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The Old House And The New

by William Henry Drummond

Is it only twelve mont' I play de fool,

You're sure it 'scorrec' , ma dear?

I 'm glad for hearin' you spik dat way

For I t'ink it was twenty year,

Since leffin' de leetle ole house below,

I mak' wit' ma own two han'

For go on dat fine beeg place, up dere,

Mon Dieu! I'm de crazy man!

You 'member we 're not very riche, cherie,

Dat tam we 're beginnin' life!

Mese'fI'm twenty, an' you eighteen

W'en I 'm bringin'you home ma wife,

Many de worry an' troub' we got

An' some of dem was n't small,

But not very long dey bodder us

For we work an' forget dem all.

An' you was de savin' woman too,

Dere 's nobody beat you dere!

An' I laugh w'en I t'ink of de tam you go

Over on Trois Rivieres

For payin' de bank , you know how moche

We 're owin' for dat new place

W 'at was he sayin' de nice young man

Smilin' upon hees face

W'en he got dat monee was all pure gole

Come down on your familee

For honder year an' mebbe more?

"Ma, dame you 're excusin' me,

But w'ere was you gettin' dis nice gole coin

Of Louis Quatorze, hees tam

Wit' hees face on back of dem ev 'ry wan?

For dey 're purty scase now, Ma, dam?"

An' you say"Dat 's not'ing at all M'sieu

Ma familee get dem t'ing,

I suppose it's very long tam ago,

W'en Louis Quatorze is King,

An' I'm sorry poor feller he 's comin' dead

An' not leevin here to, day

'Cos man should be good on hees frien', M'sieu'

W'en de monee he mak' dat way."

Yass, ev 'ry wan know we 're workin' hard

An' savin' too all dem year,

But nobody see us starve ourse'f

Dere 's plaintee to eat, don 't fear,

Bimeby our chil'ren dey 're growin' up

So we're doin' de bes' we can

Settle dem off on de firse good chance

An' geevin' dem leetle lan'.

An'den de troub' is begin to show

W 'en our daughter poor Caroline

Sha marry dat lawyer on Trois Rivieres

De beeges' fool never seen!

Alway come home ev'ry summer sure

Bringin' her familee,

All right for de chil'ren, I don'tmin' dem;

But de husban'!sapree maudit!

I wish I was close ma ear right off

W'en he talk of our leetle house

Dough I know w'en familee's comin' home

Dere is n't moche room for a mouse,

He say "Riche man lak youse'fcan't leev'

On shaintee lak dis below,

W'en t'ousan' dollar will buil' fin' place

Up on de hill en haut."

An' he talk about gallerie all aroun'

W'ere we sit on de summer night

Watchin' de star on de sky above

W'ile de moon she was shinin' bright,

Could plant some apple, tree dere, also,

An' flower, an' I dunno w'at,

An' w'en de sun he 's begin to rise

Look at de view we got!

Den he bring 'noder feller from Trois Rivieres

An' show w'at he call de plan

For makin' dem house on de w'ole contree,

Mon Dieu! how I hate dat man!

'Cos he 's talkin' away nearly all de tam

Lak trotter upon de race,

Wall!affer a w'ile we mak' our min'

For havin' dat nice new place.

So dey go ahead, an' we let dem go,

But stuff dey wast'row away;

I 'm watchin' for dat, an' I save mese'f

Mebbe twenty, five cent a day,

For you 're surely cheat if you don't tak' care

Very offen we fin' dat 's true,

An' affer de house she was finish up,

We 're geevin' it nam' Bellevue.

O! yass, I know we enjoy ourse'f

W'en our frien' dey was comin' roun'

An' say "Dat 's very fine place you got;

Dere's not'ing upon de town,

Or anyw'ere else for honder mile

Dis house Bellevue can touch,

An' den let de horse eat de garden fence

Non! we don't enjoy dat so moche.

An' of course we can't say not'ing at all

For it 's not correc' t'ing you know,

But "Never min' dat, an' please come again,

I'm sorry you got to go."

Bapt'me! w'en I'm seeing beeg feller bus'

Our two dollar easy chair,

Can't help it at all, I got to go

Down on de cellar an' swear!

An' w'ere did we leev' on dat belle maison?

Wan room an' de kitchen, dat 's all

An' plaintee too for de man an' wife!

An' you 'member de tam I fall

Off on de gallerie wan dark night,

I los' mese'ftryin' fin'

De winder dere on de grande parloir,

For closin' it up de blin'?

An' al de tam de poor leetle house

Is down on de road below,

I t'ink she was jealous dat fine new place

Up on de hill en haut,

For O! she look lonesome by herse'f

De winder all broke an' gone,

No smoke on de chimney comin' out

No frien' stannin' dere not wan.

You 'member too, w'en de fever come

An' ketch us wan winter day?

W'at he call de shaintee, our son, in, law,

Dat 's w'ere dey pass away

Xavier, Zo'. an' Euchariste

Our chil'ren wan, two, t'ree,

I offen t'ink of de room dey die,

An' I can't help cryin' me.

So we 'll go on de ole house once again,

Long enough we been fool lak dis

Never min' w'at dey say bimeby, ma chere

But geeve me de leetle kiss,

Let dem stay on dat fine new place up dere

Our daughter an' son, in, law

For to, morrow soon as de sun will rise

We 're goin' back home, Hooraw!