Read "St. Boniface Fire Brigade" by Kate Simpson Hayes online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
W'en you come wes' from de oder place / An' you want sometings for see; / Jus' come an' see St. Boniface / An' I show you sometings, me: / Dar's de Mission Church dat W'ittier sing -- -- / "Turrets twain," wher' de peoples prayed; / But dar's sometings we got better still -- -- / Da's St. Boniface Fire Brigade!
Da's a g-rea-t Brigade; -- has mans tree, four -- -- / Married mans wit be-eg fam-i-lee; / Champeau, Dorien, petite Lafleur, / An' Jean Perriault (da's ME). / Us mans we work like h -- ll all day / Wit de saw, de hammer an' de spade, / But by gar, w'en de fire-bell she goes "ring," / Da's de t'am we don't was 'fraid.
You hear dat ting 'bout d' beeg oil-house; / Tree hundre' bar'ls cotch de fire? / De smoke, mon Dieu! wit de flame go hup / To de top of de be-eg church-spire; -- / Lafleur's femme, she take de fit hon de floor -- -- / Ma femme, she scre-ee-ch, "Saint Marie!" / Hevery one yell -- dat place look like he -- ll, / Ontil Dorien, Champeau, an' ME -- --
We fill hup de tank in de Red Rivaire -- -- / Sacre! how de mans per -- s -- pire; / De peoples go cra -- ss -- y; Winnipeg despaire; / An' de bells dey ring, "F-i-r-e! -- F-i-r-e." / W'at you t'ink happens? You nevaire don't guess -- -- / Notings like dat happens sence; -- / De horse runs away -- de hose it go burs' -- -- / But we save de dog-poun' fence!
You hear w'at 'appens once in de place? / W'en d' King's son he come Wes', / All d' womans dress hup, wash d' baby face; / An' d' mans put hon he's bes'. / Winni-peg bow down t' George d' Prince; -- / Put d' soldier-mans hon parade; / But de Prince, he sick of d' whole dam' show, / Hask: "WHER' ST. BONIFACE FIRE BRIGADE?"
Y -- as, an' w'en d' heartquake shake Frisco, / "Hend of d' worl'!" some sa-aid; / I send telegraff (cos' me tree dollaire), / "You like have my Fire Brigade?" / Hon d' las' Election, in d' Town-Hall / Laurier sp'ik; He sa -- aid: / "Gentilhomme! if -- you -- want -- put -- dat -- bad -- Tory -- hout, / Get St. Boniface Fire BRIGADE!"