“ PAULITICS & PERSPECTIVES _NIMPO LAKE — Carl . Erickson bought the Nimpo ' Lake General Store in the ‘early °60s, sold out in the "708 and went to the Fraser "Valley where he contracted ‘emphysema and boredom. ‘In the suramer of 1989 he came ~ back to Mimpo with a practical - nurse and went to live in his old store, which had since been turned nto a dwelling. He alse-brought with him a “mystery unsolved and probably : unsolvable, “The new owner of the former general store building and much “.sureounding lakeshore terzitory vas Donn Irwin and wife Phyllis. « They-are still there, the owners and operators of the Dean River Don tells the story from this point. See if you can figure it out. ‘“4None of us had any doubt that * Carl had come back here to die. He had left all his pills, his oxygen mask and his oxygen bottle back in Abbotsford. He must have ° : known he couldn’t live without them.” “Carl and his nurse moved into ‘the. former store, just across from the new Nimpo Lake General — ” Store:-He told people he had always liked Chilcotins He: ¢ ‘couldn’t say much more because. ‘he was forever out of breath. After: three days it was obvious -that:he was dying, and Donn Ir- win, who had also been playing ©: nursemaid, called for the | " ‘specializing Inf limited: Edition Prints : ‘Bateman . ‘eo Brenders «plus many more “artists ~ Special Grand Opening Prices oe helicopter ambulance from Williams Lake. While they waited for the whapperhoofer he sat beside ald Carl, who wasn't talking, “OF course we both knew he was dying, so at one point f said, ‘Carl, is there anything you want me to do for you?’ “He got excited and was able to say yes, Then 1 started trying to find out what it was he wanted, It took forever. He might be 10 minutes or more getting enough air to say even yes or no loa question. “He pot out the word, number, finally, ‘Your bank account number?’ t said. He shook his head. It wasn't that. “ *You want me to phone your wife?" She was away on holiday at the time. He shook his head no, “Lasked if it was a phone number that was important. He shook his head yes, yes, yes. Was it his phone sumber? No. Was it the hospital phone number? No. Was it my phone number? “When | asked if if was my phone number he got fairly ex- cited. His face was blue then and his hands were turning blue, but he could convey his message..-My phone number. was important. “To be sure, | wrote my phone number on a piece of paper. It’s the same number | have now: 742-3332. He read it and said yes. “Obviously, he wasn’t going to phone me. | was there. Somebody, | maybe the nurse, said, ‘He likes playing lotteries; ask him if he wants you to bet the phone number.’ - “That's what 1 asked him, leaning over him to catch what he could say. ‘Carl. Do you want me to bet that phone numiber on the lottery?’ “Yes, yes, yes, he wanted me to bet that number. [ repeated the question, and he nodded some more, but he was fading very quickly and that was the last bit of information he ever gave us. ~ “The chopper came and took him away and he died within half. an hour of reaching Williams Lake Memorial Hospital.” After the helicopter left, Donn Irwin told this funny little story, as he saw it, to the new owner of Nimpo Lake General store and . Showed the slip of paper on which . he had written his phone number. ’ Two days later, on June 10, 9254676 PARK ROYAL SOUTH. UPSTAIRS (actoss from TD Bank) 1989, the store-keeper phoned Donn and told him what the draw that day had been on the 649 lot- tery. Mr. Irwin still has the numbers written on a limp and tired piece of paper as he wrote them that day: 17.40.1233 10 362. Within it appears his own tele- phone number, 742-3332, with the numbers in proper order. “f figured one time that if | had spent $100 on tickets as Carl Erickson wanted, the win would have been more than $6,000,000." Instead, all he has is Carl's dy- ing guess, written on a piece of paper. So Carl is dead and Donn and his wife rent boats to tourists who fish Nimpo Lake and another Chilcotin mystery cemains tn- solved, MR. WONDERFUL Nightly 7:05pm Mature TRUE ROMANCE Nightly 9:00pm Restricted OU} includes solid pine sofa bed frame, triple foam core futon, Scotchguarded ‘ futon cover, pillows and pillow covers. oN . White quantities last. FACTORY FUTON 259 E, Ist St, N. Van, Parking in reac Open 12-7pm daily 984-4504 Nightly 7:06pm> Mature HOT SHOTS PART DEUX Nightly 8:45pm LEASE IS - Nighty. 7:10pm Maturo INTO THE WEST Nighy a:05pn CLOSE OUT SALE ALL STOCK. 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