father took me wi' him when he went to Africa after that same stuff."
It continues to surprise me, as I go through these books yet again, to discover some new feature that apparently on previous readings did not capture my attention. This reference to "Yer mother's father" is one of those that only just now has surfaced into my consciousness.
The elder Turner, father to Molly and Jim, apparently had been a gold miner, with Slater Bob, looking for gold in Africa. Perhaps it is no wonder that the son, Jim (alias Captain Flint), followed in his father's footsteps and likewise went roaming the world in his search for gold. This elder Turner, whose given name is not indicated, must be the brother to Maria Turner, known as the Great Aunt.
Apparently the elder Turner and his wife (unidentified in the stories) died while Jim and Molly were still children, as they were raised by Maria Turner, their aunt. Don't remember any evidence as to what happened to them to cause what can be guessed as being an untimely death.
This association with that elder generation leaves one to speculate on just how old Slater Bob really is, and yet is still doing manual labour in a job that is not easy, and is downright dangerous, yet he has survived, even to be working the new copper mine discovered in PP, as shown by the visiting prospectors in "Picts and Martyrs" .
To think he does this work with a piece of cheese for lunch. "I've quarried and mined for fifty years on a bit of cheese to my dinner and I don't fancy nowt else." (PM, CH24)
Old age seems to be found in several of these characters. Not only Old Slater Bob, but there are the two Billies (Charcoal burners), and old Mr. Swainson singing his old songs. Makes me wonder if there is some aspect of that environment in the Lake District that seems to allow folk to achieve such an age. It is a hard land, with its share of cold Winters, and perhaps that toughens one to live longer. There is a saying, "Rough Weather Makes Tough Timber" (a book title I once saw.) Maybe that applies to people as well.
There are these infrequent glimpses into the elder generations as to the history of these families. In addition to the Aunt Maria, there is also another aunt, Helen. Although not explicitly identified as such, I surmise that she could be a sister to Bob Blackett. The Amazons refer to her as the "Good Aunt" as compared with Aunt Maria.
This brings up a bit of a puzzle for some. The Amazons did go and visit with Aunt Helen, and they liked her. Where is that info given?
I wonder why these characters seem to be so REAL?
That is all a part of the fascination with becoming a part of All Things Ransome.
Ed Kiser, South Florida