Down North and Up Along 
esqueness to the scene, as in colour and features 
they were still Indian. 
Fruit was a luxury in Halifax. The open- 
air market was bright with vegetables and 
flowers, but with the exception of cranberries, 
huckleberries, and small sour plums there was 
no native fruit to gladden the eye or refresh 
the palate. So we had concluded, when sud- 
denly our glance fell upon a booth as bright 
as the flower-trays with its assortment of 
beautiful peaches, pears, and plums. Surely 
this was remarkable fruit to be matured in a 
northern climate, but to our amusement the 
vender pointed to his wares and with mis- 
placed pride uttered the disillusioning word 
— California ! 
The negro in Halifax is an anomaly. He 
is hardly seen elsewhere in Nova Scotia, but 
here there are so many that one keeps ques- 
tioning the latitude. Surely one has made a 
mistake and gone " down South " instead of 
"down North." But a glance at the early 
history of Halifax makes the mystery clear. 
From its beginning this town seems to have 
been a place for the reception of outcasts of 
various sorts. 
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