MIT I W%^ lly&lf UC-NR SB 2SM 30b WfiiT^T Inif EDUL PSYOi. IIBKA-,- THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Becuest of Professor Warner Brown RILEY CHILD-RHYMES A-list nin to the witch-tales at Annie tells abou EDI RILEY CHILD-RHYMES JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY WITH HOOSIER PICTURES BY WILL VAWTER NEW YORK GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS Copyright 1890, 1896, 1898 and 1901 by James Whitcomb Riley EDUC.- PSYCH. LIBRARY GIFT Of c WITH HALE AFFECTION AND ABIDING FAITH THESE RHYMES AND PICTURES ARE INSCRIBED To THE CHILDREN EVERYWHERE 776 V \ He owns the bird-songs of the hills The laughter of the April rills; And his are all the diamonds set In Morning s dezvy coronet, And his the Dusk s first minted stars That twinkle through the pasture-bars And litter all the skies at night With glittering scraps of silver light; The rainbow s bar, from rim to rim, In beaten gold, belongs to him. CONTENTS PACK AT AUNTY S HOUSE 56 BEAR STORY, THE 179 BOY LIVES ON OUR FARM, THE 67 BOYS CANDIDATE, THE 144 BUMBLEBEE, THE 64 CIRCUS-DAY PARADE, THE 114 CURLY LOCKS 32 DAYS GONE BY, THE 60 DOWN AROUND THE RIVER 51 ENVOY , 187 FUNNY LITTLE FELLOW, THE 35 GRANDFATHER SQUEERS 160 HAPPY LITTLE CRIPPLE, THE 40 HOME-MADE FAIRY-TALE, A . 175 IMPETUOUS RESOLVE, AN 95 JOLLY MILLER, THE 136 LIFE-LESSON, A 171 LITTLE COAT, THE 90 LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE 23 LUGUBRIOUS WHING- WHANG, THE 119 NAUGHTY CLAUDE 126 NINE LITTLE GOBLINS, THE 104 OLD AUNT MARY S 76 OLD HAY-MOW, THE .... 148 CONTENTS Continued PAGE OLD TRAMP, THE 75 ON THE SUNNY SIDE 152 OUR HIRED GIRL 140 PET COON, THE 145 PIXY PEOPLE, THE . . 167 RAGGEDY MAN, THE 28 RIDER OF THE KNEE, THE 48 RUNAWAY BOY, THE 85 SOUTH WIND AND THE SUN, THE 127 SQUIRTGUN UNCLE MAKED ME, THE 71 SUDDEN SHOWER, A 156 TIME OF CLEARER TWITTERINGS . . . 109 WAITIN FER THE CAT TO DIE 121 WHO SANTY-CLAUS Wuz 99 WINTER FANCIES 80 ILLUSTRATIONS PAGk WITCH-TALES Frontispiece THEY WAS TWO GREAT BIG BLACK THINGS A-STANDIN BY HER SIDE 23 AN* WHEN THEY TURN T THE KIVVERS DOWN . . . .25 LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE TAILPIECE . 27 THE RAGGEDY MAN TITLE 28 HE SHOWED ME THE HOLE AT THE WuNKS IS GOT .... 29 CURLY LOCKS TITLE 32 SlT ON A CUSHION AND SEW A FINE SEAM 33 THE FUNNY LITTLE FELLOW TITLE 35 NEVER KNEW A BABY THAT WOULDN T CROW FOR HIM ... 37 THE HAPPY LITTLE CRIPPLE TITLE 40 AN* I PECK ON THE WINDER 41 AN COOKS A EGG FER ME 45 THE HAPPY LITTLE CRIPPLE TAILPIECE 47 THE RIDER OF THE KNEE 49 DOWN AROUND THE RIVER TITLE 51 NOON-TIME AND JUNE-TIME DOWN AROUND THE RIVER ... 53 DOWN AROUND THE RIVER TAILPIECE 55 Ax AUNTY S HOUSE TITLE 56 WE ET OUT ON THE PORCH . . 57 THE DAYS GONE BY TITLE 60 IN THE ORCHARD 61 THE BUMBLEBEE . 65 ILLUSTRATIONS Continued PAGS Tnr BOY LIVES ON OUR FARM TITLE 67 STAND UP LIKE HIM AN DRIVE 69 THE SQUIRTGUN UNCLE MAKED ME TITLE 71 THE SQUIRTGUN TAILPIECE 72 AN NEN HE PEELED OFF THE BARK 73 THE OLD TRAMP 75 WE PATTER ALONG IN THE DUST AGAIN ....... 77 OLD AUNT MARY S TAILPIECE 79 WINTER FANCIES TITLE 80 WINTER WITHOUT AND WARMTH WITHIN 81 HERE IN MY ROOM I M AS SNUGLY SHUT 84 AN A GREA -BIG PIG WENT "BOOH !" 87 HUG WITE CLOSE ROUND HER NECK 89 THE LITTLE COAT 91 THE LITTLE COAT TAILPIECE .... 94 AN IMPETUOUS RESOLVE TITLE 9s I M GO TO BE A BAKER . 96 A-SLINGIN PIE-CRUST LONG THE ROAD 97 WHO SANTY-CLAUS Wuz TITLE 99 AN QUAR L WITH HIS FROSTED HEELS 101 WHO SANTY-CLAUS Wuz TAILPIECE 103 THE NINE LITTLE GOBLINS 105 THE NINE LITTLE GOBLINS TAILPIECE 108 TIME OF CLEARER TWITTERINGS TITLE 109 ILLUSTRATIONS Continued PAGE WHERE THE SHELLBARK HICKORY TREE ..... THE CIRCUS-DAY PARADE ........... HOW THE CAGES JOLTED PAST ........ 110 AND, LAST OF ALL, THE CLOWN ...... THE LUGUBRIOUS WHING-WHANG TITLE ...... WAITIN FER THE CAT TO DIE TITLE ....... 121 10? BAREFOOTED, HUNGRY, LEAN, ORNRY BOYS ...... i 125 WHY YOU ROCK so SLOW? ....... NAUGHTY CLAUDE ............ THE SOUTH WIND AND THE SUN TITLE ...... 127 THIS PAIR OF MERRY FAYS ...... THE JOLLY MILLER TITLE ........... 136 THAT CAT o YOURN I D KILL HER ......... Wuz PARCHIN CORN FER THE RAGGEDY MAN . . 144 THE BOYS CANDIDATE ......... THE PET COON TITLE . . . AN NEN WHEN BILLY FIGHTED ME ......... 147 THE OLD HAY-MOWTITLE ......... IN OUR HAY-MOW WHERE I KEEP STORE ....... ON THE SUNNY SIDE TITLE .......... 152 AS A ROMPING BOY A SUDDEN SHOWER SCHOOLGIRL FACES . . . GLEAM FROM THE SHAWLS ABOUT A SUDDEN SHOWER TITLE ........... 156 THEIR HEADS .............. ILLUSTRATIONS Continued PAGE A SUDDEN SHOWER TAILPIECE 159 GRANDFATHER SQUEERS TITLE . 160 AND SMOKE LEAF-TOBACCO 163 GRANDFATHER SQUEERS TAILPIECE 166 THE PIXY PEOPLE TITLE 167 WINGED ABOVE THE WALK 169 A LIFE-LESSON TITLE 171 BUT HEAVEN HOLDS ALL FOR WHICH YOU SIGH ..... 173 A HOME-MADE FAIRY-TALETITLE ........ 175 A LITTLE DUDE-FAIRY 177 ENVOY 185 RILEY CHILD-RHYMES LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE LITTLE Orphant Annie s come to our house to stay, An wash the cups an saucers up, an brush the crumbs away, An shoo the chickens off the porch, an dust the hearth, an sweep, An make the fire, an bake the bread, an earn her board- an -keep ; An all us other childern, when the supper things is done, We set around the kitchen fire an has the mostest fun A-list nin to the witch-tales at Annie tells about, An the Gobble-uns at gits you Ef you Don t Watch Out! 23 LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE Onc t they was a little boy wouldn t say his prayers, So when he went to bed at night, away up stairs, His Mammy heerd him holler, an his Daddy heerd him bawl, An when they turn t the kivvers down, he wasn t there at all ! An they seeked him in the rafter-room, an cubby-hole, an press, An seeked him up the chimbly-flue, an ever wheres, I guess ; But all they ever found was thist his pants an rounda bout : . An the Gobble-uns ll git you Ef you Don t Watch Out! An one time a little girl ud allus laugh an grin, An make fun of ever one, an all her blood an kin ; An onc t, when they was "company," an ole folks was there, She mocked em an shocked em, an said she didn t care ! An thist as she kicked her heels, an turn t to run an hide, They was two great big Black Things a-standin by her side, 24 LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE An they snatched her through the ceilin fore she knowed what she s about ! An the Gobble-uns ll git you Ef you Don t Watch Out! An little Orphant Annie says when the blaze is blue, An the lamp-wick sputters, an the wind goes woo-oo! \n you hear the crickets quit, an the moon is gray, An the lightnin -bugs in dew is all squenched away, You better mind yer parents, an yer teachers fond an dear, An churish them at loves you, an dry the orphant s tear, An he p the pore an needy ones at clusters all about, Er the Gobble-uns ll git you Ef you Don t Watch Out! OTHE RAGGEDY MAN ! He works f er Pa ; An he s the goodest man ever you saw ! He comes to our house every day, An waters the horses, an feeds em hay ; An he opens the shed an we all ist laugh When he drives out our little old wobble-ly calf ; An nen ef our hired girl says he can- He milks the cow fer Lizabuth Ann. Aint he a awful good Raggedy Man ? Raggedy ! Raggedy ! Raggedy Man ! W y, The Raggedy Man he s ist so good He splits the kindlin an chops the wood ; An nen he spades in our garden, too, An does most things at boys can t do ! 28 p THE RAGGEDY MAN He clumbed clean up in our big tree An shocked a apple down f er me An nother n , too, fer Lizabuth Ann An nother n , too, fer The Raggedy Man. Aint he a awful kind Raggedy Man ? Raggedy! Raggedy! Raggedy Man! An The Raggedy Man, he knows most rhymes An tells em, ef I be good, sometimes : Knows bout Giunts, an GrifTuns, an Elves, An the Squidgicum-Squees at swallers therselves ! An , wite by the pump in our pasture-lot, He showed me the hole at the Wunks is got, At lives way deep in the ground, an can Turn into me, er Lizabuth Ann ! Aint he a funny old Raggedy Man? Raggedy! Raggedy! Raggedy Man! The Raggedy Man one time when he Wuz makin a little bow- n -orry fer me, Says "When you re big like your Pa is, Air you go to keep a fine store like his An be a rich merchunt an wear fine clothes ? Er what air you go to be, goodness knows !" An nen he laughed at Lizabuth Ann, An I says " M go to be a Raggedy Man ! I m ist go to be a nice Raggedy Man !" Raggedy ! Raggedy ! Raggedy Man ! 31 CURLY LOCKS CURLY Locks! Curly Locks! wilt thou be mine? Thou shall not wash the dishes, nor yet feed the swine, But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam, And feast upon strawberries, sugar and cream. Curly Locks ! Curly Locks ! wilt thou be mine ? The throb of my heart :*s in every line, And the pulse of a passion as airy and glad In its musical beat as the little Prince had ! 32 CURLY LOCKS Thou shalt not wash the dishes, nor yet feed the swine ! O I ll dapple thy hands with these kisses of mine Till the pink of the nail of each finger shall be As a little pet blush in full blossom for me. But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam, And thou shalt have fabric as fair as a dream, The red of my veins, and the white of my love, And the gold of my joy for the braiding thereof. And feast upon strawberries . sugar and cream From a service of silver, with jewels agleam, At thy feet will I bide, at thy beck will I rise, And twinkle my soul in the night of thine eyes ! Curly Locks! Curly Locks! wilt thou be mine? Thou shalt not wash the dishes, nor yet feed the swine. But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam, And feast upon strawberries, sugar and cream 34 TWAS a Funny Little Fellow Of the very purest type, For he had a heart as mellow As an apple over-ripe ; And the brightest little twinkle When a funny thing occurred, And the lightest little tinkle Of a laugh you ever heard ! His smile was like the glitter Of the sun in tropic lands, And his talk a sweeter twitter Than the swallow understands ; 35 : - THE FUNNY LITTLE FELLOW Hear him sing and tell a story Snap a joke ignite a pun, Twas a capture rapture glory. And explosion all in one! Though he hadn t any money That condiment which tends To make a fellow "honey" For the palate of his friends; Sweet simples he compounded Sovereign antidotes for sin Or taint, a faith unbounded That his friends were genuine. He wasn t honored, may be For his songs of praise were slim, Yet I never knew a baby That wouldn t crow for him; I never knew a mother But urged a kindly claim Upon him as a brother, At the mention of his name. The sick have ceased their sighing And have even found the grace 36 THE FUNNY LITTLE FELLOW Of a smile when they were dying As they looked upon his face ; And I ve seen his eyes of laughter Melt in tears that only ran As though, swift dancing after, Came the Funny Little Man. He laughed away the sorrow, And he laughed away the gloom We are all so prone to borrow From the darkness of the tomb; And he laughed across the ocean Of a happy life, and passed, With a laugh of glad emotion, Into Paradise at last. And I think the Angels knew him, And had gathered to await His coming, and run to him Through the widely-opened Gate * With their faces gleaming sunny For his laughter-loving sake, And thinking, "What a funny Little Angel he will make !" 39 T > M thist a little cripple boy, an never goin to grow An get a great big man at all ! cause Aunty told me so. When I was thist a baby onc t, I failed out of the bed An got "The Curv ture of the Spine" at s what the Doctor said. I never had no Mother nen fer my Pa runned away An dassn t come back here no more cause he was drunk one day An stobbed a man in thish-ere town, an couldn t pay his fine! An nen my Ma she died an I got "Curv ture of the Spine ! 40 THE HAPPY LITTLE CRIPPLE I m nine years old! An you can t guess how much I weigh, I bet! Last birthday I weighed thirty-three ! An I weigh thirty yet! I m awful little fer my size I m purt nigh littler nan Some babies is! an neighbers all calls me "The Little Man !" An Doc one time he laughed an said: "I spect, first thing you know, You ll have a little spike-tail coat an travel with a show !" An nen I laughed till I looked round an Aunty was a-cryin Sometimes she acts like that, cause I got "Curv ture of the Spine." I set while Aunty s washin on my little long-leg stool, An watch the little boys an girls a-skippin by to school ; An I peck on the winder, an holler out an say : "Who wants to fight The Little Man "at dares you all to day?" An , nen the boys climbs on the fence, an little girls peeks through, An they all says : "Cause you re so big, you think we re feared o you!" 43 THE HAPPY LITTLE CRIPPLE An nen they yell, an shake their fist at me, like I shake mine They re thist in fun, you know, cause I got "Curv ture of the Spine!" At evening, when the ironin s done, an Aunty s fixed the fire, An filled an lit the lamp, an trimmed the wick an turned it higher, An fetched the wood all in fer nig;it, an locked the kitchen Joor, An stuffed the ole crack where the wind blows in up through the floor She sets the kittle on the coals, an biles an makes the tea, An fries the liver an the mush, an cooks a egg fer me ; An sometimes -when I cough so hard her elderberry wine Don t go so bad fer little boys with "Curvature of the Spine !" But Aunty s all so childish-like on my account, you see, I m most afeard she ll be took down an at s what bothers me ! 44 flft THE HAPPY LITTLE CRIPPLE Cause ef my good old Aunty ever would git sick an die, I don t know what she d do in heaven till / come, by an by: Per she s so ust to all my ways, an ever thing, you know, An no one there like me, to nuss an worry over so ! Cause all the little childerns there s so straight an strong an fine, They s nary angel bout the place with "Curv ture of the Spine !" 47 THE RIDER OF THE KNEE KNIGHTLY Rider of the Knee Of Proud-prancing Unclery! Gaily mount, and wave the sign Of that mastery of thine. Pat thy steed and turn him free, Knightly Rider of the Knee ! Sit thy charger as a throne Lash him with thy laugh alone : Sting him only with the spur Of such wit as may occur, Knightly Rider of the Knee, In thy shriek of ecstasy. Would, as now, we might endure, Twain as one thou miniature Ruler, at the rein of me Knightly Rider of the Knee! NOON-TIME an June-time, down around the river! Have to furse with Lizey Ann but lawzy ! I fer- give her ! Drives me off the place, an says at all at she s a-wishin , Land o gracious ! time ll come I ll git enough o fishin ! Little Dave, a-choppin wood, never pears to notice ; Don t know where she s hid his hat, er keerin where his coat is, Specalatin , more n like, he haint a-goin to mind me, An guessin where, say twelve o clock, a feller d likely find me! 51 DOWN AROUND THE RIVER Noon-time an June-time, down around the river! Clean out o sight o home, an skulkin under kivver Of the sycamores, jack-oaks, an swarnp-ash an ellum Idies all so jumbled up, you kin hardly tell em! Tired, you know, but loviri it, an smilin jes to think at Any sweeter tiredness you d fairly want to drink it ! Tired o fishin tired o fun line out slack an slacker All you want in all the world s a little more tobacker 1 Hungry, but a-hidiri it, er jes a-not a-keerin : Kingfisher gittin up an skootin out o hearin ; Snipes on the t other side, where the County Ditch is, Wadin up an down the aidge like they d rolled >heir britches ! Old turkle on the root kindo-sorto drappin Intoo th worter like he don t know how it happen ! Worter, shade an all so mixed, don t know which you d orter Say; th worter in the shadder shadder in the worter! Somebody hollerin way around the bend in Upper Fork where yer eye kin jes ketch the endin* 52 DOWN AROUND THE RIVER Of the shiney wedge o wake some muss-rat s a-makin With that pesky nose o his ! Then a sniff o bacon, Corn-bred an dock-greens an little Dave a-shinnin Crost the rocks an mussel-shells, a-limpin an a-grinnin r With yer dinner fer ye, an a blessin from the giver, Noon-time an June-time down around the river! 55 NE time, when we z at Aunty s house Way in the country! where They s ist but woods an pigs, an cows An all s out-doors an air! An orchurd-swing ; an churry-trees An churries in em ! Yes, an these- Here red-head birds steals all they please, An tetch em ef you dare ! W y, wunst, one time, when we wuz there, We et out on the porch! 6 AT AUNTY S HOUSE Wite where the cellar-door wuz shut The table wuz; an I Let Aunty set by me an cut My vittuls up an pie. Tuz awful funny ! I could see The red-heads in the churry-tree ; An bee-hives, where you got to be So keerful, goin by; An "Comp ny" there an all! an we We et out on the porch! An I ist et p surves an things At Ma don t low me to An chickun-gizzurds (don t like wings Like Parunts does! do you?) An all the time, the wind blowed there, An I could feel it in my hair, An ist smell clover ever where! An a old red-head flew Purt nigh wite over my high-chair, When we et on the porch! 59 THE DAYS GONE BY OTHE days gone by ! O the days gone by ! The apples in the orchard, and the pathway through the rye; The chirrup of the robin, and the whistle of the quail As he piped across the meadows sweet as any nightingale ; When the bloom was on the clover, and the blue was in the sky, And my happy heart brimmed over, in the days gone by. 60 THE DAYS GONE BY In the days gone by, when my naked feet were tripped By the honeysuckle tangles where the water-lilies dipped, And the ripples of the river lipped the moss along the brink, Where the placid-eyed and lazy-footed cattle came to drink, And the tilting snipe stood fearless of the truant s way ward cry And the splashing of the swimmer, in the days gone by. O the days gone by ! O the days gone by ! The music of the laughing lip, the lustre of the eye ; The childish faith in fairies, and Aladdin s magic ring The simple, soul-reposing, glad belief in everything, When life was like a story, holding neither sob nor sigh, In the golden olden glory of the days gone by. THE BUMBLEBEE YOU better not fool with a Bumblebee ! Ef you don t think they can sting you ll see ! They re lazy to look at, an kindo go Buzzin an bummin aroun so slow, An ac so slouchy an all fagged out, Danglin their legs as they drone about The hollyhawks at they can t climb in Tthout ist a-tumble-tm out agin ! Wunst I watched one climb clean way In a jim son-blossom, I did, one day, An I ist grabbed it an nen let go An "Ooh-ooh! Honey! I tola ye so!" Says The Raggedy Man ; an he ist run An pullt out the stinger, an don t laugh none, An says : "They has ben folks, I guess, At thought I wuz predjudust, more er less, Yit I still muntain at a Bumblebee Wears out his welcome too quick f er me !" 6 4 arm* THE BOY lives on our Farm, he s not Afeard o horses none ! An he can make em lope, er trot, Er rack, er pace, er run. Sometimes he drives two horses, when He comes to town an brings A wagon-full o taters nen, An roastin -ears an things, THE BOY LIVES ON OUR FARM Two horses is "a team," he says, An when you drive er hitch, The right-un s a "near-horse," I guess Er "off" I don t know which The Boy lives on our Farm, he told Me, too, at he can see, By lookin at their teeth, how old A horse is, to a T! I d be the gladdest boy alive Ef I knowed much as that, An could stand up like him an drive, An ist push back my hat, Like he comes skallyhootin through Our alley, with one arm A-wavin Fate-ye-well ! to you The Boy lives on our Farm! UNCLE Sidney, when he wuz here, Maked me a squirtgun out o some Elder-bushes at growed out near Where wuz the brickyard way out clear To where the toll-gate come! So when we walked back home again, He maked it, out in our woodhouse where Wuz the old workbench, an the old jack-plane, An the old pokeshave, an the tools all Jay n 1st like he wants em there. He sawed it first with the old hand-saw ; An nen he peeled off the bark, an got Some glass an scraped it ; an told bout Pa, When he wuz a boy an fooled his Ma, An the whippin at he caught. 71 THE SQIHRTG12JN UNCLE MAKED ME Nen Uncle Sidney, he took an filed A old arn ramrod ; an one o the ends He screwed fast into the vise ; an smiled, Thinkin , he said, o when he wuz a child, Fore him an Pa wuz mens. He punched out the peth, an nen he put A plug in the end with a hole notched through j Nen took the old drawey-knife an cut An maked a handle at shoved clean shut But ist where yer hand held to. An he wropt th uther end with some string an white Piece o the sleeve of a old tored shirt ; An nen he showed me to hold it tight. An suck in the water an work it right An it ud ist squirt an squirt! " -^ - . OLD Tramp slep in our stable wunst, An The Raggedy Man he caught roust him up, an chased him off Clean out through our back lot! An th Old Tramp hollered back an said, " You re a purty man ! You air With a pair o eyes like two fried eggs, ^.. A ., . r,* i;w ^ Rartlntt near ! " ^-v,. 5 - OLD AUNT MARY S WAS N T it pleasant, O brother mine, In those old days of the lost sunshine Of youth when the Saturday s chores were through, And the "Sunday s wood" in the kitchen, too, And we went visiting, "me and you," Out to Old Aunt Mary s? It all comes back so clear to-day ! Though I am as bald as you are gray Out by the barn-lot, and down the lane, We patter along in the dust again, As light as the tips of the drops of the rain, Out to Old Aunt Mary s ! We cross the pasture, and through the wood Where the old gray snag of the poplar stood, Where the hammering "red-heads" hopped awry, And the buzzard "raised" in the "clearing" sky And lolled and circled, as we went by Out to Old Aunt Mary s. A.nd then in the dust of the road again; the teams we met, and the countrymen; 76 OLD AUNT MARY S And the long highway, with sunshine spread As thick as butter on country bread, Our cares behind, and our hearts ahead Out to Old Aunt Mary s. Why, I see her now in the open door, Where the little gourds grew up the sides and o er The clapboard roof! And her face ah, me! Wasn t it good for a boy to see And wasn t it good for a boy to be Out to Old Aunt Mary s ? And O my brother, so far away, This is to tell you she waits to-day To welcome us: Aunt Mary fell Asleep this morning, whispering, "Tell The boys to come !" And all is well Out to Old Aunt Mary s. I WINTER without And warmth within; The winds may shout And the storm begin; The snows may pack At the window pane, And the skies grow black, And the sun remain Hidden away The livelong day But here in here is the warmth of May! 80 WINTER FANCIES II Swoop your spitefullest Up the flue, Wild Winds do ! What in the world do I care for you? O delightfullest Weather of all, Howl and squall, And shake the trees till the last leaves fall ! Ill The joy one feels, In an easy chair, Cocking his heels In the dancing air That wreathes the rim of a roaring stove Whose heat loves better than hearts can love, Will not permit The coldest day To drive away The fire in his blood, and the bliss of it ! WINTER FANCIES IV Then blow, Winds, blow ! And rave and shriek, And snarl and snow ^Till your breath grows weak- While here in my room 1 9 m as snugly shut As a glad little worm In the heart of a nut ! WUNST I sassed my Pa, an he Won t stand that, an punished me,- Nen when he was gone that day, I slipped out an runned away. I tooked all my copper-cents, An " clumbed over our back fence In the jimpson-weeds at growed Ever where all down the road. Nen I got out there, an nen I runned some an runned again When I met a man at led A big cow at shooked her head. 85 THE RUNAWAY BOY I went down a long, long lane Where was little pigs a-play n ; An a grea -big pig went "Booh !" An jumped up, an skeered me too. Nen I scampered past, an they Was somebody hollered "Hey !" An I ist looked ever where, An they was nobody there. I Want to, but I m fraid to try To go back. ... An by-an -by Somepin hurts my throat inside An I want my Ma an cried. Nen a grea -big girl come through Where s a gate, an telled me who Am I ? an ef I tell where My home s at she ll show me there. But I couldn t ist but tell What s my name; an she says well, An she tooked me up an says She know where I live, she gue c ss. 86 THE RUNAWAY BOY Nen she telled me hug wite close Round her neck ! an off she goes Skippin up the street! An* nen Purty soon I m home again An my Ma, when she kissed me, Kissed the big girl too, an she Kissed me ef I p omise shore I won t run away no more ! THE LITTLE COAT HERE S his ragged "roundabout"; Turn the pockets inside out : See ; his pen-knife, lost to use, Rusted shut with apple-juice; Here, with marbles, top and string, Is his deadly "devil-sling," With its rubber, limp at last As the sparrows of the past ! Beeswax buckles leather straps Bullets, and a box of caps, Not a thing of all, I guess, But betrays some waywardness - E en these tickets, blue and red, For the Bible-verses said Such as this his mem ry kept "Jesus wept." THE LITTLE COAT Here s a fishing hook-and-line, Tangled up with wire and twine, And dead angle-worms, and some Slugs of lead and chewing-gum, Blent with scents that can but come From the oil of rhodium. Here a soiled, yet dainty note, That some little sweetheart wrote, Dotting, "Vine grows round the stump/ And "My sweetest sugar lump !" Wrapped in this a padlock key Where he s filed a touch-holesee ! And some powder in a quill Corked up with a liver pill ; And a spongy little chunk Of "punk." Here s the little coat but O ! Where is he we ve censured so ! Don t you hear us calling, dear ? Back! come back, and never fear.^* You may wander where you will, Over orchard, field and hill ; 93 THE LITTLE COAT You may kill the birds, or do Anything that pleases you ! Ah, this empty coat of his ! Every tatter worth a kiss ; Every stain as pure instead As the white stars overhead : And the pockets homes were they Of the little hands that play Now no more but, absent, thus Beckon us. 94 AN IMPETUOUS RESOLVE WHEN little Dickie Swope s a man, He s go to be a Sailor ; An little Hamey Tincher, he s A-go to be a Tailor : Bud Mitchell, he s a-go to be A stylish Carriage-Maker ; An when / grow a grea -big man, I m go to be a Baker ! 95 AN IMPETUOUS RESOLVE An Dick ll buy his sailor-suit O Hame ; and Hame ll take it An buy as fine a double-rigg As ever Bud can make it : An nen all three ll drive roun fer me An we ll drive off togevver, A-slingin pie-crust long the road Ferever an ferever ! 90 JES a little bit o feller I remember still Ust to almost cry fer Christmas, like a youngster will. Fourth o July s nothin to it ! New Year s ain t a smell ! Easter-Sunday Circus-day jes all dead in the shell! Lawzy, though ! at night, you know, to set around an hear The old folk& work the story off about the sledge an deer, An "Santy" skootin round the roof, all wrapt in fur an fuzz Long afore I knowed who "Santy-Claus" wuz! 99 WHO SANTY-CLAUS WUZ Ust to wait, an set up late, a week er two ahead ; Couldn t hardly keep awake, ner wouldn t go to bed ; Kittle stewin on the fire, an Mother settin here Darnin socks, an rockin in the skreeky rockin -cheer ; Pap gap , an wonder where it wuz the money went, An quar l with his frosted heels, an spill his liniment : An me a-dreamin sleigh-bells when the clock ud whir an buzz, Long afore I knowed who "Santy-Claus" wuz! Size the fire-place up an figger how "Ole Santy" could Manage to come down the chimbly, like they said he would ; Wisht at I could hide an see him wunderd what he d say Ef he ketched a feller layin fer him thataway ! But I bet on him, an liked him, same as ef he had Turned to pat me on the back an say, "Look here, my lad, 100 WHO SANTY-CLAUS WUZ Here s my pack, jes he p yourse f, like all good boys does !" Long afore I knowed who "Santy-Claus" wuz! Wisht that yarn was true about him, as it peared to be Truth made out o lies like that-un s good enough fer me! Wisht I still wuz so confidin I could jes go wild Over hangin up my stockin s, like the little child Climbin in my lap to-night, an beggin me to tell Bout them reindeers, and "Old Santy" that she loves so well I m half sorry fer this little-girl-sweetheart of his Long afore She knows who "Santy-Claus" is! T^HEY all climbed up on a high board-fence 1 Nine little Goblins, with green-glass eyes Nine little Goblins that had no sense, And couldn t tell coppers from cold mince pies ; And they all climbed up on the fence, and sat . And I asked them what they were staring at. And the first one said, as he scratched his head With a queer little arm that reached out of his ear And rasped its claws in his hair so red "This is what this little arm is fer !" And he scratched and stared, and the next one said, "How on earth do you scratch your head ?" And he laughed like the screech of a rusty hinge- Laughed and laughed till his face grew black ; And when he choked, with a final twinge Of his stifling laughter, he thumped his back With a fist that grew on the end of his tail Till the breath came back to his lips so pale. 104 THE NINE LITTLE GOBLINS And the third little Goblin leered round at me And there were no lids on his eyes at all And he clucked one eye, and he says, says he, "What is the style of your socks this fall?" And he clapped his heels and I sighed to see That he had hands where his feet should be. Then a bald-faced Goblin, gray and grim, Bowed his head, and I saw him slip His eyebrows off, as I looked at him, And paste them over his upper lip ; And then he moaned in remorseful pain "Would Ah, would I d me brows again !" And then the whole of the Goblin band Rocked on the fence-top to and fro, And clung, in a long row, hand in hand, Singing the songs that they used to know Singing the songs that their grandsires sung In the goo-goo days of the Goblin-tongue, And ever they kept their green-glass eyes Fixed on me with a stony stare Till my own grew glazed with a dread surmise, And my hat whooped up on my lifted hair, And I felt the heart in my breast snap to As you ve heard the lid of a snuff-box do. THE NINE LITTLE GOBLINS And they sang "You re asleep! There is no board-fence, And never a Goblin with green-glass eyes ! Tis only a vision the mind invents After a supper of cold mince-pies, And you re doomed to dream this way," they said, "And you sha n t wake up till you re clean plum dead! 108 TIME of crisp and tawny leaves, And of tarnished harvest sheaves, And of dusty grasses weeds Thistles, with their tufted seeds Voyaging the Autumn breeze Like as fairy argosies: Time of quicker flash of wings, And of clearer twitterings In the grove, or deeper shade Of the tangled everglade, Where the spotted water-snake Coils him in the sunniest brake ; And the bittern, as in fright, Darts, in sudden, slanting flight, Southward, while the startled crane Films his eyes in dreams again. 109 TIME OF CLEARER TWITTERINGS II Down along the dwindled creek We go loitering. We speak Only with old questionings Of the dear remembered things Of the days of long ago, When the stream seemed thus and so In our boyish eyes : The bank Greener then, through rank on rank Of the mottled sycamores, Touching tops across the shores : Here, the hazel thicket stood There, the almost pathless wood Where the shellbark hickory tree Rained its wealth on you and me. Autumn ! as you loved us then, Take us to your heart again ! Ill Season halest of the year ! How the zestful atmosphere Nettles blood and brain, and smites Into life the old delights We have tasted in our youth, And our graver years, forsooth ! How again the boyish heart Leaps to see the chipmunk start no TIME OF CLEARER TWITTERINGS From the brush and sleek the sun s Very beauty, as he runs ! How again a subtle hint Of crushed pennyroyal or mint, Sends us on our knees, as when We were truant boys of ten Brown marauders of the wood, Merrier than Robin Hood! IV Ah ! will any minstrel say, In his sweetest roundelay, What is sweeter, after all, Than black haws, in early Fall Fruit so sweet the frost first sat, Dainty-toothed, and nibbled at ! And will any poet sing Of a lusher, richer thing Than a ripe May-apple, rolled Like a pulpy lump of gold Under thumb and finger-tips, And poured molten through the lips? Go, ye bards of classic themes, Pipe your songs by classic streams ! I would twang the redbird s wings In the thicket while he sings! THE CIRCUS-DAY PARADE OH, THE Circus-Day parade ! How the bugles played and played ! And how the glossy horses tossed their flossy manes, and neighed, As the rattle and the rhyme of the tenor-drummer s time Filled all the hungry hearts of us with melody sublime ! How the grand band-wagon shone with a splendor all its own, And glittered with a glory that our dreams had never known ! And how the boys behind, high and low of every kind, Marched in unconscious capture, with a rapture unde fined ! How the horsemen, two and two, with their plumes of white and blue, And crimson, gold and purpie, nodding by at me and you, Waved the banners that they bore, as the Knights in days of yore. Till our glad eyes gleamed and glistened like the spangles that they wore ! 114 THE CIRCUS-DAY PARADE How the graceless-graceful stride of the elephant was eyed, And the capers of the little horse that cantered at his side ! How the shambling camels, tame to the plaudits of their fame, With listless eyes came silent, masticating as they came. How the cages jolted past, with each wagon battened fast, And the mystery within it only hinted of at last From the little grated square in the rear, and nosing there The snout of some strange animal that sniffed the outer air! 117 THE CIRCUS-DAY PARADE And, last of all, The Clown, making mirth for all the town, With his lips curved ever upward and his eyebrows ever down, And his chief attention paid to the little mule that played A tattoo on the dashboard with his heels, in the parade. Oh ! the Circus-Day parade ! How the bugles played and played ! And how the glossy horses tossed their flossy manes and neighed, As the rattle and the rhyme of the tenor-drummer s time Filled all the hungry hearts of us with melody sublime ! 118 THE rhyme o The Raggedy Man s at s best Is Tickle me, Love, in these Lonesome Ribs, Cause that-un s the strangest of all o the rest, An the worst to learn, an the last one guessed, An* the funniest one, an the foolishest. Tickle me, Love, in these Lonesome Ribs ! I don t know what in the world it means Tickle me, Love, in these Lonesome Ribs ! An nen when I tell him I don t, he leans Like he was a-grindin on some machines An says: Ef I don t, w y, I don t know beans! Tickle me, Love, in these Lonesome Ribs ! 119 THE LUGUBRIOUS WHING-WHANG Out on the margin of Moonshine Land, Tickle me, Love, in these Lonesome Ribs ! Out where the Whing- Whang loves to stand, Writing his name with his tail in the sand, And swiping it out with his oogerish hand; Tickle me, Love, in these Lonesome Ribs ! Is it the gibber of Gungs or Keeks ? Tickle me, Love, in these Lonesome Ribs ! Or what is the sound that the Whing-Whang seeks ? Crouching low by the winding creeks And holding his breath for weeks and weeks ! Tickle me, Love, in these Lonesome Ribs ! Aroint him the wraithest of wraithly things! Tickle me, Love, in these Lonesome Ribs ! Tis a fair Whing- Whangess, with phosphor rings And bridal-jewels of fangs and stings; And she sits and as sadly and softly sings As the mildewed whir of her own dead wings, Tickle me, Dear, Tickle me here, me, Love, in these Lonesome Ribs! 120 LAWZY ! don t I rickollect That- air old swing in the lane! Right and proper, I expect, Old times can t come back again ; But I want to state, ef they Could come back, and I could say What my pick ud be, i jing! I d say, Gimme the old swing Nunder the old locus -trees On the old place, ef you please! Danglin there with half-shet eye, Waitin f er the cat to die ! 121 WAITIN FER THE CAT TO DIE I d say, Gimme the old gang Of barefooted, hungry, lean, Ornry boys you want to hang When you re growed up twic t as mean! The old gyarden-patch, the old Truants, and the stuff we stol d ! The old stompin -groun , where we Wore the grass off, wild and free As the swoop of the old swing, Where we ust to climb and cling, And twist roun , and fight, and lie Waitin fer the cat to die ! Tears like I most allus could Swing the highest of the crowd Jes sail up there tel I stood Downside-up, and screech out loud, Ketch my breath, and jes drap back Fer to let the old swing slack, Yit my tow-head dippin still In the green boughs, and the chill Up my backbone taperin down, With my shadder on the ground Slow and slower tra-lin by Waitin fer the cat to die! 122 WAITIN FER THE CAT TO DIE Now my daughter s little Jane s Got a kind o ? baby-swing On the porch, so s when it rains She kin play there little thing! And I d limped out t other day With my old cheer this-a-way, Swingin her and rockin too, Thinkin how / ust to do At her age, when suddently, "Hey, Gran pap !" she says to me, "Why you rock so slow?" . . . Says I, "Waitin fer the cat to die !" HEN Little Claude was naughty wunst A.t dinner-time, an said He won t say " Thank you " to his Ma, She maked him go to bed An stay two hours an not git up, So when the clock struck Two, Nen Claude says," Thank you, Mr. Clock^ I m much obleeged to you ! " OTHE South Wind and the Sun How each loved the other one Full of fancy full of folly- Full of jollity and fun! How they romped and ran about, Like two boys when school is out, With glowing face, and lisping lip, Low laugh, and lifted shout! And the South Wind he was dressed With a ribbon round his breast That floated, flapped and fluttered In a riotous unrest ; And a drapery of mist, From the shoulder and the wrist Flowing backward with the motion Of the waving hand he kissed. 127 THE SOUTH WIND AND THE SU* And the Sun had on a crown Wrought of gilded thistledown, And a scarf of velvet vapor, And a raveled-rainbow gown; And his tinsel-tangled hair, Tossed and lost upon the air, With glossier and flossier Than any anywhere. And the South Wind s eyes were two Little dancing drops of dew, As he puffed his cheeks, and pursed his lips, And blew and blew and blew ! And the Sun s like diamond-stone, Brighter yet than ever known, As he knit his brows and held his breath, And shone and shone and shone! And this pair of merry fays Wandered through the summer days; Arm-in-arm they went together Over heights of morning haze Over slanting slopes of lawn They went on and on and on, Where the daisies looked like star-tracks Trailing up and down the dawn. 128 THE SOUTH WIND AND THE SUN And where er they found the top Of a wheat-stalk droop and lop, They chucked it underneath the chin And praised the lavish crop, Till it lifted with the pride Of the heads it grew beside, And then the South Wind and the Sun Went onward satisfied. Over meadow-lands they tripped, Where the dandelions dipped In crimson foam of clover bloom And dripped and dripped and dripped ! And they clinched the bumble-stings, Gauming honey on their wings, And bundling them in lily-bells, With maudlin murmurings. And the humming-bird, that hung Like a jewel up among The tilted honeysuckle horns, They mesmerized and swung In the palpitating air, Drowsed with odors strange and rare, And, with whispered laughter, slipped away, And left him hanging there. 129 THE SOUTH WIND AND THE SUN And they braided blades of grass Where the truant had to pass ; And they wriggled through the rushes And the reeds of the morass, Where they danced, in rapture sweet, O er the leaves that laid a street Of undulant mosaic for The touches of their feet. By the brook with mossy brink, Where the cattle came to drink, They trilled and piped and whistled With the thrush and bobolink, Till the kine, in listless pause, Switched their tails in mute applause, With lifted heads, and dreamy eyes, And bubble-dripping jaws. And where the melons grew, Streaked with yellow, green and blue, These jolly sprites went wandering Through spangled paths of dew ; And the melons, here and there, They made love to, everywhere, Turning their pink souls to crimson With caresses fond and fair. (/x 130 THE SOUTH WIND AND THE SUN Over orchard walls they went, Where the fruited boughs were bent Till they brushed the sward beneath them Where the shine and shadow blent ; And the great green pear they shook Till the sallow hue forsook Its features, and the gleam of gold Laughed out in every look. And they stroked the downy cheek Of the peach, and smoothed it sleek s And flushed it into splendor ; And, with many an elfish freak, Gave the russet s rust a wipe Prankt the rambo with a stripe, And the winesap blushed its reddest As they spanked the pippins ripe. Through the woven ambuscade That the twining vines had made, They found the grapes, in clusters, Drinking up the shine and shade Plumpt, like tiny skins of wine, With a vintage so divine That the tongue of Fancy tingled With the tang of muscadine. 133 THE SOUTH WIND AND THE SUN And the golden-banded bees, Droning o er the flowery leas, They bridled, reined, and rode away Across the fragrant breeze, Till in hollow oak and elm They had groomed and stabled them In waxen stalls that oozed with dews Of rose and lily-stem. Where the dusty highway leads, High above the wayside weeds, They sowed the air with butterflies Like blooming flower-seeds, Till the dull grasshopper sprung Half a man s-height up, and hung Tranced in the heat, with whirring wings, And sung and sung and sung ! And they loitered, hand in hand, Where the snipe along the sand Of the river ran to meet them As the ripple meets the land, Till the dragonfly, in light Gauzy armor, burnished bright, Came tilting down the waters In a wild, bewildered flight. 134 THE SOUTH WIND AND THE SUN And they heard the kildee s call, And afar, the waterfall, But the rustle of a falling leaf They heard above it all; And the trailing willow crept Deeper in the tide that swept The leafy shallop to the shore, And wept and wept and wept ! And the fairy vessel veered From its moorings tacked and steered For the center of the current Sailed away and disappeared: And the burthen that it bore From the long-enchanted shore "Alas ! the South Wind and the Sun !" I murmur evermore. For the South Wind and the Sun, Each so loves the other one, For all his jolly folly, And frivolity and fun, That our love for them they weigh As their fickle fancies may, And when at last we love them most, They laugh and sail away. 135 [Restored Romaunt.] IT was a Jolly Miller lived on the River Dee He looked upon his piller, and there he found a flea U Mr. Flea ! you have bit me, And you shall shorely die !" So he scrunched his bones against the stones And there he let him lie ! Twas then the Jolly Miller he laughed and told his wife And she laughed fit to kill her, and dropped her carvin - knife ! "O Mr. Flea!" "Ho-ho!" "Tee-hee!" They both laughed fit to kill, Until the sound did almost drownd The rumble of the mill ! "Laugh on, my Jolly Miller! and Missus Miller, too? But there s a weeping-wilier will soon wave over you!" The voice was all so awful small So very small and slim ! He durst infer that it was her, Ner her infer twas him ! 136 THE JOLLY MILLER That night the Jolly Miller, says he, "It s Wifey dear, That cat o yourn, I d kill her ! her actions is so queer, She rubbin ginst the grindstone-legs, And yowlin at the sky And I low the moon haint greener Than the yaller of her eye !" And as the Jolly Miller went chuckle-un to bed, Was Somepin jerked his piller from underneath his head! "O Wife," says he, on-easi-lee, "Fetch here that lantern there!" But Somepin moans in thunder tones, "You fetch it ef you dare!" Twas then the Jolly Miller he trimbled and he quailed And his wife choked until her breath come back, V she wailed! And "O I" cried she, "it is the Flea, All white and pale and wann He s got you in his clutches, and He s bigger than a man!" "Ho! ho! my Jolly Miller," (fer twas the Flea, fef shore!) "I reckon you ll not rack my bones ner scrunch em any more !" And then the Ghost he grabbed him clos t, With many a ghastly smile, And from the doorstep stooped and hopped About four hundred mile! 139 OUR HIRED GIRL OUR hired girl, she s Lizabuth Ann; An she can cook best things to eat ! She ist puts dough in our pie-pan, An pours in somepin at s good and sweet, An nen she salts it all on top With cinnamon; an nen she ll stop An stoop an slide it, ist as slow, In th old cook-stove, so s twon t slop An git all spilled; nen bakes it, so It s custard pie, first thing you know ! An nen she ll say : "Clear out o my way ! They s time f er work, an time fer play ! Take yer dough, an run, Child ; run ! Er I cain t git no cookin done!" When our hired girl tends like she s mad, An says folks got to walk the chalk When she s around, er wisht they had, I play out on our porch an talk 140 OUR HIRED GIRL To th Raggedy Man at mows our lawn; An he says "Whew I" an nen leans on His old crook-scythe, and blinks his eyes An sniffs all around an says, "I swawn ! Ef my old nose don t tell me lies, It pears like I smell custard-pies!" An nen he ll say, " Clear out o my way ! They s time fer work an time fer play ! Take yer dough, an run, Child ; run ! Er she cain t git no cookin done! " Wunst our hired girl, one time when she Got the supper, an we all et, An it was night, an Ma an me An Pa went wher the "Social" met, An nen when we come home, an see A light in the kitchen-door, an we Heerd a maccordeum, Pa says "Lan - O Gracious ! who can her beau be ?" An I marched in, an Lizabuth Ann Wuz parchin corn fer the Raggedy Man! Better say "Clear out o the way ! They s time fer work, an time fer play! Take the hint, an run, Child ; run ! Er we cain t git no courtin done ! * 143 T AS time at Uncle Sidney come, J-* He bnnged a watermelon home- An half the boys in town, Come taggm after him. An he Says, when we et it, " Gracious me! _S the boy-home fell down?" NOEY Bixler ketched him, and fetched him in to me When he s ist a little teenty-weenty baby-coon Bout as big as little pups, an tied him to a tree ; An Pa gived Noey fifty cents, when he come home at noon. Nen he buyed a chain fer him, an little collar, too, An sawed a hole in a old tub an turnt it upside-down ; An little feller d stay in there and won t come out fer you Tendin like he s kindo skeered o boys at lives in town. H5 < THE PET COON Now he aint afeard a bit ! he s ist so fat an* tame, We on y chain him up at night, to save the little chicks. Holler "Greedy! Greedy!" to him, an he knows his name, An* here he ll come a-waddle-un, up fer any tricks! He ll climb up my leg, he will, an waller in my lap, An poke his little black paws way in my pockets where They s beechnuts, er chinkypins, er any little scrap Of anything, at s good to eat an he don t care ! An he s as spunky as you please, an don t like dogs at all. Billy Miller s black-an -tan tackled him one day, An "Greedy" he ist kinclo doubled all up like a ball, An Billy s dog he gived a yelp er two an runned away \ An nen when Billy fighted me, an hit me with a bone, An Ma she purt nigh ketched him as he dodged an* skooted thro The fence, she says, "You better let my little boy alone, Er Greedy/ next he whips yer dog, shall whip you, too!" 146 Old Hay-mow s the place to play Per boys, when it s a rainy day ! I good- eal ruther be up there Than down in town, er anywhere! When I play in our stable-loft, The good old hay s so dry an soft, An feels so fine, an smells so sweet, I most ferget to go an eat. I THE OLD HAY-MOW An one time wunst I did ferget To go tel dinner was all et, An they had short-cake an Bud he Hogged up the piece Ma saved f er me ! Nen I won t let him play no more In our hay-mow where I keep store An got hen-eggs to sell, an shoo The cackle-un old hen out, too ! An nen, when Aunty she was here A-visitun from Rensselaer, An bringed my little cousin, he Can come up there an play with me. But, after while when Bud he bets At I can t turn no summersetts, I let him come up, ef he can Ac ha f-way like a gentleman! E3 T T I and whoop-hooray, boys A * Sing a song of cheer ! Here s a holiday, boys, Lasting half a year! Round the world, and half is Shadow we have tried; Now we re where the laugh is,- On the sunny side! Pigeons coo and mutter, Strutting high aloof Where the sunbeans flutter Through the stable roof. Hear the chickens cheep, boys, And the hen with pride * Clucking them to sleep, boys, On the sunny side ! 152 ON THE SUNNY SIDE Hear the clacking guinea ; Hear the cattle moo ; Hear the horses whinny, Looking out at you! On the hitching-block, boys, Grandly satisfied, See the old peacock, boys, On the sunny side! Robins in the peach-tree; Bluebirds in the pear; Blossoms over each tree In the orchard there! All the world s in joy, boys, Glad and glorified As a romping boy, boys, On the sunny side! Where s a heart as mellow? Where s a soul as free? Where is any fellow We would rather be? Just ourselves or none, boys, World around and wide, Laughing in the sun, boys, On the sunny side! 155 BAREFOOTED boys scud up the street Or skurry under sheltering sheds; And schoolgirl faces, pale and sweet, Gleam from the shawls about their heads. Doors bang ; and mother-voices call From alien homes; and rusty gates Are slammed ; and high above it all, The thunder grim reverberates. And then, abrupt, the rain ! the rain ! The earth lies gasping; and the eye? ^ Behind the streaming window-pane Smile at the trouble of the skies, 156 A SUDDEN SHOWER The highway smokes; sharp echoes ring 1 ; The cattle bawl and cowbells clank; And into town comes galloping The farmer s horse, with streaming flank. The swallow dips beneath the eaves, And flirts his plumes and folds his wings ; And under the catawba leaves The caterpillar curls and clings. The bumble-bee is pelted down The wet stem of the hollyhock; And sullenly, in spattered brown, The cricket leaps the garden walk. Within, the baby claps his hands And crows with rapture strange and vague ; Without, beneath the rosebush stands A dripping rooster on one leg. 159 GRANDFATHER SQUEERS M Y grandfather Squeers," said The Raggedy Man, As he solemnly lighted his pipe and began "The most indestructible man, for his years, And the grandest on earth, was my grandfather Squeers I "He said, when he rounded his three-score-and-ten, T ve the hang of it now and can do it again ! 160 GRANDFATHER SQUEERS He had frozen his heels so repeatedly, he Could tell by them just what the weather would "And would laugh and declare, while the Almanac would Most falsely prognosticate, he never could! "Such a hale constitution had grandfather Squeers That, though he d used navy for sixty odd years, "He still chewed a dime s-worth ".ix days of the week, While the seventh he passed with a chew in each cheek "Then my grandfather Squeers had a singular knack Of sitting around on the small of his back, "With his legs like a letter Y stretched o er the grate Wherein twas his custom to ex-pec-tor-ate. "He was fond of tobacco in manifold ways, And would sit on the door-step, of sunshiny days, "And smoke leaf-tobacco he d raised strictly for The pipe he d used all through The Mexican War." 161 GRANDFATHER SQUEERS And The Raggedy Man said, refilling the bowl Of his own pipe and leisurely picking a coal From the stove with his finger and thumb, "You can see What a tee-nacious habit he s fastened on me ! "And my grandfather Squeers took a special delight In pruning his corns every Saturday night "With a horn-handled razor, whose edge he excused By saying twas one that his grandfather used ; "And, though deeply etched in the haft of the same Was the ever-euphonious Wostenholm s name, " Twas my grandfather s custom to boast of the blade As A Seth Thomas razor the best ever made ! "No Old Settlers Meeting, or Pioneers Fair, Was complete without grandfather Squeers in the chair "To lead off the programme by telling iolks how He used to shoot deer where the Court-House stands now 162 GRANDFATHER SQUEERS "How he felt, of a truth, to live over the past, When the country was wild and unbroken and vast, " That the little log cabin was just plenty fine For himself, his companion, and fambly of nine ! : When they didn t have even a pump, or a tin, But drunk surface-water, year out and year in, " From the old-fashioned gourd that was sweeter, by odds, Than the goblets of gold at the lips of tne gods ! Then The Raggedy Man paused to plaintively say It was clockin along tc rds the close of the day And he d ought to get back to his work on the lawn,- Then dreamily blubbered his pipe and went on : "His teeth were imperfect my grandfather owned That he couldn t eat oysters unless they were boned "And his eyes were so weak, and so feeble of sight, He couldn t sleep with them unless, every night, 164 GRANDFATHER SQUEERS "He put on his spectacles all he possessed, Three pairs with his goggles on top of the rest. "And my grandfather always, retiring at night, Blew down the lamp-chimney to put out the light; Then he d curl up on edge like a shaving, in bed, And puff and smoke pipes in his sleep, it is said : "And would snore oftentimes, as the legends relate. Till his folks were wrought up to a terrible state, "Then he d snort, and rear up, and roll over ; ana there^ In the subsequent hush they could hear him chew air. And so glaringly bald was the top of his head That many s the time he has musingly said, "As his eyes journeyed o er its reflex in the glass, I must set out a few signs of Keep Off the Grass! 165 GRANDFATHER SQUEERS "So remarkably deaf was my grandfather Squeers That he had to wear lightning-reds over his ears "To even hear thunder and oftentimes then He was forced to request it to thunder again." 166 IT was just a very Merry fairy dream ! All the woods were airy With the gloom and gleam; Crickets in the clover Clattered clear and strong, And the bees droned over Their old honey-song. In the mossy passes, Saucy grasshoppers Leapt about the grasses And the thistle-burs ; And the whispered chuckle Of the katydid Shook the honeysuckle Blossoms where he hid. THE PIXY PEOPLE Through the breezy mazes Of the lazy June, Drowsy with the hazes Of the dreamy noon, Little Pixy people Winged above the walk, Pouring from the steeple Of a mullein-stalk. Dne a gallant fellow Evidently King, Wore a plume of yellow In a jewelled ring On a pansy bonnet, Gold and white and blue, With the dew still on it, And the fragrance, too. One a dainty lady, Evidently Queen, Wore a gown of shady Moonshine and green, With a lace of gleaming Starlight that sent All the dewdrops dreaming Everywhere she went. 168 THE PIXY PEOPLE One wore a waistcoat Of roseleaves, out and in, And one wore a faced-coat Of tiger-lily-skin ; And one wore a neat coat Of palest galingale ; And one a tiny street-coat, And one a swallow-tail. And Ho ! sang the King of them, And Hey ! sang the Queen ; And round and round the ring of them Went dancing o er the green ; And Hey ! sang the Queen of them, And Ho ! sang the King And all that I had seen of them Wasn t anything! It was just a very Merry fairy dream! All the woods were airy With the gloom and gleam; Crickets in the clover Clattered clear and strong, And the bees droned over Their old honey-song! T A LIFE-LESSON HERE ! little girl ; don t cry ! They have broken your doll, I know ; And your tea-set blue, And your play-house, too, Are things of the long ago ; 171 A LIFE-LESSON But childish troubles will soon pass by.- There! little girl; don t cry! There! little girl ; dont cry! They have broken your slate, I know; And the glad, wild ways Of your school-girl days Are things of the long ago ; But life and love will soon come by. There! little girl; don t cry! There! little girl; don t cry! They have broken your heart, I know; And the rainbow gleams Of your youthful dreams Are things of the long ago ; But Heaven holds all for which you sigh. There ! little girl ; don t cry ! 172 BUD, come here to your Uncle a spell, And I ll tell you something you mustn t tell For it s a secret and shore-nuff true, And maybe I oughtn t to tell it to you ! But out in the garden, under the shade Of the apple-trees where we romped and played Till the moon was up, and you thought I d gone Fast asleep. That was all put on ! For I was a-watchin something queer Coin on there in the grass, my dear ! Way down deep in it, there I see A little dude-Fairy who winked at me, 175 ^\ HOME-MADE FAIRY-TALE And snapped his fingers, and laughed as low And fine as the whine of a mus-kee-to ! I kept still watchin him closer and I noticed a little guitar in his hand, Which he leant ginst a little dead bee and laid His cigarette down on a clean grass-blade ; And then climbed up on the shell of a snail Carefully dusting his swallowtail And pulling up, by a waxed web-thread, This little guitar, you remember, I said ! And there he trinkled and trilled a tune- - "My Love, so Fair, 1 ans in the Moon !" Till presently, out of the clover-top He seemed to be singing to, came k pop ! The purtiest, daintiest Fairy face In all this world, or any place ! Then the little ser nader waved his hand, As much as to say, "We ll excuse you!" and I heard, as I squinted my eyelids to, A kiss like the drip of a drop of dew ! 176 1 THE BEAR STORY THAT ALEX "iST MAKED UP HIS-OWN-SEY wunst the y wuz a Little B y went ut In the woods to shoot a Bear. So, he went out Way in the grea -big woods he did. An he Wuz goin along an goin along, you know, An purty soon he heerd somepin go "Wooh!" 1st thataway "Woo-ooh!" An he wuz sheered, He wuz. An so he runned an clumbed a tree A grea -big tree, he did, a sicka-more tree. An nen he heerd it ag in : an he looked round, An t uz a Bear! a grea -big shore-nuff Bear! No : t uz two Bears, it wuz two grea -big Bears One of em wuz ist one s a grea -big Bear. But they ist boff went Wooh!" An here they come To climb the tree an git the Little Boy An eat him up ! 179 THE BEAR STORY An nen the Little Boy He uz skeered worse n ever ! An here come The grea -big Bear a-climbin th tree to git The Little Boy an eat him up Oh, no! It uzn t the Big Bear at dumb the tree It uz the Little Bear. So here he come Climbin the tree an climbin the tree ! Nen when He git wite clos t to the Little Boy, w y nen The Little Boy he ist pulled up his gun An shot the Bear, he did, an killed him dead ! An nen the Bear he failed clean on down out The tree away clean to the ground, he did Spling-splung! he failed plum down, an killed him, too! An lit wite side o where the Big Bear s at. An nen the Big Bear s awful mad, you bet ! Cause cause the Little Boy he shot his gun An killed the Little Bear. Cause the Big Bear He he uz the Little Bear s Papa. An so here He come to climb the big old tree an git The Little Boy an eat him up ! An when The Little Boy he saw the greaf-big Bear 180 THE BEAR STORY A-comin r , he uz badder skeered, he wuz, Than any time ! An so he think he ll climb Up higher way up higher in the tree Than the old Bear kin climb, you know. But he He can t climb higher an old Bears kin climb, Cause Bears kin climb up higher in the trees Than any little Boys in all the Wo-r-r-ld ! An so here come the grea -big Bear, he did, A-climbin up an up the tree, to git The Little Boy an eat him up ! An so The Little Boy he clumbed on higher, an higher, An higher up the tree an higher an higher An higher n iss-here house is ! An here come Th old Bear clos ter to him all the time ! An nen first thing you know, when th old Big Bear Wuz wite clos t to him nen the Little Boy 1st jabbed his gun wite in the old Bear s mouf An shot an killed him dead ! No ; I f ergot, He didn t shoot the grea -big Bear at all Cause they uz no load in the gun, you know Cause when he shot the Little Bear, w y, nen No load uz anymore nen in the gun ! But th Little Boy clumbed higher up, he did He clumbed lots higher an on up higher an higher An higher tel he ist can t climb no higher, Cause nen the limbs uz all so little, way 181 THE BEAR STORY Up in the teeny-weeny tip-top of The tree, they d break down wiv him ef he don t Be keerful ! So he stop an think : An nen He look around An here come th old Bear! An so the Little Boy make up his mind He s got to ist git out o there some way ! Cause here come the old Bear ! so clos t, his bref Purt nigh so s he kin feel how hot it is Ag inst his bare feet ist like old "Ring s" bref When he s ben out a-huntin an s all tired. So when th old Bear s so clos t the Little Boy Ist gives a grea -big jump fer Another tree No ! no he don t do that ! I tell you what The Little Boy does : W y, nen w y, he Oh, yes The Little Boy he finds a hole up there At s in the tree an climbs in there an hides An nen th old Bear can t find the Little Boy At all ! But, purty soon th old Bear finds The Little Boy s gun at s up there cause the gun It s too tall to tooked wiv him in the hole. So, when the old Bear fin the gun, he knows The Little Boy s ist hid round somers there, An th old Bear gins to snuff an sniff around, An sniff an snuff around so s he kin find Out where the Little Boy s hid at. An nen Oh, yes! W y, purty soon the old Bear climbs Way out on a big limb a greaMong limb, 182 THE BEAR STORY An* nen the Little Boy climbs out the hole An* takes his ax an chops the limb off ! ... Nen The old Bear falls k-splunge! clean to the ground An bust an kill hisse f plum dead, he did ! An nen the Little Boy he git his gun An menced a-climbin down the tree ag in No ! no, he didn t git his gun cause when The Bear failed, nen the gun failed, too An broked It all to pieces, too ! An nicest gun ! His Pa ist buyed it ! An the Little Boy 1st cried, he did ; an* went on climbin down The tree an climbin down an climbin down! An -sir! when he uz purt -nigh down, w y, nen The old Bear he jumped up ag in an he Ain t dead at all ist tendin thataway, So he kin git the Little Boy an eat Him up ! But the Little Boy he uz too smart To climb clean down the tree. An the old Bear He can t climb up the tree no more cause when He fell, he broke one of his he broke all His legs ! an nen he couldn t climb ! But he Ist won t go way an let the Little Boy Come down out of the tree. An the old Bear Ist growls round there, he does ist growls an goes "Wooh!woo-ooh!" all the time! An Little Boy He haf to stay up in the tree all night An thout no supper neether ! On y they 183 THE BEAR STORY Muz apples on the tree ! An Little Boy Et apples ist all night an cried an cried ! Nen when tuz morning th old Bear went "Woohf Ag in, an try to climb up in the tree An git the Little Boy. But he can t Climb t save his soul, he can t! An oh! he s mad! He ist tear up the ground! an go "Woo-ooh!" An Oh, yes I purty soon, when morning s come All light so s you kin see, you know, w y, nen The old Bear finds the Little Boy s gun, you know, At s on the ground. (An it ain t broke at all I ist said that !) An so the old Bear think He ll take the gun an shoot the Little Boy : But Bears they don t know much bout shootin guns ; So when he go to shoot the Little Boy, The old Bear got the other end the gun Ag in his shoulder, slid o th other end- So when he try to shoot the Little Boy, It shot the Bear, it did an killed him dead ! An nen the Little Boy dumb down the tree An chopped his old woolly head off : Yes, an killed The other Bear ag in, he did an killed All boff the bears, he did an tuk em home An cooked em, too, an et em ! An that s all. ENVOY MANY pleasures of youth have been buoyantly sung And, borne on the winds of delight, may they beat With their palpitant wings at the hearts of the Young, And in bosoms of Age find as warm a retreat ! Yet sweetest of all of the musical throng-, Though least of the numbers that upward aspire, Is the one rising now into wavering song, As I sit in the silence and gaze in the fire. Tis a Winter long dead that beleaguers my door And mufrles his steps in the snows of the past: And I see, in the embers I m dreaming before, Lost faces of love as they looked on me last : The round, laughing eyes of the desk-mate of old Gleam out for a moment with truant desire Then fade and are lost in a City of Gold, As I sit in the silence and gaze in the fire. And then comes the face, peering back in my own, Of a shy little girl, with her lids drooping low, As she faltering tells, in a far-away tone, The ghost of a story of long, long ago. 187 ENVOY Then her dewy blue eyes they are lifted again; But I see their glad light slowly fail and expire, As I reach and cry to her in vain, all in vain ! As I sit in the silence and gaze in the fire. Then the face of a Mother looks back, through the mist Of tears that are welling ; and, lucent with light, I see the dear smile of the lips I have kissed As she knelt by my cradle at morning and night ; And my arms are outheld, with a yearning too wild For any but God in His love to inspire, As she pleads at the foot of His throne for her child, As I sit in the silence and gaze in the fire. O pathos of rapture ! O glorious pain ! My heart is a blossom of joy over-run With a shower of tears, as a lily with rain That weeps in the shadow and laughs in the sun. The blight of the frost may descend on the tree, And the leaf and the flower may fall and expire, But ever and ever love blossoms for me, As I sit in the silence and gaze in the fire. 188 7 DAY USE RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED EDUCATION - PSYCHOLOGY LIBRARY This publication is due on the LAST DATE stamped below. RB 17A-5m-3, 63 (D5808slO)4188B General Library University of California Berkeley YB 78375