The Voyageur and Other Poems Part 3

W'at 's use of all de money If dere ain't some boy an' girl Mak' it pleasan' for de Yankee an' hees wife W'en dey travel on de worl'?

For me an' Eugenie dere 's not'ing we lak bes'

Dan gader up de chil'ren an' get dem nicely dress-- W'y it 's more dan half de pleasure of our life.

I love de Yankee woman An' de Yankee man also, An' mebbe dey 'll be wiser bimeby-- But I lak dem all to know If dey want to kip deir own, let dem raise de familee-- An' den dey 'll boss de contree from de mountain to de sea, For dey 're smart enough to do it if dey try.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Bird's nest]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Border]

The Last Portage

I'm sleepin' las' night w'en I dream a dream An' a wonderful wan it seem-- For I 'm off on de road I was never see, Too long an' hard for a man lak me, So ole he can only wait de call Is sooner or later come to all.

De night is dark an' de portage dere Got plaintee o' log lyin' ev'ryw'ere, Black bush aroun' on de right an' lef, A step from de road an' you los' you'se'f; De moon an' de star above is gone, Yet somet'ing tell me I mus' go on.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "De moon an' de star above is gone, Yet somet'ing tell me I mus' go on."]

An' off in front of me as I go, Light as a dreef of de fallin' snow-- Who is dat leetle boy dancin' dere Can see hees w'ite dress an' curly hair, An' almos' touch heem, so near to me In an' out dere among de tree?

An' den I 'm hearin' a voice is say, "Come along, fader, don't min' de way, De boss on de camp he sen' for you, So your leetle boy 's going to guide you t'roo It 's easy for me, for de road I know, 'Cos I travel it many long year ago."

An' oh! mon Dieu! w'en he turn hees head I 'm seein' de face of ma boy is dead-- Dead wit' de young blood in hees vein-- An' dere he 's comin' wance more again Wit' de curly hair, an' dark-blue eye, So lak de blue of de summer sky--

An' now no more for de road I care, An' slippery log lyin' ev'ryw'ere-- De swamp on de valley, de mountain too But climb it jus' as I use to do-- Don't stop on de road, for I need no res'

So long as I see de leetle w'ite dress.

An' I foller it on, an' wance in a w'ile He turn again wit' de baby smile, An' say, "Dear fader, I 'm here you see We 're bote togeder, jus' you an' me-- Very dark to you, but to me it 's light, De road we travel so far to-night.

"De boss on de camp w'ere I alway stay Since ever de tam I was go away, He welcome de poores' man dat call, But love de leetle wan bes' of all, So dat 's de reason I spik for you An' come to-night for to bring you t'roo."

Lak de young Jesu w'en he 's here below De face of ma leetle son look jus' so-- Den off beyon', on de bush I see De w'ite dress fadin' among de tree-- Was it a dream I dream las' night Is goin' away on de morning light?

[Ill.u.s.tration: Border]

Getting On

I know I 'm not too young, an' ma back is not as straight As it use to be some feefty year ago-- Don't care to go aroun' if de rain is fallin' down 'Less de rheumat.e.e.z is ketch me on de toe-- But dat is ma beez-nesse, an' no matter how I feel--- Oder folk dey might look out deir own affair 'Stead o' w'isperin', "Wall! ba Gos.h.!.+ lissen poor Maxime Meloche, How dat leetle drop o' rain is mak' heem swear!

De ole man 's gettin' on!"

Smart folk lak dat, of course, mebbe never hear de news Of de tam he 's comin' sick Guillaume Laroche, Who 's tak' heem home to die w'en de rapide's runnin' high, An' carry heem on hees shoulder t'roo de bush?

Oh! no, it was n't me, only wan of dem young man Hardly got de baby moustache on de mout', Dat's de reason w'y I say to mese'f mos' ev'ry day, "Purty hard dere 's not'ing else dan talk about 'De ole man 's gettin' on.'"

W'at 's mak' me feelin' mad is becos dey don't spik out, Non! dey 'll sneak aroun' for watch me as I go, An' if I mebbe spill leetle water on de hill, W'en I 'm comin' from de well down dere below, No use for tellin' me--I know too moche mese'f, Dat 's de tam I 'm very sure dey alway say, "See heem now, how slow he go--don't I offen tole you so?

We 're sorry, but Maxime is have hees day, De ole man's gettin' on."

It's foolish t'ing to do, for dere 's alway hang aroun'

Some crazy feller almos' ev'ry day-- So I might a' stay at home 'stead o' tryin' feex de boom, Dough I 'm sure de win' is blow de oder way; For I never hear dem shout w'en dey let de water out, An' de log dey come a-bangin' down de chute, But leetle Joe Leblanc ketch me on de pant, hooraw!

Den spile de job by w'isperin', "I 'm afraid I spik de trut', De ole man 's gettin' on."

Only yesterday de pig get loose an' run away, An' de nex' t'ing he was goin' on de corn-- So I run an' fetch de stick, an' after heem so quick Jus' to mak' heem feelin' sorry he was born; An' dat pig he laugh at me, an' he fill hees belly full 'Fore he 's makin' up his min' for come along-- I 'm sure I see heem wink--should n't wonder if he t'ink, "Very easy see dere 's somet'ing goin' wrong-- De ole man 's gettin on."

If only I can get some doctor feex me up, Mak' me feel a leetle looser on de knee-- On de shoulder, ev'ryw'ere--ba tonder! I don't care, I 'le spen' a couple o' dollar, mebbe t'ree-- Jus' to larn dem feller dere how to skip an' how to jomp, On de way I beat deir fader long ago-- Ya.s.s siree! an' purty soon dey 'll sing anoder tune, An' wonder w'at de devil 's dere to show De ole man's gettin' on.

Oh! dat maudit rheumat.e.e.z! now she's ketchin' me again On de back becos I 'm leetle bit excite, An' put ma finger down, widout stoopin' on de groun'-- But I 'll do dat trick to-morrow, not to-night-- All de sam' I often t'ink ev'ry dog is got hees day, Dat 's de lesson I was learnin' on de school; So I can't help feelin' blue w'en I wonder if it 's true W'at dey 're sayin'--dough o' course dey 're only fool-- De ole man 's gettin' on.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Thistle]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Border]

Pioneers

If dey 're walkin' on de roadside, an' dey 're bote in love togeder, An' de star of spring is s.h.i.+nin' wit' de young moon in between, It was purty easy guessin' dey 're not talkin' of de wedder, W'en de boy is comin' twenty, an' de girl is jus' eighteen.

It 's a sign de winter 's over, an' it 's pleasan' hear de talkin'

Of de bull-frog on de swamp dere wit' all hees familee-- But it 's lonesome doin' not'ing, an' dere 's not moche fun in walkin', So we fin' some fence dat 's handy for mese'f an' Rosalie.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "So we fin' some fence dat 's handy for mese'f an' Rosalie."]

An' I dunno how it happen, w'en her head come on ma shoulder, An' her black eye on de moonlight, lak de star s.h.i.+ne--dat 's de way.

(Mebbe it 's becos de springtam) so I ketch her han' an' tole her Of how moche I 'd lak to tak' her on some contree far away.

Den she say, I 'll mak' an offer, if you 're sure you want to tak' me On de place I dunno w'ere--me--you mus' pay beeg price, Jo-seph.

You can carry me off to-morrow, so I 'm never comin' back--me-- But you 'll lose upon de bargain, for de price I want's you'se'f."

I was purty good for tradin', mebbe tak' it from ma fader, For de ole man 's alway tryin' show me somet'ing dat was new-- But de trade I mak' dat evenin' wit' poor Rosalie, I rader Not say not'ing moche about it, dough it 's bes' I never do.

So we settle on de reever wit' de bush for miles behin' us-- Here we buil' de firse log shaintee, only me an' Rosalie-- Dat 's de woman help her husban'! an' w'en winter come an' fin' us We was ready waitin' for heem jus' as happy as could be.

Bar'l o' pork an' good potato, wan or two oder t'ing too Leetle w'isky, plaintee flour, an' wood-pile stannin' near-- Don't min' de hardes' winter, an' fat enough in spring too-- De folk dat 's comin' handy w'en you want de contree clear!

Rosalie, you see her outside on de porch dere wit' her knittin'-- Ya.s.s, of course I know she 's changin' since de day she marry me-- An' she 'll never sit no more dere on de fence lak leetle kitten-- She 'd be safer on a stone wall, but she 's still ma Rosalie.

All alone: de neares' shaintee, over ten mile down de reever-- An' might be only yesterday, I 'member it so well-- W'en I 'm comin' home wan morning affer trappin' on de beaver, An' ma wife is sayin', "Hurry, go an' fetch Ma-dame Labelle."

If you 're stan'in' on de bank dere, you mus' t'ink I 'm crazy feller By de way I work de paddle, an' de way canoe she go-- But Ma-dame know all about it, an' I never need to tell her, An' we jus' get back in tam' dere for welcome leetle Joe.

Dat 's de way dem woman 's doin' for help along each oder, For Pierre Labelle he 's comin' now an' den for Rosalie-- Of course dere 's many tam too, dey got to be G.o.dmoder-- An' w'en dey want G.o.dfader, w'y dere 's only Pierre an' me.

Twenty year so hard we 're workin', twenty year reapin', sowin', Choppin' tree an' makin' portage, an' de chil'ren help us too-- But it 's never feelin' lonesome w'ile de familee is growin', An' de cradle seldom empty, an' we got so moche to do.