Back then we were better-behaved than you young boys today; we were better instructed; so I start in my bestest French: “Mademoiselle, from the first time I seen you, on the presbytery patio, I have been transported with the feeling of love for thee. I have already cut down poles, planks and straw in order for to build this house for you. The day we wed, the rats will come out of their ratholes and Sister Minnaine’s goats will come bray at our door. So then, to assure our franchise of love, Mademoiselle, I ask your permission for a little fresh behavior.
ATTRIBUTION:
Jacques Roumain (1907–1945), Haitian author, ethnologist, political activist. Repr. Éditions Messidor (1992). The old peasant Antoine in Masters of the Dew, p. 41, Les Éditeurs Français Réunis (1946).
