Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-08-18
JUMPING FRENCHMEN.
Wonderful Peculiarities of a Race OF
People I'm Maine.

A slight young man with tight fitting trow
uptown club house on recent afternoon in
what was almost state of excitement. All
the Young men knew that if they wished to
find out where the cock-fght was to be, how
the newest imported trick was worked and
what was the latest novelty to amuse tired
young Gothamites, the young man with the
tight breeches was the one to be sought.
"Well," he said, and each young. man
placed hand over a little heap of ivory
poker chips, Il have been told that there are
houses in the sea. l believe there are plants
that SOW like tailors. know there are ami
mails that laugh, and have seen bread grow
ing on trees, but you may sell me if ever |
believed there ever was such thing as a
human jumping jack. 1t beats the deck"
The Young man with the long finger-nail
remarked that he could stand a good deal
of that" The young man with the specta-
cles said he would look it up in the library,
but the porter reminded him that none of the
books had been busted recently excepting
'Hoyle's Games" The club sponge mumbled
something about dose of absinthe, which
was followe by other equally irrelevent re-
marks. Finally the youug man put his name
to a wine card and slipping his arm into
that of the young man with the tight trow-
sers they soon passed out together.
On the following afternoon they stepped
from the smoking-car to the platform of
small station in the vicinity of the city, and
proceeding to fine old house nearby, were
met at the gate by the gentlemanly proprietor.
''Oh, you've come to see my jumDing
Frenchman." was the instant remark. ''Well
it's lucky you came to day, for am going to
send him home soon. The boys of the neigh
borhood. the servants about the house and
even the townspeople, bother the poor fellow
almost to death, and they keep him jumping
half the time when am not about. | don't
like to make show of him, but will jump
him once to let you see what it is like. There
he is in the stable doorway cleaning
harness"
All walked to the stable, and the proprietor
gave the man few instructions in French.
Then, while the man was intent upon the
harness, the proprietor stepped behind him,
and. giving his coat stout pull, shouted;
''Go it, Jo."
The effect was magical and cOmical; for,
with the stified cry of one with the nightmare
the man went into the air as an acrobat
might go, his legs striking out like the hind
legs of frog in water, and his arms making
A similar motion above his head. He was
himself Immediately and turned toward his
tormentor round, leathery conntenance
which wore a good natured, querulous smile,
the ia. of his cheeks almost closing up his
small black eyes. In reply to the question
whether he spoke English. he said what is
Theoretically represented by ''un pechee bra, !"
which the proprietor explained is Canadian
French for "a little bit At his request the
man also sang few verses of seemingly
pterminable song about a young fills du
roi. who went behind the house with
silver gun to shoot three beautiful ducks in a
pond. Into this he constantly introduced the
refrain, I'm roulent una bou'le roulent. en-
roulent ma boulle," in nasa. but not dis
pleasing tone.
Ellis name" said the proprietor on the way
back to the station. lis 10 Bow, and he Is
the worst jumping Frenchman ever saw. and
have seen a good many of them. got him
in the northern part OF the Aroostook in
Maine. where have lumber interests, and
visit once or twice a wear. didn't md out
| he was a Jumper until we stopped for lunch
at Waterville. There are many French people
there. and fellow at the depot, think
inc he knew 10. gave him hearty slap on
the hack. which caused him to go into such
| contortions as never saw before, and made
| me think the fellow did it purposely to jump
| him. l suppose the Aroostook Is the nome
| of the jumping Frenchman. for l have never
| heard OF any III Otuei pdtts VI ."S '.''N'
have never seen any in Canada. excepting
| right around the border line of Aroostook
| county. You never find them below Old
town. unless now and then they go down to
| Bangor with the logeers in the spring. They
| ike TO work in the woods and on the drives,
| but prefer the tanneries of Winn and Midway
and the iron works Of the Katahdin. But il
| YOU want to get into a settlement where
| nearly every one-women as well as men-is
| A Jumper, you must go abou: 20 miles above
| Caribou. The old fashioned tavern there is
kent bv man who is known everywhere
| around as Mart, and takes special delight
in showing his guests the comicalities OF the
humping Frenchman. Of course there are
some that are ugly and ready to fight after
they have been jumped. but the most Of them
take it pleasantly as joke, so long as they
are not injured. l have never been told
whether this peculiarly is inherited, or Is the
effect of climate. or Is simply nervous at.
lection greatly developed; but know that
the worst jumpers are usually the stoutes'
and healthiest. Any one, of course.can be
startled bv q sudden slap on the shoulder
bat the great peculiarly about the jump
inc Frenchman is that he seems to be mes