10. Léon and Marie Arsenault

Like his father, Léon had a little song which he enjoyed singing when he held a child on his lap. It ended with a jig. He always kept the beat by tapping his feet on the floor.

N'a'-vous point vu mes vieilles mitaines

Dans le pays ou je deviens?

Quand méme j'les cherche, je les trouve point, Quand méme j'les trouve, je les prends point. Da di da dli da dli da dlou.........

Léon oftened modified the text of the song in order to name the child he was singing for:

N'a'-vous point vu ma p'tite Louise

Dans le pays ou je deviens?

Quand méme j'la cherche, je la trouve point, Quand méme j'la trouve, je la prends point. Da di da dli da dli da dlou.........

Léon Arsenault and granddaughter Noélla, youngest daughter of John and Aldine Arsenault, in 1960. Notice Léon's two crocked fingers on his right hand. He had broken them while making fence and had not been attended by a doctor.

He also played the mouth organ but almost never in public. He would take it out now and then and play a tune to entertain the children.

Léon smoked a pipe but mostly he chewed tobacco, the infamous "twist". He also enjoyed chewing gum, chewing a few sticks at a time. Instead of discarding this impressive ball of gum, he kept it an asperine box in his pocket for future use. At one point in his life, his doctor recommended that he stop drinking tea. According to Léon, he had drunk so much strong tea that he was having stomach problems. Instead he drank a mixture of hot water and evaporated milk.

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