His Life in Didier’s Home 1

Original Acadian French

Informateur : Ah bin, ils saviont pas. Ils l’aviont, ç’avait ‘té trouvé çâ, bin tu sais, au Passage. Pis la femme l’avait gardé là ain élan. Pis là a’ l’voulait pus. Pis icitte, il’ aviont mis ain annonce su’ les papiers, si quelqu’un voulait l’prendre. Pis su’ Dédier-icitte qu’il’ appeliont, çâ c’était ain oncle à mon pére, Dédier, ils l’aviont pris. Il’ en aviont peur maniére. Ils tcheniont, des fois, ils tcheniont amarré. Il’ aviont une p’tite chaine pis il’ l’amarriont autour d’ain bras, j’crois. Il’ l’amarriont pas aux pieds parce qu’il avait pas d’pieds. Et il’ ont jamais pu le faire parler. Il’ avont essayé tous les modes. Il’ l’ont pigoullé, il’ l’faisiont enrager, ‘oir si i’ pouvait point, si i’ jurrait pas de tcheuques modes de façon. Il’ ont jamais pu l’faire parler. J’sais point s’i’ pouvait pas parler ou pouonne. Il’ avont jamais pu l’sa’oir. Les prêtres ont été l’oir tout fin seul, et il’ ont jamais rien pu, ils ont jamais rien pu... Il’ ont jamais rien pus su de lui, non. Il avait ‘té trouvé là avec une ‘tite cruche d’eau et ain patchet de galettes, là su’ la beach.

English

Informant: Oh well, they didn’t know. They’d, he’d been found, well, you know, at the Passage. And the woman had kept him there for a while. And then she didn’t want him anymore. And they put an advertisement in the newspapers here, for someone to take him in. And Dedier, as they called him — Dedier was an uncle of my father -his family took him in. They were kind of afraid of him. They kept him, sometimes they kept him tied up. They had a small chain and they attached it around an arm, I think. They didn’t attach it to his feet because he didn’t have any feet. And they never got him to talk. They tried in all sorts of ways. They teased him. They’d make him really angry, to see if he couldn’t, if he’d swear in some way. They never were able to make him speak. I don’t know if he couldn’t speak or not. I don’t know... They were never able to find out. The priests went to see him alone and they never succeeded, they never succeeded... No, they never found out anything more about him. He’d been found there with a small jug of water and a package of biscuits, there on the beach.