1909] Reminiscences of Dr. Fletcher. 197 



-sharp reminder of the rapid flight of time and the fast approactf^' 

 ing rest from labour. ' Cj ' 



'* Already on our heads the years have sprent , ' ^ 



Their silver rime. How far the. day is spent! f 



How soon the evening and the low green tent! i 



The low green tent! Nay, yonder azure dome, 

 Where myriad, myriad worlds unjostling roam, 

 Is none too wide if God shall make it Home. " 



Fletcher had joined the staff of the Bank of British 

 America in London, on the 19th of April, 1871, and had been 

 sent in April, 1874, to Canada where he was first stationed in Mon- 

 treal. He was transferred to the Ottawa office on the 22nd of 

 April, 1875, and my acquaintance with him began during 

 that summer. He was then a handsome young man, in his 

 twenty-fourth year (just three weeks my senior), endowed with 

 unusual physical and mental vigor, and his strong vitality and 

 genial nature made him a great favorite with his companions 

 and rapidly enlarged his circle of friends. 



Naturally, he speedily became prominent both in athletic 

 and intellectual affairs, and as it was mainly in canoeing and other 

 out door sports that we were first associated, they will be first 

 touched upon. With the advent of the winter, which was one of 

 abundant snowfall, the Ottawa Snow Shoe Club was organized, 

 of which he was for some time captain, and merry tramps were 

 weekly taken to outlying points, such as Billings' Bridge, etc. 

 Survivors of those days wall recall the tramp which was taken to 

 Templeton, or as it was then called Gill 's Wharf, on the 3rd of 

 Feb., 1876. Snow was falling when he led the company of a 

 score or so from the Parliament Square down to the river, and it 

 was still snowing when, after a good supper and jolly evening, 

 the return tramp was started about midnight. Several inches of 

 snow had obliterated the trail and had made the going so heavy 

 that some of the weaker brethern, without his frequent aid, 

 might have been all night on the ice and have slept in the snow. 

 When the tired party reached their welcome homes it was well 

 on toward morning. Later, as referee, I witnessed a snow-shoe 

 race which he had with Orde, one of his companions, froin the old 

 Suspension Bridge toWylmer and back, and which was enlivened 

 by two serious runaways started by the blanketed runners. 

 Horses in those days seemed to bolt on slight provocation, but 

 fortunately no one was injured, although sleighs and harness were 

 broken. He was also fond of tobogganing and skating and often 

 formed one of the gliding crowd in the old rink that stood on 

 Slater St., not far from the present Arena. 



During the summer there were frequent enjoyable week-end 



