10. Léon and Marie Arsenault 
     
    
   
   
    
     2. Les cochons de par chez nous 
     
     Se promenent dans les rues 
     
     Chose tres connue 
     
     Fourchettes et couteaux 
     
     De plantés sur le dos 
     
     Le poivre et le sel 
     
     Se trouvent dans les oreilles 
     
     Chose un peu merveille 
     
     La moutarde sous la queue 
     
     Qui en prend, qui en veut. 
     
    
   
   
    
     One of the dearest memories that Marie's children and grandchildren have of her, is her 
     
     talent as a story-teller. "She told us tales”, says Aunt Matilda Richard. “Sometimes she told the 
     
     same ones. We sat close to her and she had to tell us the story “La Mére-a-grand-dent” and 
     
     others that she knew. We never tired of hearing her bed-time stories." And all those fascinating 
     
     characters that were part of her stories, such as Little Jack, Jean-le-sot, Little Poucet, Mére-a- 
     
     grand-dent, Marleche and the dog named Roubi, can still be recalled by her descendants. Marie 
     
     was always ready to retell those old stories that she had probably learned from her parents and 
     
     which had been transmitted orally from generation to generation for hundreds of years. 
     
    
   
   
    
     In 1972, Aunt Matilda was able to remember one of those folktales, the one entitled “La 
     
     Meére-a-grand-dent” (The Long- Toothed Mother). It was recorded and deposited in the 
     
     folklore archives of the Acadian Study Centre at the University of Moncton. 
     
    

    
     The Long-Toothed Mother 
     
     Once upon a time, there was a woman called the Long-Toothed Mother. She was called like 
     
     that because she had a front tooth that was so long that it almost touched the ground. This dear 
     
    
   
   
    
     woman had two girls who were quite lazy; they always got up late in the morning. 
     
    
   
   
    
     In the same country, there was a king. Oh, he was so greedy. He wanted to own every 
     
     beautiful thing that he saw. 
     
    
   
   
    
     One day, the king said to one of his servants, called Little Jack: 
     
    
   
   
    
     “The Long-Toothed Mother has something which I would like to have very much. It is a 
     
     beautiful golden moon, a bright shining moon. I would like to have it. I will let you marry my 
     
    
   
   
    
     daughter if you can put your hands on that golden moon for me.” 
     
    
   
   
    
     Well, Little Jack was never stuck. He said: 
     
    
   
   
    
     -35-