Acadian Reminiscences : The True Story of Evangeline — John Shaqi
Acadian Reminiscences : The True Story of EvangelineVoorhies, Felix
History
Acadian Reminiscences : The True Story of Evangeline
Voorhies, Felix
Acadians -- Biography; Acadians -- United States; Borda, Marie Marthe; Labiche, Emmeline; Nova Scotia -- History -- 1713-1763
"The sequel of my story will be quickly told, petiots. Shortly
afterwards, we left for the Teche region, where lands had been granted
to us by the government. We wended our way, to our destined homes,
through dismal swamps, through bayous without number and across lakes
until we reached Portage Sauvage, at Fausse Pointe. The next day, we
were at the Poste des Attakapas, a small hamlet having two or three
houses, one store and a small wooden church, situated on Bayou Teche
which we crossed in a boat.
"There, the several Acadians separated to settle on the lands granted
to them.
"You must not imagine, petiots, that the Teche region was, at that
time, dotted all over like nowadays with thriving farms, elegant
houses and handsome villages. No, petiots, it required the nerve
and perseverance of your Acadian fathers to settle there. Although
beautiful and picturesque, it was a wild region inhabited, mostly, by
Indians and by a few white men, trappers and hunters by occupation.
Its immense prairies, covered with weeds as tall as you, were the
commons where herds of cattle and of deer roamed unmolested, save
by the hunter and the panther. Such was the region your ancestors
settled, and which, by their energy, they have transformed into a
garden teeming with wealth.
"The Acadians enriched themselves in a country where no one will
starve if he is industrious, and where one may easily become rich if
he fears God, and if he is economical and orderly in his affairs.
"Petiots, I have kept my promise, and my tale is told. Your Acadian
fathers were martyrs in a noble cause, and you should always be proud
to be the sons of martyrs and of men of principle."
"Grandmother," we said, as we kissed her fondly, "your words have
fallen in willing and loving hearts, and they will bear fruit. We are
proud now of being called Acadians, for there never was any people
more noble, more devoted to duty and more patriotic than the Acadians
who became exiles, and who braved death itself, rather than renounce
their faith, their king and their country."
[FINIS]
Acknowledgement is made of the kindness of Rev. A. T.
Kempton, Lecturer on Evangeline; Rev. George W. Brooks, an
authority on Acadian history, and The Soule Art Publishing
Company, in loaning us photographs for illustrating this
book.
* * * * * *
Transcriber's note:
Punctuation around quotations was very erratic in this book--this
has been made more uniform. Otherwise, every effort has been made
to remain true to the original spellings and the author's words
and intent.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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