PHIL-O-RUM'S CANOE AND MADELEINE VERCHERS
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Title: Phil-o-rum's Canoe and Madeleine Vercheres
Release Date: July 07, 2012 [EBook #40152]
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PHIL-O-RUM'S CANOE AND MADELEINE VERCHERES
***[Illustration: "O ma ole canoe, wat 's matter wit' you, an' w'y was you be so slow?"]
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK AND LONDON The Knickerbocker Press 1898
COPYRIGHT, 1898 BY G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS Entered at Stationers' Hall, London
"O ma ole canoe, wat 's matter wit' you, an' w'y was you be so slow? Don't I work hard enough on de paddle, an' still you don't seem to go-- No win' at all on de fronte side, an' current she don't be strong, Den w'y are you lak' lazy feller, too sleepy for move along?
"I 'member de tam, w'en you jomp de sam' as deer wit' de wolf behin', An' brochet on de top de water, you scare heem mos' off hees min': But fish don't care for you now at all, only jus' mebbe wink de eye, For he know it 's easy git out de way, w'en you was a-passin' by"----
I 'm spikin' dis way, jus' de oder day, w'en I 'm out wit' de ole canoe Crossin' de point w'ere I see, las' fall, wan very beeg caribou, Wen somebody say, "Phil-o-rum, mon vieux, wat 's matter wit' you youse'f?" An' who do you s'pose was talkin'? W'y de poor ole canoe shese'f.
O yass, I 'm scare w'en I 'm sittin' dere, an' she 's callin' ma nam' dat way. "Phil-o-rum Juneau, w'y you spik so moche, you 're off on de head to-day: Can't be you forget, ole feller, you an' me we're not too young, An' if I 'm lookin' so ole lak' you, I t'ink I will close ma tongue.
"You should feel ashame, for you 're alway blame, w'en it is n't ma fault at all, For I 'm tryin' to do bes' I can for you on summer-tam, spring, an' fall. How offen you drown on de reever, if I 'm not lookin' out for you W'en you 're takin' too moche on de w'isky, some night comin' down de Soo.
"De firse tam we go on de Wessoneau, no feller can beat us den For you 're purty strong man wit' de paddle, but dat 's long ago, ma frien', An' win' she can blow off de mountain, an' tonder an' rain may come, But camp see us bote on de evening--you know dat was true, Phil-o-rum.