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Title: Getting On
Author: William Henry Drummond [
More Titles by Drummond]
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 rheumateez 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 Gosh! 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--
Yass 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 rheumateez! 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.
[The end]
William Henry Drummond's poem: Getting On
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