Wicked Whisper Pat Mcgrath

[Hilda Bagnoli]

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Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team at

(This file was produced from images

generously made available by the Canadian Institute for

Historical Microreproductions (www.canadiana.org).)

For liberty to issue these stories in presentform the author has to thank The Youths'Companion, Boston; the proprietors of "TwoTales," in which "Old Man Savarin" and "GreatGodfrey's Lament" first appeared; and "Harper'sWeekly" and Mr. S. S. McClure's syndicate ofnewspapers, which, respectively, first published"The Privilege of the Limits" and "John Bedell".

Old Ma'ame Paradis had caught seventeensmall dor, four suckers, and elevenchannel-catfish before she used up all theworms in her tomato-can. Therefore she wasin a cheerful and loquacious humor when Icame along and offered her some of my bait.

Indeed the scene was more than picturesque.Her fishing-platform extended twenty feet fromthe rocky shore of the great Rataplan Rapidof the Ottawa, which, beginning to tumble amile to the westward, poured a roaring torrenthalf a mile wide into the broader, calm brownreach below. Noble elms towered on theshores. Between their trunks we could seemany whitewashed cabins, whose doors of blueor green or red scarcely disclosed their colorsin that light.

The sinking sun, which already touched theriver, seemed somehow the source of the vaststream that flowed radiantly from its blaze.Through the glamour of the evening mist andthe maze of June flies we could see a dozenmen scooping for fish from platforms like thatof Ma'ame Paradis.

Each scooper lifted a great hoop-net set ona handle some fifteen feet long, threw it easily[Pg 9]up stream, and swept it on edge with the currentto the full length of his reach. Then itwas drawn out and at once thrown upwardagain, if no capture had been made. In casehe had taken fish, he came to the inshore edgeof his platform, and upset the net's contents intoa pool separated from the main rapid by animprovised wall of stones.

"'Oh, I'll know all 'bout dat,' Old ManSavarin is say. 'Ladoucier let you scoop frontof his land, for Ladoucier one big fool. Delan's mine now, an' de fishin' right is mine.You can't scoop dere wisout you pay me rent.'

"So de magistrate told my fader he hain'tgot no more right for go on his own platformthan he was at the start. My fader is ver'angry. He's cry, he's tear his shirt; butOld Man Savarin only say, 'I guess I learnyou one good lesson, Narcisse.'

"De whole village ain't told de old rascalhow much dey was angry 'bout dat, for Old ManSavarin is got dem all in debt at his big store.He is grin, grin, and told everybody how helearn my fader two good lesson. An' he is told[Pg 13]my fader: 'You see what I'll be goin' for dowis you if ever you go on my land again wisoutyou pay me rent.'

"So she's take the money she's saved up longtime for make my weddin' when it come. An'she's paid de bill. So den my fader hain'tscare no more, an' he is shake his fist goodunder Old Man Savarin's ugly nose. But datold rascal only laugh an' say, 'Narcisse, youlike to be fined some more, eh?'

"Den de big fun begin. My fader an Frawceis cousin. All de time before den dey was goodfriend. But my fader he is go to FrawceSeguin's place an' he is told him, 'Frawce,I'll goin' lick you so hard you can't nev' scoopon my platform.'

"Well, my fader he's go on old Marceau'shotel, an' he's drink all day. Frawce Seguinhe's go cross de road on Joe Maufraud's hotel,an' he's drink all day. When de night come,dey's bose stand out in front of de two hotel forfight.[Pg 16]

"Dey's bose yell an' yell for make de oderfeller scare bad before dey begin. HermidasLaronde an' Jawnny Leroi dey's hold my faderfor fear he's go 'cross de road for keel FrawceSeguin dead. Pierre Seguin an' Magloire Sauveis hold Frawce for fear he's come 'cross deroad for keel my fader dead. And dose menfight dat way 'cross de road, till dey hain'thardly able for stand up no more.

"An' what you tink 'bout Old Man Savarin?Old Man Savarin is just stand in front of hisstore all de time, an' he's say: 'I'll tink I'llfetch him bose hup to de magistrate, an' I'lllearn him bose a lesson.'

"Me, I'll be only fifteen, but I hain't scare'bout dat fight same like my moder is scare.No more is Alphonsine Seguin scare. She'sseventeen, an' she wait for de fight to be allover. Den she take her fader home, same likeI'll take my fader home for bed. Dat's aftertwelve o'clock of night.

"Well, M'sieu, I'll make de rest short; forde sun is all gone now. What you tink I dodat mawny? I take de big scoop-net an' I'llcome up here for see if I'll be able for scoopsome fish on Jawnny Leroi's platform. Onlydere hain't nev' much fish dere.

"Pretty quick I'll look up and I'll seeAlphonsine Seguin scoop, scoop on my fader's[Pg 19]old platform. Alphonsine's fader is sick, sick,same like my fader, an' all de Seguin boys istoo little for scoop, same like my brudders istoo little. So dere Alphonsine she's scoop,scoop for breakfas'.

"What you tink I'll see some more? I'llsee Old Man Savarin. He's watchin' from decorner of de cedar bush, an' I'll know ver'good what he's watch for. He's watch forcatch my fader go on his own platform. He'swant for learn my fader anoder lesson. Saprie!dat's make me ver' angry, M'sieu!

"'Dat's good for dose Seguins,' I'll say.'De big sturgeon will pull away de net. DenAlphonsine she will lose her fader's scoop wisde sturgeon. Dat's good 'nuff for dose Seguins!Take my fader platform, eh?'

"Well, pretty quick, what you tink? I'll seeOld Man Savarin goin' to my fader's platform.He's take hold for help Alphonsine an' dey'sbose pull, and pretty quick de big sturgeon isup on de platform. I'll be more angry asbefore.

"One time he is on his back, one time he ison his face, one time he is all under de water.For sure he's goin' for be draw into de culbutean' get drown' dead, if I'll not be able forscoop him when he's go by my platform.I'll want for laugh, but I'll be too muchscare.

"Well, M'sieu, I'll pick up my fader's scoopand I'll stand out on de edge of de platform.De water is run so fast, I'm mos' 'fraid de oldman is boun' for pull me in when I'll scoophim. But I'll not mind for dat, I'll throw descoop an' catch him; an' for sure, he's holdon good.

"Jus' den Alphonsine she come 'long, an'she's laugh so she can't hardly hold on wis meto de hannle. I was laugh good some more.[Pg 24]When de old villain see us have fun, he's yell:'I'll learn you bose one lesson for this. Pullme ashore!'

"'No, eh?" I'll say mysef. 'But you'ssteal my fader's platform. You's take hisfishin' place. You's got him fined two times.You's make my moder pay his bill wis myweddin' money. What you goin' pay for alldat? You tink I'll be goin' for mos' kill mysefpullin' you out for noting? When you everdo someting for anybody for noting, eh, M'sieuSavarin?'

"But de old rascal is so scare 'bout dat, dat[Pg 27]he's say he's pay right off. So we's pull himup near to de platform, only we hain't big'nuff fool for let him out of de net till he's takeout his purse an' pay de twelve dollare.

"'M'sieu Savarin, de whole river will be laughat you for let two young girl take eet out ofsmart man like you like dat. Hain't you tinkyour life worth twelve dollare? Didn't deysave you from de culbute? Monjee! I'll tinkde whole river not laugh so ver' bad if you paydose young girl one hunder dollare for saveyou so kind.'

"'Didn't you pay dose girl yoursef? Didn'tyou took out your purse yoursef? Yes, eh?Well, den, I'll goin' for learn you one lessonyoursef, M'sieu Savarin.' de magistrate is say.'Dose two young girl is ver' wicked, eh? Yes,dat's so. But for why? Hain't dey just do toyou what you been doin' ever since you was inbeesness? Don' I know? You hain' neveryet got advantage of nobody wisout you robhim all you can, an' dose wicked young girlonly act just like you give dem a lesson all yourlife.'

"An' de best fun was de whole river didlaugh at M'sieu Savarin. An' my fader andFrawce Seguin is laugh most of all, till he'scatch hup wis bose of dem anoder time. Youcome for see me some more, an' I'll tol' you'bout dat."

"One time Tougal Stewart, him that wass thepoy's grandfather that keeps the same store inCornwall to this day, sold a plough to my grandfather,and my grandfather said he would payhalf the plough in October, and the other halfwhateffer time he felt able to pay the money.Yes, indeed, that was the very promise mygrandfather gave.

"So he was at Tougal Stewart's store on thefirst of October early in the morning pefore theshutters wass taken off, and he paid half chustexactly to keep his word. Then the crop wassferry pad next year, and the year after that oneof his horses wass killed py lightning, and thenext year his brother, that wass not rich andhad a big family, died, and do you think wassmy grandfather to let the family be disgracedwithout a good funeral? No, indeed. So mygrandfather paid for the funeral, and there wasat it plenty of meat and drink for eferypody,as wass the right Hielan' custom those days;and after the funeral my grandfather did notfeel chust exactly able to pay the other half forthe plough that year either.

"'Wass you in need of help, Mr. Stewart?'says my grandfather, kindly. 'For if it's in any[Pg 31]want you are, Tougal,' says my grandfather, 'Iwill sell the coat off my back, if there is noother way to lend you a loan;' for that wasalways the way of my grandfather with all hisfriends, and a bigger-hearted man there neverwass in all Glengarry, or in Stormont, or inDundas, moreofer.

"'Mr. Stewart,' says my grandfather, 'it wassnot in my mind to anger you whatefer. OnlyI thought, from your asking me if I had somemoney, that you might be looking for a wee bitof a loan, as many a gentleman has to do attimes, and no shame to him at all,' said mygrandfather.

"'Have you no shame or honor in you?'says my grandfather, firing up. 'How could Ifeel able to pay that now, and me chust yesterdaybeen giving my poor brother a funeral fitfor the McTavishes' own grand-nephew, thatwass as good chentleman's plood as any Stewartin Glengarry. You saw the expense I wass at,for there you wass, and I thank you for thepoliteness of coming, Mr. Stewart,' says mygrandfather, ending mild, for the anger wouldnever stay in him more than a minute, so kindwas the nature he had.

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