PS 3503 .042 L5 1905 ;>v^f/)i' ,\ •■^ ^^ '^<^ . . . <^ 'o.'- J_ %^^ I * ^^, ^ M % .^^' 'J^^ ^-. ■"*= ,/>). ■^_ :^o* .Hq, u -^ •^'V -& >^^ ■"^.^ ftv %,^ -iM^^ %/ i^-- %,.<" :m(^ W- / % - ,.,.. , . ^ ^m- -' ^- . ..,.. . m ff^r >. ..^" ^^% =o^M>*^ <^ .^ ^ --M ^oV" s^^^ ^^i^; .y ^. A' <;-' .n. •-Ob " m-- ^-0^ ^■^..^'' -MC ,0^ * i^'^ "^ 0^ '■■"..* 4 O^ ■,<> ^^ " -.0^ ^^ V r ; * ° > '^v- .^ # .-^vT s L5 5 Class. Book. 'V^B Copyright }I^_ COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. Little Stories in Verse As Unpretentious as the Wild Rose By CARRIE JACOBS-BOND Chicago Published by the Author 184 Dearborn Street LIBRARY of CONGRESS Two Copies Heceivea MAR IG 1905 Copyrigni tntry CUiSS CC X\C. NOi / f f V S-^y COPY B. Copyright by CARRIE JACOBS-BOND 1905 \ Chicago \ Marsh, Aiike?i 6" CKr/?\f Company '■' Printers Dedicated to AGNESS GREENE FOSTER CONTENTS An' I've Got Home The City Visitor Bearin' Burdens On the Mclntire Farm Buster Bond The Insurance Agent The City Reporter Talkin' 'Bout Trouble Sorrow and I Loyal Two Hard Days for Mother My Old Man's Heaven Three Homes My Little Girl Over Hills and Fields of Daisies That Smith Boy an' His Mother Mother's Three Ages of Man Friends The Path o' Life Her Neighbor's Boy The Woodman's Son His Gal's Graduatin' Day Talkin' About Little Things The Dog's Soliloquy When You're Sad Little Stories m Verse — ^^m Bn' Tvc Got 1bomc Been a-travelin' 'most a year, Been a powerful ways from here, Seen some sights I won't forget. Heard some sounds I'm hearin' yet, But now I'm home. Been to cities strange and new. Some I liked, but just a few ; Still there's none of 'em can be What this old farm is to me, 'Cause it's my home. There's my axe beside the tree — Seems to sort o' beckon me ; Wonder if I've clean forgot How to sliver off a knot Since I left home? 9 10 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE How I'm lovin' every sound ! Acorns droppin' on the ground Sounds like music to my ear, Kind o' singin' joy and cheer 'Cause I've got home. Is there anything so good As bein' home — an' understood? Folks don't criticise your ways, Where they've known you all your days Right in your home. Wall, I'm thankin' God for this— I've been liked (enough to miss) In the place I love the best. An' I've just come back to rest An' stay at home. LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 11 Xlbe Cit^ Visitor When she came to our town, a-visitin' her son, We didn't think she'd like it, or ever'd see the fun. We had a livin', quiet and countrified, you know, But say! she just enjoyed it, by gosh! She told me so. She said she liked the robins a-singin' thro' the breeze, She said she liked the squirrels, a-clim'in' in the trees, She said she liked the wood-pile, an' liked to see me chop. She said so much about that, I was 'most ashamed to stop. She said she loved the feathers an' the quiltin' on her bed. She said she liked Ma's fried-cakes an' her good, old- fashioned bread. An' then she said she liked us, an' I think she meant it, too, An' she said she hoped we'd miss her. Well, I guess, by gosh! we do. 12 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 3Bearin' IfiSur^ens If you've got a burden, Bear it best yo' can. Don't you try to shove it On some other man. Jes' yo' keep a-goin', If the load am big. Ain't no folks that gets thar 'Cept the ones that dig. Only ones you care 'bout Am the one that works — 'Tain't the lazy fellow, 'Tain't the one that shirks. 'Tain't the one that never Gives no care to yo', It's the one that's always Findin' things to do ; LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 13 Carries all his burdens An' a few for you; Always 'round when needed, Always sees you through. He's the one that alius Smiles if they are sad, He's the one that cheers yo' When you're feelin' bad. He's the one that tells you, "Don't yo' grieve an' sigh. There's a heap o' heaven For yo' by and by." Where'd he get his wisdom? Just a-carryin' loads — Just forever walkin' Over rocky roads — Just a-bearin' burdens That he knowed was his — Just forever tendin' Strictly to his "biz." 14 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE ©n tbe /IDcflntire jfarm If you want a place to rest you Far away from care and fret, And you've looked around a good deal, But you haven't found it yet, I can tell you where it's thrivin' — Far away and free from harm — It's the best place in creation — It's on Mclntire's farm. There the sunshine shines the brightest, There the days are calm and free. But o' course there's lots a-doin' — Keeps you busy as a bee, Keeps you workin' all the day long And until the sun is set ; Why, I've seen a few a-workin' After that had quit, you bet. But the happiest folks I know of — Purest thoughts and sweetest lives — LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 15 Are the ones raised in the country, Where the wild flower grows and thrives ; And among the very dearest, Full of love and gentle charm. Are the ones you'll find a-livin' On the Mclntire farm. 16 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE Buster Bo\\t> I'm goin' to tell you 'bout my friend, The best you ever knew. He always treats me just the same, No matter what I do. He's always glad to see me, An' he shows it in his face. An' I can count on him, you bet, Just any time an' place. Now, some folks might object, Because his shade is rather black, Because his nose turns up a bit, An's kinder out o' whack. But, say! his eyes are wonders. Just as plumb, an' clear, an' true. An' you'd know he was a good friend By the look he'd give to you. Ain't no ancestors to brag of— (Might as well be on the shelf As to have a lot behind you If you ain't no good yourself. LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 17 The only thing that counts here Is the heart you've got within, An' your ancestors can't help you When your heart is filled with sin.) He's been my friend for near ten years, An' he's never left me yet, An' I kinder think I'm his'n— We can count as one, you bet. An' he can have a share of Everything I've got on earth, An' still this friend is just a dog- Folks wonder what he's worth. Of course they never ask me. For they know my price is high. But this dog ain't on the market, Not for any one to buy ; He's the last thing that I'd part with— Is this Buster Dog, all black. If his nose is kinder turned up An' a little out o' whack. 18 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE TLbc Unsurance UQcnt There's the life insurance agent, Oh, the life insurance man — Do you think you can escape him? Better try it if you can, Fer if once he gets a-talkin' Might as well give in, you bet ; Fer you never can escape him Once on you his heart is set — ■ You git insured! First, he tells you 'bout the money You can save by signin' NOW — How in twenty years, the "Endowment" Takes the wrinkles off your brow ; By a-payin' jest four dollars Every month for twenty years You'll have saved 'bout fourteen hundred, 'Nough to wipe out all your fears. And you're insured! If you let the good chance slip you. Like as not you'll rue the day LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 19 That you didn't take insurance When the man was 'round your way, Fer he's mighty independent, And he doesn't care a snap If the lightning comes and strikes you. And you're wiped clean off the map- And ain't insured ! But, without a bit of foolin'. Life insurance's pretty slick ; Twenty years jest goes a-scootin'. Saved a pile o' money quick. When you're DEAD you needn't WORRY, You've left something to your wife — Left insurance worth FOUR THOUSAND ; There's your "money — on your life." You was insured ! 20 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE Ube dit^ IReportcr He was one o' them bright city fellers — As slim an' as slick as a pin. He was what they call "city reporter," An' had to be smarter 'n sin. He had to know everything goin' An' write an' then hand it in. His duties were keepin' him hustlin' And hustlin' was keepin' him thin. But by and by vacation got him ; An' he had a fev/ weeks that was his, So he dropped all the thoughts of the city An' forgot everything that was biz. He hustled himself to the country. To a farm home six miles from town, For a rest that would give him a good chance To do his vacation up brown. "Well, say, now ! he wasn't there no time 'Fore the birds made up songs for his sake, LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 21 An' they practiced them tunes by his window Each mornin' to get him awake. They knew that he liked 'em, yo' bet yo' — You can't fool the birds, not a bit — An' that dandy young city reporter With them birds was makin' a hit. Well, I ain't goin' to tell you much more now, Only this : that the fields an' the brook An' the lambs, an' the dogs an' the horses Have all got a lonesome-like look — For the city reporter has left them, An' everything's different here now. The whole farm is lookin' down-hearted, We can't seem to cheer it nohow. Ain't it funny — that some folks you can't miss An' some folks you jus' miss a pile? An' the folks that you can't miss you see lots, An' them other folks once in a while. 22 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE XTalf^in' 'JSout Urouble "This world's so full o' trouble," I hear so many say, An' I wonder if it really is. Or only seems that way. An- I wonder if the folks who find This world so very bad. Are lookin' with their smiiin' eyes, Or eyes jes' lookin' sad. I wonder if they're lookin' out To see what they can do By thinkin' — not about themselves — But thinkin' some 'bout you ; An' I wonder if they ever tried To git braced up with this — A-lookin' 'round to see how much Of troubles they could miss? An' have you ever thought about The greatness of a smile? Wall, if you've not, it might be well To try it for a while, LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 23 Because a smile will do you good No matter where you go, For frowns are mighty common things, (An' we all know that's so!) But say, can anybody tell Why smiles should come so high, An' frowns should be such common things, Beneath the selfsame sky? If folks could only know how much They lose by lookin' sad. They'd all cheer up an' spend their time A-tryin' to look glad. For every time you hide a sigh Behind a smilin' face. You've took a burden from your soul, An' give the Lord a place. An' He's the one who loves to see His children lookin' gay. An' bein' happy in His grace, An' makin' good His way. An' if you think you've had too much, An' things ain't even now, 24 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE Maybe you'll find out by and by The "wherefor an' the how." An' I believe, before you die, You'll see 'twas for the best. An' that instead o' bein' wronged That mostly you've been blest ; An' that your troubles made you big An' char't'ble an' strong. An' 'stead of bein' setbacks They've helped you git along; An' if you hadn't had 'em You could never understood ; An' now I ask you, my good friends, Do you really think you could? LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 25 Sorrow an& II Sorrow and I are firm old friends, For we've been through storms together, But we found that the storms make truer friends Than the pleasantest sunny weather, I found, when the first great grief had past, And the clouds were getting brighter, That Sorrow had only made me see That my new-found loads were lighter, And that, if I carried my burden well. My grief was my greatest blessing ; And a smiling face and a cheery voice Were remedies worth possessing. So Sorrow and I have just joined hands. And v/e're climbing the hill together ; If the stones are rough and our feet grow tired, We are used to the stormy weather. 26 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE Say! She was a pretty woman, Kind o' stout an' kind o' fair ; Eyes were blue an' mouth was tender, Forehead high, with wavin' hair. An' the children? Wall — (God bless 'em) They was beauties, every one. With big brown eyes an' cheeks a-glowin', Kissed by wind an' tanned by sun. But when you had looked at Mother (When she didn't see you near) You could kind o' see a sadness. Kind o' see a hidden tear ; But she didn't do much talkin', Kept on knittin' every day, Kept her hands most awf ly busy, Makin' b'lieve that life was play, Makin' b'lieve God's Kindergarten Still was keepin' her a child ; But the joy was gone — by jingo! When she laughed and when she smiled. LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE Wall — by an' by when I had known her Well enough to speak right out, I just asked her if she'd tell me What the trouble was about ; An' she gave me just another Of them tearful, tender looks, One of them you don't see often — Just like them you find in books ; But I've been a kind o' comfort In my life a time or two. So I said again, "Now tell me — Ain't there somethin' I can do?" Then she answer'd (she'd been lookin' Down the road 'bout twenty years), But before I knew what happened She was just a-sheddin' tears — Cryin' like she never could quit ; Tears was comin' from the heart, But the words was comin' also. What I'd said had made 'em start. An' the story that she told me — (Say, nov7 — don't you smile at this) Was the man that v/as her husband Thought no longer that a kiss Was a thing a woman needed 28 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE After twenty years a v/ife, An' to tell her that he loved her! — 'Bout the slowest thing in life — Ought to know that an' remember, Just remember — don't you know, 'Cause he told her once he loved her, If it was some years ago. Now, there's me an' my old woman. An' we've marched on forty years, An' we've alv/ays marched together. An' we've shared our smiles an' tears ; An' I tell her that I love her. Two — three times a day, I guess, An' I ask her if she loves me. An' she always answers — "Yes." Maybe this is all blame nonsense. But it doesn't cost a cent. An' we've kept the nonsense v/ith us. Always took it v/here we went. An' the folks that come to see us Always say they're glad they came. An' it makes us sort o' happy That they find us "just the same." An' the reason iLdt it is so — Only reason I can tell — LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 29 Is I love my good old woman An' I love her mighty well, An' I ain't ashamed to tell it Any time nor any place, An' the answer that I look for I can find — in her old face. Maybe that face is wrinkled ; If it is — wall, I can't see. All I ever care to know is She's been stanch and true to me. 30 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE Uwo IbarD Wa^s for /iDotber "There's just two days that I don't like," Said Mother Bates to me — "The Circus Day and July Fourth, They're hard as they can be ; But when they both come in one week, It's just a cryin' sin To watch the four boys that I've got. An' try to keep 'em in. "Now, I don't mean all day, you know. But long enough for me To get 'em lookin' nice an' clean An' fit for folks to see, An' long enough for me to say, 'Now, boys, don't you forget (Not even if you haven't seen The entire Circus yet), " 'Come home, for dinner'll taste good An' you can go again An' see the rest this afternoon — That Circus'll remain.' LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 31 But do you think I see a boy Until the sun is set? No, not a boy, from Bob to Jim, They're 'round that Circus yet. "But if the Circus ended there I wouldn't care so much ; The Circus now has just begun — I get the final touch ; For every strap that's in our barn An' every bit of clothes That's got a button made of brass Out in the wood-shed goes. ''An' we've a Circus here at home About a week or two, Until my old head nearly busts An' somethin' comes that's new. This year the Circus didn't last. The Fourth come in next day. An' I just thought them boys would die A-workin' hard that way. "At four o'clock they all got up An' each one fired the gun, An' every livin' thing, I guess, 32 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE Around that farmyard run 'Cept Pa and me — we'd clean forgot That July Fourth was near — So, night before, we went to bed Without a doubt or fear. "A-thinkin' what a blessin' that The Circus come and went Without a broken arm or two. An' we was plumb content. When, goodness me ! that gun was fired, An' I thought, 'One day more ! Will all my boys be here to-night, Or on that other shore? " *0r will they turn from white to black By blowin' in the gun? Or find that one eye is enough To see the July fun? Or just find out one hand will do For helpin' on the farm?' Well — all day long I prayed the Lord To keep them boys from harm. LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 33 "But by an' by — the end it came, An' Bob was carried in, His shirt-sleeve blown to smithereens, A bullet in his chin. But Doctor said, 'Oh, he's all right ; For sure we'll pull him thru.' An', mother-like, I kissed that boy, As mothers always do, "An' I forgive him everything He'd done since he was born, An' hurried up to make him feel He wasn't as forlorn As though he'd blowed his head clean off— (That's what I thought he'd do) But honest, how I loved that boy ! Just loved him thru and thru. "Them other three came walkin' in Just like a funeral band. An' all their faces pale as death An' tremblin' every hand ; An' all o' 'em they looked at me Thru tears a-fallin' fast — Till finally I had to say, 'Thank God, this Fourth is past!' " 34 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE /ID^ ®l& /IDan's Ibeaven I*ve tried to live an honest life, Have helped a friend or two, An' never shirked my duties, If the jobs were small or few. An' I guess I've been a-walkin' In the narrow path all right, 'Cause I've seen a heap more daytime Than I ever seen o' night. Now, some folks call the narrow path A hard one here on earth, But me an' Mary alius found The path was filled with mirth. Fer ain't we had the children A-cheerin' all the time? An' ain't they kept us hustlin' A-keepin' 'em in line? An' why should I be sighin* Fer a different kind o' life. When I've got my thirteen children , An' my Mary Ann fer wife? LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 35 I guess, by jingo, if I do The very best I can, I'll find some heaven here on earth Along with Mary Ann. If Mary Ann was singing On th' everlastin' shore, S'pose I'd give up lookin' pleasant, An' I wouldn't sing no more. But as long as Mary's livin' An' the children all are here, I'll keep my old face smilin', So's to scare away the tear. 36 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE Ubvcc Ibomes I know a home where "Vice" is king, A home where trouble and care 'twill bring, Where mother tries to comfort and cheer The unhappy children who gather here ; Where the lullaby is sung with sobs, Which come from the heart that with sorrow throbs. And all that is wicked, and dark, and drear. Is gathered up and brought in here And left — when the king of vice goes out — To be thought of and worried and grieved about; For this is the home where rum is king. Then I know a home where "Love" is king. Where thoughts of happiness bud and spring, Where the children smile at the father's call And long to see him, one and all ; And the mother sings, with a happy sigh. The babe to sleep with her lullaby. And this home is a safeguard from care and strife, A place where they look for the best thoughts of life, For this is the home where love is king. LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 37 And again there's a home where God is king, A home where our joys and sorrows we bring, A home where the Angels to us will sing A lullaby, which will soothe each sting. Which takes away sorrow, and pain, and strife. And ushers us into an eternal life, A life where our pathway is strewn with flowers, A life which God says shall be always ours, A life where no tears for loved ones flow. For this is a heaven not known below. And pure little children we all would bring To this "sweet home" where God is king. 38 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE /ID^ Xittlc (Biii I've only had my little girl five years, And yet I never lived until she came ; She brought me only smiles (there were no tears), And though it storms, my sun shines just the same, And life has been a different thought to me, Since these dear hands have been my own to hold. And now the glories of this world I see. And yet this child is only five years old. She tells me how the robin builds its nest. She has been watching every day — so long. And how the robin that she likes the best Is always near to help and cheer with song. And by and by she says the house is made. And then the robins just go there to stay; And by and by some little eggs are laid — And there she found some little birds one day. LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 39 And all the time life seems to me more fair — I pause to see the dewdrops on the grass, And things to which I never gave a care Seem now to rise and call me as I pass. For beauty lives in everything that grows, Since these dear lips have given me a name. And she? Ah, she is sweeter than the rose. And I have lost my burdens since she came. 40 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE ®v>cr Ibills an& J'ielDs of Daisies Over hills and fields of daisies Once I wandered light of heart, Now I'm dreaming you are with me, We together — ne'er to part. You are saying, "Oh, I love you. Love like mine will e'er be true." Over hills and fields of daisies You are saying, "I love you." "I love you," the daisy tells me, As the petals fall apart. And at last I hold the yellow Of the gold within its heart ; Even though the flower is severed Those white petals are its own. And that heart of gold is waiting For the petals it has known. LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 41 Now the hills and all the daisies Lie beneath the silent snow, Still I'm dreaming of you, dearest, And I wonder if you know That your form is still beside me. That your voice rings in my ear Over hills and fields of daisies Till it seems that you are here. 42 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE ITbat Smitb Bo^s an' Ibis /iDotber Them two was always chums, you know, That Smith boy an' his mother. An' he jes' thought the world of her, An' said, "There ain't another In all the land like her to me, Fer she's the one that understands An' knows me as I be, 'Cause she's my mother." Them two was always friends, you know. That Smith boy an' his mother. And she was always helpin' him. In one way an' another. An' she was always tellin' him, "I'll be your truest friend, I'll Stan' forever by your side, An' Stan' there till the end, Fer I'm your mother." LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 43 Them two can never part, you know, That Smith boy an' his mother, Far even when the time shall come Fer that last peaceful rest, That mother-love will stick to him, An' live within his breast. An' he will always think o' her, When life seems hard to bear. An' think o' all the joys they had An' things they used to share. An' course it's kind o' hard to have A lot o' tears to smother. But it's easier to look up there When there's your mother. 44 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE /IDotber's TLbxcc Hoes of /IDan Oh, Time has taken my baby away, My baby I loved so well. And the lullaby song he has taken along, And the reason he will not tell. But Time said, "Do not grieve. For I'm going to leave In the cradle where he has slept, A memory deep of a baby asleep Since away from your arms he has crept." Oh, Time has taken my boy away. My boy that I loved so well, And the march for fun with the little gun, And the tales that he used to tell. But Time said, "Do not grieve. For I'm going to leave A man who will care for you. With a big strong arm that can shield from harm. And a heart that is brave and true." I LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 45 Now a girl has taken my man away, My man that I loved so well. And that big strong arm that could shield from harm Just belongs to a girl named Nell. And I'm growing old, And the world's growing cold, But, of course, as he is a man, He will have to go (oh, it's better so), And I'll do the best that I can. 46 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 3frienC>s When God made up this world of ours, He made it long and wide, And meant that it should shelter all, And none should be denied. But, somehow, lots of folks got in, Who didn't like the plan. And ever since, they've tried their best To push off every man Who didn't do the way they said. And if the man was poor. He had to hustle right and left And hustle hard for sure. Now, "poverty is no disgrace," How oft we hear that said i But honestly (now this 's the truth). You might as well be dead As ask some folks to help you on If they have got the start. For some of 'em they run to head. And just forget the heart LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 47 When everything comes on their way And their sun's shinin' bright. There's only just a few of 'em That see us in the night. And shadows swallow us so quick And put us out of sight, That it's like fightin' with a dream, Or makin' wrong seem right, To ever get the help you need Unless you're big and strong. But make a fight, you gentle one, And think of me awhile. I'm looking on, and prayin', too, And hopin' with a smile, For I believe there are a few "Who help just all they can. Who know the good, and know the bad. And see the honest man. No matter if his clothes are rags, You read him like a book ; An' you don't ask him, "Where've you worked?" You just give him a look, 48 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE And then you take him by the hand And say, "Now, here's a start; You do your best, I'll trust you, sure." You've reached that feller's heart, And he will always stand by you And be your "friend indeed," (And you can be right sure of this), Also, your "friend in need." And maybe, when adversity Has caught you in its grasp, You'll feel the hand you held one time — It'll return the clasp You gave it, when it needed help. And it will hold you back. And give you just the strength you need And just the pluck you lack. And by and by the friend you made. By judging from his heart — Instead of judging from his clothes, (The man you gave a start), You'll find in him companion, friend. And everything you need, That's what you almost always get For every honest deed. LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 49 Zbc ipatb 0' Xife I have a little tale to tell (And hope 'twill do some good). It's 'bout a couple of young folks A-walkin' through a wood. They started off 'bout noon time, Some fifteen years ago, To journey down the "Path o' Life," Just how, they didn't know. About the time these two set off Another pair set out ; The same church-door they left behind. Their hearts all strong and stout. They all walked down the "Path o' Life," And then 'twas clear and bright. And looked as though for miles to come 'Twould all be straight and right. Of course this weddin' day (I guess) Was near the first o' June, The time o' day — again I say — Came pretty nigh to noon. 50 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE And if you take life in its Spring And just about midway, This world is bound to look real good And things look bright and gay. That's just the time for weddin's, when The birds are singin' sweet, And violets are comin' up To kiss the fern leaf's feet — But, 'nough about the weather And the flowers a-bloomin' gay, I must tell you 'bout my couples Startin' off this weddin' day. That "Path o' Life" looked pretty smooth About a year or two. And then the weeds began to come Where once the sweet flowers grew. One pair o' them walked hand in hand Altho' the path grew rough; He helped her over all the stones And she called love enough. The other two? Well, I must tell, Their hands loosed on the way, LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 51 And their paths widened as they walked And clouds came every day, And all because they didn't know That burdens shared by two Will always lighten fully half If hearts are strong and true. And so my couples wandered on — On down the "Path o' Life" ; One pair caught all the sunshine, God called them "man and wife." My other pair are lost to sight, Their forms no more I see, Lost somewhere on the "Path o' Life," For they could not agree. When stones were rough, she would complain And, answerin', he would say, "Just come along, now, Mary Ann, You helped to make the day When we this journey undertook; I've done the best I could; Come, hurry up and catch me now. It's dark here in this wood." 52 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE And so she wanders on alone ; (He thinks he's bein' kind) ; But by and by he finds, alas ! That Mary's far behind. And then he wonders where she is, And what she's doin' now ; And as he thinks how they have walked, A frown comes on his brow. And then he wonders how it is This world for him is cold, And lightnin'-like a thought comes in — Why, he is growin' old ; And that smooth path he once called "life" All full o' briers has grown, And that companion he called "wife" Is lost, and he's alone. I guess a moral is a thing That you don't need just now. But I would like to say a word To smooth each wrinkled brow. Just grasp the hand that's in your path — Sometimes the path is long — LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 53 And life is sweeter when you have Companions, with a song. Kind words smooth all the "Paths o' Life" And smiles make burdens light, And uncomplainin' friends can make A daytime out o' night. 54 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE Iber IFleiGbbor's Bo^ One time when Mother Green had come To stay a spell with us, If I had been a cussin' man, I guess I'd had to cuss. To hear the way folks have to talk About their neighbor's child. I vow if I had been a pa Them folks would drove me wild. Wall, this is Mother Green's own yarn, (She told it plumb and true — ) That Mrs. Brown, who lived next door, Had said to Mrs. Prue, "She wished that Mrs. Green would keep Her boy home just one day ; That Tommy never had no time To skip an' run an' play, "Without that Green boy taggin' on An' actin' up like sin. An' she had had about enough Of callin' Tommy in LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 55 An' tellin' him he'd have to stop A-squintin' up his nose, An' shoutin' like an Indian, An' tearin' all his clothes; "An' just to keep the manners of That Green boy out of sight. An' that it took just all her strength To get dear Tommy right, When he had played a little while With that boy, Johnny Green." . . . I wish she had the eyes to see What my old eyes have seen, For goodness knows, if John was near As bad as Tommy Brown, I'd sell my house and move away, I'd never live in town, I'd go out in the woods to live, An' let the fresh air blow A little while on Tommy Brown. An' then I'd let him know 56 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE He wasn't just the only boy That ever had been born — I'd tell him he'd live in them woods Till Gabriel blowed his horn Unless he changed his awful ways, An' got to actin' right, An' had some manners different Than the ones he kept in sight. So every mother thinks her boy's The best you ever knew. And that there ain't another boy (Or only just a few) — Like Tommy Brown, or Johnny Green, Or any mother's boy. But it's we who haven't got none Who know the honest joy That's got by simply lookin' on An' seein' all the fun. An' hearin' how the neighbors talk About their neighbor's son. But by an' by, when time has made Them boys up into men, LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 57 The whole blamed thing will be forgot, An' all forgiven then ; An' things that used to seem so bad Will laugh us into tears, An' make us wish that we could go 'Way back a dozen years, An' see them boys a-actin' up As if they'd just gone mad — We'd give a lot to see once more Them bad boys actin' bad. 58 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE TIbe MooDman's Son Yes, I made my money loggin', I began it when a boy. From the birds I took my music, From the brooks I took my joy. From the pines I got the perfume Of a life lived pure an' free, An' them sturdy oaks gave whispers Of a strong, hard life fer me. But I knew that I'd be happier, Jes' to live there in the wood, Than to go out in that other world, An' know it, if I could. So I looked around the forest, An' a woman there I found Who looked at things as I did. From the tree top to the ground. An' we started out together In a log house in the wood, An' we lived a happy life there, But of course we knew we could. LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 59 Then by an' by the baby came, A sturdy, robust son. An' fourteen years we kept him Livin' with us jes' fer fun. But the folks that used to come in On our quiet, peaceful life Did a heap o' talkin' to me, — Finai'y tackled my old wife — An' tole us we was doin' him A willful, sinful wrong. That he ought to go to college. That we ought to help him 'long, 'Stead o' keepin' him a-livin' In the backwoods all his life. That he ought to have advantages To fit him fer the strife That has to come to every man Who lives three score and ten. An' so my wife an' I give in. An' said "Good-by," an' then — Five years he spent at college In a city full of life. 60 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE When he came home to visit, He wa'n't known to me nor wife, But he wa'n't one bit proud Hke ; Loved his mother an' loved me. But the things that boy had learnt about Was shockin' like to see — Told me he was winnin' everything He ever tried to win, From a card game to a horse-race ! Looked to me like winnin' sin. In the woods I learnt a few things, An' I called some pretty bad. But I hadn't learnt a circumstance To that 'ere handsome lad. He knew everything a-goin' 'Bout the world of luck an' sin, 'Cause he'd seen things from the outside (Ma an' me had been shut in). Wall, the thing that really hurt me was, I couldn't turn him back An' start him over once again Along his pa's rough track — LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 61 An' had him learnt jes' nature An' the things my old eye sees, An' kept him livin' with the birds, An' brooks, an' flowers, an' trees. An' then we all could understood. But, as it is, you know — Ma an' me lives in the woods, — An' the boy — he had to go ! 62 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE Ibis Oars araMiatin* H)a^ Maybe their hearts did whirl a bit, 'Specially the heart of my gal Kit. She sot on the rostrum with all the rest, And I'll be dum'd, she looked the best, Tho' the things she wore was simple, too — Jest a muslin frock with a ribbon blue, Yet she was the sweetest of all the crowd, And my old heart was thumpin' proud When the President rose up plain to see And "Kit Gray's a-goin' to talk," says he. Wall, say, did that gal know her piece? The words just came as smooth as grease, So easy-like she told her part 'Bout "Helen Gould with the golden heart." I vow I never heard such talk. That gal knows how to "go" — no "balk" In her — she's always sure and true. An' are there many? There's a few Like Kit — that blessed gal o' mine — Say! she's just right 'bout every time. LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 63 Wall, just before them doin's started She said her head and heart had parted — She knew she never'd speak her piece — She knew her heart was going to cease — But if her heart kept goin' good She'd have to swaller, yes, she would. And swallerin' would spile her readin'. Then says I, "Just pay no heedin' ; But keep a good stiff upper lip ; Them words'll come without a slip." Say, was you there to see the show, Them gals and boys all in a row? Wall, I'll be dum'd, but they looked fine— (An' 'specially that gal o' mine). You ain't a father, are you, Neal? So you don't know just how I feel ; But "sweetened lightnin' " ran through me ; I was the proudest man to be A-sittin' there and know my Kit Was doin' fine, not sca't a bit. The shov/ is done, and I am here, A-wipin' off a fallin' tear. 64- LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE Ain't cryin' 'cause I'm feelin' bad, Just cryin' 'cause I am so glad I've got a gal like that 'ar "Kit," Who knows so much she had to quit A-goin' to the public school. She's learned for sure the golden rule ; And does she live it? Now, you bet! That gal's all right, don't you forget. LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 65 xraimn' Bbout Xtttle ZbiwQS You say I see the little things — "Well, yes, I guess I do. For big things seldom come along To folks like me, that's true, And little things are all I have To come and help me through This world o' tryin' to get on With comforts small and few. But talkin' 'bout the little things, — Now, there's a baby's smile — Do you suppose a millionaire Could have that for a while, And love it and forget it In the hum and buzz o' style, And ever feel the same again Without that baby's smile? Still talkin' 'bout the little things, Now, there's a baby's tear — Who ever saw the quiverin' lid, With baby pain or fear, 66 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE Give out its little message And not feel their hearts go near To comfort and caress it, And to wipe away the tear? The very smallest o' small things Amounts to lots in life, And folks could find a heap o' help To carry 'em through strife, If they would only look along Just where they're walkin' now, Instead o' lookin' 'way ahead, An' furrowin' their brow — 'Cause what you look for 'way ahead, Sometimes you never find ; It's only what you've got in sight Or what you've left behind. That ever does you any good ; (By livin' I know this) But seein' small things as you go You very little miss. Take anything that you can't buy And try it for a while ; .07 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 67 Course, what you get for nothin' Don't seem worth a tear or smile ; By an' by you will be seein' A somethin' come along That just grew out o' nothin* An' grew mighty big and strong. Now, here'm I moralizin' By beginnin' with a smile — An' talkin' 'bout a baby. Precious little for a while. But you know that baby's growin* An' he soon'll be a man, And you know it's truth I'm tellin', Look and find it — 'cause you can. 68 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE Ube WoQ'5 SolilOQU^ Once I was dear Katherine's playmate All her time she spent with me ; When a cat came near my Katherine She'd say, "Scat 'em up a tree." But that little Katherine Swisher Changed her mind one summer's day; Now she holds that selfsame kitten — I'm the one she "scats" away. My! but that cat likes to chase me, Rather scratch poor me than eat. Jumps upon my back and claws me. Feels as tho' she had ten feet. And does Katherine Swisher scold her? No; she says, "Now, Kittie dear. Don't you know that dog would kill you If your mistress wasn't near?" And she's teaching that cat poems. Reads them from her little books. LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 69 Deceitful cat pretends to listen, Fools poor Katherine with her looks. Tells me I am educated When she sees me feeling bad. I could eat that cat with pleasure, That cat makes me dreadful mad. "Lucky dog," that's what they called me, 'Twas before cats came my way. Long before I learned the adage — "Every dog will have his day." Education's spoiled my pleasure ; I would rather heathen be. Than to see that cat a-reading. When she should be up a tree. 70 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE When you are sad and lonely, Do you wish that I were near? When the world seems cold and dreary, Would my voice give you cheer? When the tempest beats upon the craft You call your heart, Would you smile to see me, dear. And sigh, when we should part? i .■i> <^ /i^' ^^' ^. 4> ° " " « ^^ .-•^-U-Lr-^ > •\ .0 ^, -, ^?^w^ -^^s--- 3 V V ^^'; '^-n^o^ 'b V" > ^ A c -0^ ^%^-/ '^^ V '%° -'W^ 'c^ ^?^ .r 'o , t >< /^ .f' c-^" 9 oo,F7S5'S*'''