Huntsville gazette., 1885-12-19
THE CREOLE DIALECT.
A Mixture of Bad French and Good En-
glish- How q st. Louisian Obtained
Wife

Mixture of Bad French and Good Eli
glish-H How q st. Louisian Obtained
Wife.
The Creole dialect is mixture of
French and good negro dialect. Any
one who can understand the negro dia-
lect of New Orleans can interpret Gre
ole. The marriage customs OF the fru-
gal New Orleans Creoles are similar to
the marriage customs Of the shopkeep-
ing French in Paris. There is no such
thing as courtship allowed. In New
England a young lover courts his
sweetheart for years. He .'sits up"
with her and holds her hands for
months His sweetheart's father and
mother never know when proposal is
going to happen-if at all. Among the
Creoles it is all business. this counting
is. If young man calls twice on a
Creole girl her father will ask about
his intentions, and they must mean
marriage or the courting must end.
These black-eyed Creole beauties all
like to marry Americans. and if one of
them gets a Yankee ''on string"
with her fathers and mothers aid, She
will surely make him propose.
They tell story in New Orleans
about how Jack Lafrance of st. Louis
got caught by beautiful Creole girl
at the New Orleans Centennial. Jack
didn't know anything about Creole
customs. He had met Mile. Melanie
twice at a soiree on the Rue Bon En-
fants. Then he called at the young
lady's house, bringing a box Of bon
bons. Jack is jolly fellow, and was
invited to call again. On his second
call Melanie's papa tapped him on the
shoulder and said:
IN sieu Lafrance, would lax to see
you one minute" and led him to the
dining-room. Suspecting nothing,
Jack followed him. Once there the old
gentleman produced decanter and
said:
''Mon ami, tex some cognac. You
will fin it ver' fine. My fodder buy it
from Cavoroc. All! you lax it, Ell?
TEX cigah-neveh min, thass real
Havana, shuah. Now, fren' Lafrance,
you lax to know for wat l want see
you-eh bien? o, mon ami, have
notiz yo' attentions to my daughtah
,'
80, 1 always like to show attentions
to young ladies'" said Jack, and
80, I am not displeased, my de-
young man. My family, sab, is one of
the bes' in the city. Yes, sab, we are
twenty frs coozin with Jean Baptist
St. Louis De LOrme, whose gran fodder
slap that Spanish canaille, OReilly, on
the chik a hondred year ago, as yo
will fin wrote down by Gayarre. But,
my fren', when those Yankee r-r-rascals
tex ou' Plantations an ou' nigroes, sab,
we was force to leave ou place, sab,
an come yeh an work, yes. An, ami
Lafrance, do not objec' to my daugh.
tab for choose you for husban', no.
"But, my dear SIR" interrupted the
astonished Jack, ''you are mistaken.
have not made love to your daughter.
/"
"You have no make love to my
daughtah?" exclaimed the old man.
Then he said sadly:
"My de- sab, l love my family. Thass
my only thing yeh on earth. You
HdLC NlSlb IhCldlllt OllCc-tWl w
have talk with her, dance with her,
sing with her. You have compromise
my daughtah, sab! There is no otheh
co'se lef' man of honah, sab, than to
may her; yes, sab, to may herr'
"But sir,' blurted out Jack, 81 am
only poor clerk, with fifty dollars a
month, and could not support wife
even if | vented ONE
"Ah, mon cher, thass all 'ight-the
monnaie is nothing. You don't catch
notch, thass true. But fo' that don
keh' me. You come live yeh, yes.
Then, afteh vile wen yo' patron he
get fo' lax you mo, and give r-r-raise
to seventy-f' dollah, we will do ver'
well, yes. So thass all fix, eh? Come,
you tex some mo- cognac. All, mon
cher Lafrance, you don't know what it
is to be fodder, / suppose! Then
you can't nevah un'stan' 'ow please !
feel wen a young man you hask me
for my danghtah! Yes, sab, you are
the only man vat would rattah have
my daughtah than most anybody W at
evah, sah!"
''But couldn't do it," said Jack,
pulling himself away, sit is impossible
and -
"Ah, so you will 60 to Melanie and
tell her have grant yo' demand. And
will 60 with you. An, M sieu La
france, ah, to tell you the trut', you
did not tex me by sopprise, no! A
fodder can see wen his daughtah love
a young man! An Melanie, she love
you, ah! She dream Of you all night,
yes! All, sab, wen st. Louis De
Lorme love she nevah let 90. no, but
she lax the pelican, she die frs.
''Thass all light, ami Jack. will
see Pere lie Cure, an we will mex the
announcement next Sunday. You can
get re ring, yes, and Melanie will be
ready for next mont. / know you dom
want to wait long. Allons, let us tell
them W at we have arrange" And off
Jack was hustled to the parlor.
Here tn1V wpra cnoo Y,arria1 II,