ANTOINE’S CAT. 
E. W. 
Lass week bring me some sperience Ah’ll 
never have before, an’ me Ah’ll tol’ heem 
to heverybody so he can look out not make 
same mistak’. 
Ah’ll not spick de Angleesh ver’ wal, but 
Ah’m cut mah eye teet hevery day, an’ w’en 
he com’ night Ah’ say to me, “Well, ole 
man! eef you ole fool head don’t know 
better dan go poke you nose on de cat bees’- 
ness, den he serve you right for bring de 
trub on you. So nex’ tam look out, ole 
man.” 
Now, Ah’Il tol’ one leetle scrape dat over- 
tak’ me. S’pose you want try you’ han’ for 
dat same speculation affer you hear dat, 
Ah’ll offer no objecshun at all; an’ if you 
not lak dat, you may shun mah leetle mis- 
hap an’ not be ole fool lak Antoine. 
Two, t’ree week ago mah wife hax me 
will Ah go wit he an’ mak’ hevening visit 
to Zephrim Goshela. “Oui, Oui, Madame! 
Ah'll go.” Now Ah’m not lak ver’ wal for 
gon out on de evenin’. Me Ah caint see 
ver’ wal, an’ dis tam de moon he’s not 
’~wake up ver’ herly. But Ah’ll lak please 
mah ole leddy sometam, so Ah go. Zeph- 
rim an’ hees wife was bote good feller an’ 
we been good neighbor many year, an’ Ah 
lak heem wal. ’Sides dat, he’s raise beeg 
famlee an’ many tam he com’ for mah ole 
leddy for assist dat, an’ for me, too, some 
tam. So we feex up an’ finish mah chore, 
an’ ’way we gone. 
Now he’s got "bout quarter mile over dar, 
’cross de fiel’; hover 2, t’ree fence, jomp 
on de brook an’ go up on de hill, dar’s 
whar he leeve, and when we geet dar, we 
was ver’ welcome. Zeph and me too we 
sit down an’ tak’ some smoke, an’ Mam 
Zephrim an’ mah wife tak’ hees knit an’ 
mak’ stockin’. What tam we smoke we lay 
good many plan for gon on Black crick for 
catch muskrat, an’ dore, plentee monee on 
dat job. We ’gree for gon on dat plass 
nex’ week, an’ we ’gree for share de hex- 
pense an’ go snuk on de profeet. 
An’ we can carry plentee pork and pom- 
me de terre an’ bean, too. An’ me Ah’ll tak’ 
mah fusee, Ah got boss good one. We'll 
get plentee pa’tridge and cariboo for tickle 
our stomick an’ we can see no hobstruction 
for hav’ boss tam ever’ day we gon’, bah 
gosh! 
Bimeby Mam Zephrim get up an’ gon’ 
out on de kitchen, an’ soon Ah hear heem 
mak’ rattle on de stove, an’ Ah know he’s 
gon’ for get supper. Mah ole leddy ron 
after an’ beg heem not do dat for we not 
hongry at all. But Ah’m pull hees dress 
and whisper, “Hole you’ tong.” Pretty 
107 
PARKER, 
quick Ah’m smell de pork on de pan an’ de 
onion, too, an de tea kettle lid jingle an’ 
we be all jus’ so happy good many beeg 
bug who try for call heemsef de aristoc- 
racee. 
Nex’ Ah know, de clock strike one, 2, 
tree, ‘leven! Mah soul! whar is gon’ dat 
hevenin’? An, mah ole leddy rose for go 
home an’ roll up hees knitting -on hees 
pocket, an’ make all reddy. 
Many year ago w’en Ah’m small boy,° 
ver of’en Ah’m gon’ cross de same fields 
for huskin’ an’ pare apple bee. Ah’m go 
befor’ he’s dark an’ Ah’m feel bol’ lak a 
lion. But de tam w’en he’s finish an’ it 
come ‘leven ‘clock an’ dark lak a dev’, 
Ah’m com’ bol’ lak a sheep; ’twas a differ- 
ance, don’t it? Good many noise dar. One 
leetle frog can mak’ me ron more Io rod. 
One screech owl flop down close on top 
mah hed mak’ me squat down lak brickbat 
hit me. Dat tam Ah’m all ’lone. Dis tam 
mah ole leddy is wit me an’ not’ing can’t 
scare me. So w’en mah wife rose for gon’ 
home an’ Ah’m light mah pipe an’ shak’ 
han’ an’ ’way we go, over de hill to de 
poor house—dat was Antoine’s. 
Now Ah’m meditate good ’eal *bout de 
Black crick bus’ness, an’ fuss Ah know 
Ah’m leave mah ole leddy long way behind 
an’ soon Ah’m hear heem yell, “Antoine, 
what for you so hurry? You got no bus’- 
ness leeve me ‘lone, an’ Ah’m hear som’- 
ting chase me.” 
So Ah’m gon’ back to he, an’ Ah ax 
heem what he hear? He’s tell me som’- 
ting skip it ‘long behind heem on de snow 
an’ mak’ queer leetle noise lak he never 
see befor’; and w’en we go long ’gain we 
bote hear dat, an’ bahgosh! Ah can see dat 
too ‘bout 10 feets behin’. Now Ah’m tell 
heem walk ver’ slow an’ me Ah’ll feex dat. 
So Ah tak’ a pole on de fence and go ver’ 
heasy. 
Dat leetle chap, Ah see heem sure, he’s 
black, not ver’ beeg, prob’ly weasel. ’Tenny 
rate Ah’ll not “low heem scar mah ole 
leddy any more. No, seh, he’s draw hees 
las’ bret. So Ah raise mah pole high over 
dat an’ put in all mah strengt on heem an’ 
down he com’, whack! on hees back 4, 5 
tam. Mah wife he’s ron an’ mak’ yell, but 
dat leetle feller’s not ron any mo’. Hees 
turn up on hees back an’ lay still. Den we 
proceed to examine dat and Ah’m cal’late 
hom much hees pelt will fetch on de mar- 
ket. So Ah’m light a match an’ look; an’ 
bahgosh, what you t’ink? ’Twas not’ing 
but mah ole leddy’s knittin’ work. De ball 
unwind in hees pocket an’ drag de rest be- 
