a sapree beaver
Hittin' hees tail on de lake dat way?
Ought to be home wit' hees wife--not leave her
Workin' away on de house all day--
Funny t'ing, too, how he alway fin' me
Sailin' along on de ole canoe,
Lookin' for sign--den bang! behin' me
An' down on de water--dat's w'at he do.

Otter feeshin' an' bob cat cryin'--
Up on de sky de beeg black hawk--
Down on de swamp w'ere a dead log 's lyin',
Pa'tridge doin' hees own cake-walk!
If you never was see dem, hear dem--
Tak' leetle tour on de Lac Souci,
An' w'enever you 're comin' near dem,
You 're goin' crazy de sam' as me.

Talk about lakes of every nation,
Talk about water of any kin',
Don't matter you go over all creation--
De Lac Souci she can beat dem blin'.
Happy to leev an' happy to die dere--
But Heaven itself won't satisfy me,
Till I fin' leetle hole off on de sky dere
W'ere I can be lookin' on Lac Souci!

[Illustration: Border]

Poirier's Rooster

"W'at's dat? de ole man gone, you say?
Wall! Wall! he mus' be sick,
For w'en he pass de oder day,
He walk along widout de stick,
Lak twenty year or so--
Fine healt'y man, ole Telesphore,
I never see heem sick before,
Some rheumateez, but not'ing more--
Please tell me how he go."

You 're right, no common t'ing for sure
Is kill heem lak de res';
No sir! de man was voyageur
Upon de Grande Nor' Wes'
Until he settle here
Is not de feller 's goin' die
Before he 's ready by an' bye,
So if you want de reason w'y
I 'll tell you, never fear.

You know how moche he lak to spik
An' tole us ev'ryt'ing about
De way de French can alway lick
An' pull de w'ole worl' inside out,
Poor Telesphore Cadotte!
He 's knowin' all de victory,
An' braves' t'ing was never be,
To hear heem talk, it 's easy see
He 's firse-class patriot.

Hees leetle shoe store ev'ry night
Can hardly hol' de crowd of folk
Dat come to lissen on de fight,
An' w'en you see de pile of smoke
An' hear ole Telesphore
Hammer de boot upon hees knee,
You t'ink of course of Chateauguay,
An' feel dat 's two, t'ree enemy
Don't bodder us no more.

But oh! dat evening w'en he sen'
De call aroun' for come en masse,
An' den he say, "Ma dear ole frien',
Dere 's somet'ing funny come to pass,
I lak you all to hear--
You know dat Waterloo