happen dat your wife will pass away--
No use cryin', you can't help it--dere 's your duty to you'se'f--
You don't need to ax de neighbor, dey will tell you ev'ry day
Start again lak hones' feller, for dere's plaintee woman lef'--
"Jus' tak' your chance, an' try your luck."

Poor man lak me, I 'm not'ing: only w'en election 's dere,
An' ev'rybody 's waitin' to ketch you by de t'roat--
De money I be makin' den, wall! dat was mon affaire--
An' affer all w'at diff'rence how de poor man mak' de vote?
So I do ma very bes'--me--wit' de wife an' familee--
On de church door Sunday morning, you can see us all parade--
Len' a frien' a half a dollar, an' never go on spree--
So w'en I 'm comin' die--me--no use to be afraid--
"Jus' tak' your chance, an' try your luck."

[Illustration: Border]

Champlain

"W'ere 'll we go?" says Pierre de Monts,[1]
To hese'f as he walk de forwar' deck,
"For I got ma share of Trois Rivieres
An' I never can lak Kebeck--
Too moche Nort' Pole--maudit! it 's cole
Oh! la! la! de win' blow too.
An' I 'm sure w'at I say, M'sieu Pontgrave
He know very well it 's true.

But here 's de boat, an' we 're all afloat
A honder an' fifty ton--
An' look at de lot of man we got,
No better beneat' de sun--
Provision, too, for all de crew
An' pries' for to say de prayer,
So mes chers amis, dey can easy see
De vessel mus' pass somew'ere.

If I only know de way to go
For findin' some new an' pleasan' lan',"
But jus' as he spik, he turn roun' quick,
An' dere on de front, sir, stan' de Man.
"You was callin' me, I believe," says he,
As brave as a lion--"Tiens!
W'en we reach de sea, an' de ship is free,
You can talk wit' Samuel de Champlain." [2]

Wan look on hees eye an' he know for w'y
Young Samuel spik no more,
So he shake hees han', an' say, "Young man,
Too bad you don't come before;
But now you are here, we 'll geev' t'ree cheer,
An' away w'erever you want to go--
For I lak your look an' swear on de Book
You 'll fin' de good frien' on Pierre de Monts."

So de sail 's set tight, an' de win' is right,
For it 's blowin' dem to de wes'--
An' dey say deir prayer, for God knows w'ere
De anchor will come to res'--
Adieu to de shore dey may see no more--
Good-bye to de song an' dance--
De girl dey love, an' de star above
Kipin' watch o