I«fll J LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. Chap. Copyright ]So. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. LOG CABIN POEMS BY COMMODORE ROLLINGPIN. Leg Cabin Poems, 16mo. $1.25. Duck Creek Ballads, 16mo. $1.25. Thomas Rutherton (a Novel), 16mo. $1.25. Mississippi River Yarns, 16 mo. $1.25. All Sorts of People, 16mo. $1.25. All Illustrated. ' C ^7^-uc^t/ s* 7/t^p LOG CKBIN POEMS \'A COMMODORE^ROLLINGPIN Author of "Thomas Rutherton," "Duck Creek Ballads. "/etc. )\^ ST. LOUIS ROLLINGPIN PUBLISHING COMPANY 1897 L Cfe U Copyright 1897 by John Henton Carter The task complete, the brain at rest, The weary hand lets fall the pen : The author's secrets all confessed, /To stands before his countrymen And waits the verdict once again . Moved by an inborn love, he sought To recreate some vanished scene, Wherein our sturdy fathers wrought In furrowed fields or meadows green, And episodes that intervene. Of journeying by land and stream, And sad disasters that befell The hapless ones — these wake a dream On which the memory's prone to dwell - And stirs the calloused heart as well. And should his humble efforts provi A solace to one o'er-wroughl brain, Rekindling thoughts of home and love And pity where there was disdain . The poet has not lived in vain. All moods are thine, 0, Heavenly Muse, And blest is he who knows thy spell — Who's felt the lagging brain suffuse With noble thoughts that glow and swell The poet's songs we love so well, Thy home's where purple cloudlets float Like mirage ships in endless space; Where cherubim with tiny boat The Empyrean } s rivers trace, And Heaven's sunlight's in each face. r Lhou glidest past the humble home, And, lof some poor, ambitious boy Looks out upon the streets of Home Or sits by Homer in old Troy, And feels fresh-born the poet's joy. Then come, 0, Muse, to our new West - Float over valley, hill and plain, The land thy sister Ceres blessed; Inspire us as of old again, That we reap harvests else than grain. Illustrations. '' Frontispiece — Author's Portrait. / Dedication. John Fulkerson, i y She Bears Another's Name, ... 28 v You Don't Remember It, Eh? ... 80 /Her Corsair Sire Had Reared Her Well, 99 v A Great, Fixe Lady Drives This Way, 120 J Jes Ez It Wuz When I Wuz Young, . 127 /Imagine His Anguish if You Can, . 139 * Old Midas is Leading the World To-day, 153 v The Madam, Having Heard Them All, 161 v L' Envoi, 189 V Tail-piece, 191 CONTENTS. John Fulkersox, i Woman, l 7 Back to New Orleans, 21 Eugene Field, 26 The Shattered Ideal, 27 The Old Log Cabin. 3° Bill Nye, . . • 3 6 The Reign of Mammon, 37 The Best They Can Do, 4 2 The Street Singer, 44 East and West, 46 The Poet's Reward, 49 Too Old To Be Moving Now, ... 52 Captain Jim, 54 Independence Day, 57 Victoria, 59 CONTENTS. Joseph B. McCullagh, 61 The Old Farm, 62 The Smith, 68 Missouri Nightingales, 70 The Millionaires' Ball, .... 72 To Miss Ella Beers, ...... 75 After the Storm, 76 The Kings of Thought, 78 Their First Meeting, 80 The Old Editor, S4 The Maid of the Salvation Army, . 85 The Mississippi, . Sj The Poet, 88 The Hero of Brush Creek, ... 92 Compensation, 9S Corsair Island, . 99 Who? 104 Old Uncle Ike, 106 The Irony of Fate, 108 Voices, 109 The Silent Vote, ....... 112 The Modern Baron, . . . . . . 113 Life, 1 16 Old Bill, 117 Ante-Nuptial, . 121 CONTENTS. Fate, 122 The Ancient Citizen, 124 Same Old Way, 1 . 1 27 The Press Club Buffet, 129 Deacon Williams' Remarks, . . . 133 What Is There In It? 137 Hermit of Canebrake Point, . . . 138 "Who'll Start 'Er?" 143 A Reverie, 148 Midas, 151 The Fortv-Niner, 157 Webster Groves, 163 One Summer, . 168 Orange Blossom, 171 Log Cabin Boys, 177 Spar Island Bar, 178 The Vision, 180 The Union Soldier, 182 The Church at Sorby, ..... 184 L'Envoi, !8 9 " The craps air 'bout ez good, I 'low, Ez could be astfar." (See page 1.) LCOG