Not Always Possible to See Him

Original Acadian French

Informatrice: Quand c’Pére Daly a mourrit, moi j’avais, oh j’peux point t’dire comment j’étais vieille, mais j’men souvint réel bonne. Il’ avont m’nu cinq pleines charrettes d’la Saumone à Meteghan. On a parti à cinq heures du matonne, toute de fil. Et mon p’tit frére, mon pére était point à la maison, et mon p’tit frére était grand assez pour lier le boeuf et et l’ toucher et ma mére savait quand j’arriverions à Meteghan éyoù c’qu’a’ pouvait mettre le boeuf. N’y avait ain houmme au logis. Et h’avons m’nu cinq charrettes de fil, pleines de femmes et d’enfants à l’enterrement. C’était le premier enterrement jamais qu’il aviont vu d’ain prétre, tu sais, c’te vieux monde là ç’avait jamais vu ain enterrement d’prétre. Ça fait il’ aviont m’nu cinq charrettes de fil. J’avons arrivé à Meteghan, mais j’avons arrivé à Meteghan pas mal tôt. Bin, des boeufs ça marche pas vite, voyez-vous. On a parti à cinq heures. J’peux pas dire juste à l’heure qu’on a arrivé mais on était en temps pour la messe, ouai.

Et pis en nous en allant, j’arions aimé de ‘oir Jérôme. Jérôme qui restait à Saint-Alphonse. Et pis ma mére dit, “J’pouvons point toute rentrer, tout c’te monde-là.” Mais j’en avions assez attendu parler à mon pére, pis moi de quoi d’la hist’ry, ça fait trembler cobin h’aime ça. H’arais assez aimé de l’oir! Ma mére dit, “Si j’chons la darniére charrette, j’arrêt’rons.” Pis h’étions la darniére charrette. Pis j’rentrirent. J’furent cougner à la porte. Et pis la femme voulit point nous l’montrer. Ils l’gardiont trop sale. Il a pas été bin sarvi là à Saint-Alphonse . Et pis quand j’descendirent, c’est loin du ch’monne ain peu, quand j’ons descendu, i’ v’nait ain p’tit jeune houmme, de sa corporance. Il a dit, “Avez-vous vu Jérôme?” Mame a dit, “Non”. A’ dit, “Il’ ont pas voulu nous l’montrer.” Bin i’ dit, si j’avais ‘té ain quart d’heure plus tôt, i’ dit, “Moi j’arais rouvrit la porte, vous l’ariez vu.” Mais i’ dit, “Savez-vous pour quelle raison qu’a’ vous l’a point montré?” Mais j’dirent,“ Non.” Et bin i’ dit, “Il est couché dans la paille.” Coumme ain cochon. Un porc.

English

Informant: When Father Daly died, I was, oh I can’t say how old I was, but I remember real well. Five full wagons came from Salmon River all the way to Meteghan. We left at five in the morning in single file, one after the other. And my little brother, my father wasn’t home, my little brother was big enough to harness the ox and handle it and my mother knew where to put the ox when we got to Meteghan. There was a man at the house. And we had five wagons in a row, full of women and children at the funeral. It was the first funeral for a priest we’d ever seen, you know; those old people had never seen a priest’s funeral. So we came in a line of five wagons. We arrived in Meteghan pretty early. Well, oxen don’t walk very fast, you see. We left at five. I don’t know at what time exactly we arrived, but we were on time for mass, yes.

And when we were coming back, I wanted to see Jerome. Jerome who was living in St. Alphonse. And my mother said, “We can’t all go in, not all of us.” My father had talked a lot about him and I just love anything to do with history. I wanted to see him so much! My mother said, “If we’re in the last wagon we’ll stop.” And we were the last wagon. And we went in. We knocked at the door. But the woman didn’t want to show him to us. They really didn’t keep him clean. He wasn’t cared for well there in St. Alphonse. And then when we went back down, it’s a bit far from the road, when we went back down, a small little man, he was short, came up to us. He said, “Did you see Jerome?” Mother said, “No.” She said, “They didn’t want to show him to us.” “Well,” he said, “if I’d have been 15 minutes earlier,” he said, “I’d have opened the door. You’d have seen him.” But he said, “Do you know why she didn’t show him to you?” But we said, “No.” And then he said, “He lies on straw.” Like a pig. A hog.