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1 Venez ici,
mon cher ami, an' sit down by me--so
2 An' I will tole you story of old tam long ago--
3 W'en ev'ryt'ing is happy--w'en all de bird is sing
4 An' me!--I'm young an' strong lak moose an' not afraid
no t'ing.
5 I close my eye jus' so, an' see de place w'ere I am
born--
6 I close my ear an' lissen to musique of de horn,
7 Dat 's horn ma dear ole moder blow--an only t'ing she
play
8 Is 'viens donc vite Napoléon--'peche toi pour votre
souper.'--
9 An' w'en he 's hear dat nice musique--ma leetle dog 'Carleau'
10 Is place hees tail upon hees back--an' den he 's let
heem go--
11 He 's jomp on fence--he 's swimmin' crik--he 's ronne
two forty gait,
12 He say 'dat 's somet'ing good for eat--Carleau mus'
not be late.'
13 O dem was pleasure day for sure, dem day of long ago
14 W'en I was play wit' all de boy, an' all de girl
also;
15 An' many tam w'en I 'm alone an' t'ink of day gone by
16 An' pull latire an' spark de girl, I cry upon my eye.
17 Ma fader an' ma moder too, got nice, nice familee,
18 Dat 's ten garçon an' t'orteen girl, was mak' it
twenty t'ree
19 But fonny t'ing de Gouvernement don't geev de firs'
prize den
20 Lak w'at dey say dey geev it now, for only wan
douzaine.
21 De English peep dat only got wan familee small size
22 Mus' be feel glad dat tam dere is no honder acre
prize
23 For fader of twelve chil'ren--dey know dat mus' be
so,
24 De Canayens would boss Kebeck--mebbe Ontario.
25 But dat is not de story dat I was gone tole you
26 About de fun we use to have w'en we leev a chez nous
27 We 're never lonesome on dat house, for many cavalier
28 Come at our place mos' every night--especially
Sun-day.
29 But tam I 'member bes' is w'en I 'm twenty wan
year--me--
30 An' so for mak' some pleasement--we geev wan large
soirée
31 De whole paroisse she be invite--de Curé he 's come
too--
32 Wit plaintee peep from 'noder place--dat 's more I
can tole you.
33 De night she 's cole an' freeze also, chemin she 's
fill wit snow
34 An' on de chimley lak phantome, de win' is mak' it
blow--
35 But boy an' girl come all de sam an' pass on grande
parloir
36 For warm itself on beeg box stove, was mak' on Trois
Rivières--
37 An' w'en Bonhomme Latour commence for tune up hees
fidelle
38 It mak' us all feel very glad--l'enfant! he play so
well,
39 Musique suppose to be firs' class, I offen hear, for
sure
40 But mos' bes' man, beat all de res', is ole Bateese
Latour--
41 An' w'en Bateese play Irish jeeg, he 's learn on
Mattawa
42 Dat tam he 's head boss cook Shaintee--den leetle Joe
Leblanc
43 Tak' hole de beeg Marie Juneau an' dance upon de
floor
44 Till Marie say 'Excuse to me, I cannot dance no
more.'--
45 An' den de Curé 's mak' de speech--ole Curé Ladouceur!
46 He say de girl was spark de boy too much on some
cornerre--
47 An' so he 's tole Bateese play up ole fashion reel a
quatre
48 An' every body she mus' dance, dey can't get off on
dat.
49 Away she go--hooraw! hooraw! plus fort Bateese, mon
vieux
50 Camille Bisson, please watch your girl--dat 's bes'
t'ing you can do.
51 Pass on de right an' tak' your place Mamzelle Des
Trois Maisons
52 You 're s'pose for dance on Paul Laberge, not
Telesphore Gagnon.
53 Mon oncle Al-fred, he spik lak' dat--'cos he is boss
de floor,
54 An' so we do our possibill an' den commence encore.
55 Dem crowd of boy an' girl I'm sure keep up until nex'
day
56 If ole Bateese don't stop heseff, he come so fatigué.
57 An' affer dat, we eat some t'ing, tak' leetle drink
also
58 An' de Curé, he 's tole story of many year ago--
59 W'en Iroquois sauvage she 's keel de Canayens an'
steal deir hair,
60 An' say dat 's only for Bon Dieu, we don't be
here--he don't be dere.
61 But dat was mak' de girl feel scare--so all de
cavalier
62 Was ax hees girl go home right off, an' place her on
de sleigh,
63 An' w'en dey start, de Curé say, 'Bonsoir et bon
voyage
64 Menagez-vous--tak' care for you--prenez-garde pour
les sauvages.'
65 An' den I go meseff also, an' tak' ma belle Elmire--
66 She 's nicer girl on whole Comté, an' jus' got
eighteen year--
67 Black hair--black eye, an' chick rosée dat 's lak wan
fameuse on de fall
68 But don't spik much--not of dat kin', I can't say she
love me at all.
69 Ma girl--she's fader beeg farmeur--leev 'noder side
St. Flore
70 Got five-six honder acre--mebbe a leetle more--
71 Nice sugar bush--une belle maison--de bes' I never
see--
72 So w'en I go for spark Elmire, I don't be mak' de
foolish me--
73 Elmire!--she 's pass t'ree year on school--Ste. Anne
de la Perade
74 An' w'en she 's tak' de firs' class prize, dat 's mak'
de ole man glad;
75 He say 'Ba gosh--ma girl can wash--can keep de
kitchen clean
76 Den change her dress--mak' politesse before God save
de Queen.'
77 Dey 's many way for spark de girl, an' you know dat
of course,
78 Some way dey might be better way, an' some dey might
be worse
79 But I lak' sit some cole night wit' my girl on ole
burleau
8080 Wit' lot of hay keep our foot warm--an' plaintee
buffalo--
81 Dat 's geev good chances get acquaint--an' if burleau
upset
82 An' t'row you out upon de snow--dat 's better chances
yet--
83 An' if you help de girl go home, if horse he ronne
away
84 De girl she 's not much use at all--don't geev you
nice baiser!
85 Dat 's very well for fun ma frien', but w'en you
spark for keep
86 She 's not sam t'ing an' mak' you feel so scare lak'
leetle sheep
87 Some tam you get de fever--some tam you 're lak
snowball
88 An' all de tam you ack lak' fou--can't spik no t'ing
at all.
89 Wall! dat 's de way I feel meseff, wit Elmire on
burleau,
90 Jus' lak' small dog try ketch hees tail--roun' roun'
ma head she go
91 But bimeby I come more brave--an' tak' Elmire she's
han'
92 'Laisee-moi tranquille' Elmire she say 'You mus' be
crazy man.'
93 'Yass--yass I say ' mebbe you t'ink I 'm wan beeg
loup garou,
94 Dat 's forty t'ousand 'noder girl, I lef' dem all for
you,
95 I s'pose you know Polique Gauthier your frien' on St.
Cesaire
96 I ax her marry me nex' wick--she tak' me--I don't
care.'
97 Ba gosh; Elmire she don't lak dat--it mak' her feel
so mad--
98 She commence cry, say ''Poleon you treat me very
bad--
99 I don't lak see you t'row you'seff upon Polique
Gauthier,
100 So if you say you love me sure--we mak' de marieé'--
101 Oh it was fine tam affer dat--Castor I t'ink he
know,
102 We 're not too busy for get home--he go so nice an'
slow,
103 He 's only upset t'ree--four tam--an' jus' about
daylight
104 We pass upon de ole man's place--an' every t'ing 's
all right.
105 Wall! we leev happy on de farm for nearly fifty
year,
106 Till wan day on de summer tam--she die--ma belle
Elmire
107 I feel so lonesome lef' behin'--I tink 't was bes'
mebbe--
108 Dat w'en le Bon Dieu tak' ma famme--he should not
forget me.
109 But dat is hees biz-nesse ma frien'--I know dat 's
all right dere
110 I 'll wait till he call ''Poleon' den I will be
prepare--
111 An' w'en he fin' me ready, for mak' de longue voyage
112 He guide me t'roo de wood hesef upon ma las'
portage.
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