PS 2704 i' a >«*, « ,^'~% "••?■?/ A ^"^ ww ^"^ \s •* o' <«-.\ /.-;Sfe^ Ai&S \A ^T3 - 2=nKd *S* ^ * i(\\ Sir //L vY* C« •a ^ ; «^ ; ./\ : Jk : ./\ "• * ^ 9V • • • , +• V-**\^ \™v v-ft% Pv* « 9 V*^> ^ A*" .*'#,. ^ % °1 <>* <^ ^ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/hispasromancepoeOOrile b, olor jibe) >rir hoofed bp NEGHBORLY POEMS SKETCHES IN PROSE, WITH INTERLUDING VERSES AFTERWHILES PIPES O' PAN (Prose and Verse) RHYMES OF CHILDHOOD FLYING ISLANDS OF THE NIGHT GREEN FIELDS AND RUN- NING BROOKS ARMAZINDY A CHILD-WORLD HOME FOLKS HIS PA'S ROMANCE (The volumes above are bound in a uniform set known as the Greenfield edition) OLD-FASHIONED ROSES THE GOLDEN YEAR POEMS HERE AT HOME RUBAIYAT OF DOC SIFERS THE BOOK OF JOYOUS CHILDREN RILEY CHILD-RHYMES (With Hoosier Pictures) RILEY LOVE-LYRICS (Pictures by Dyer) RILEY FARM-RHYMES (Pictures by Vawter) AN OLD SWEETHEART OF MINE (Pictures by Christy) pyLugLoJ^jC COPYRIGHT, 1903 BY JOHN CECIL CLAY James Whitcomb Riley His Pas Romance y antes W^hitcomb Riley With Illustrations by Will Vawter and a Portrait by John Cecil Clay Indianapolis The Bobbs-Merrill Company Publishers Copyright, 1903 James Whitcomb Riley November | THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, Two Cort«e Received NOV 23 1908 COPyRWMT ENTWV OUM53A. XXft No. COPYB. • • I * V * * PRESS OF BRAUNWORTH & CO. BOOKBINDERS AND PRINTERS BROOKLYN, N. Y. His Pas Romance i > TO— EDGAR WILSON NYE Such silence — after such glad merriment! O prince of halest humor, wit and cheer; Could you speak yet to us, I doubt not we Should catch your voice, still blithely eloquent Above all murmurings of sorrow here, Calling your love back to us laughingly. m Contents Page Almost Beyond Endurance 27 An Idyll of the King 137 An Old Friend 106 At Ninety in the Shade 67 Billy Miller's Circus-Show 55 Brave Refrain, A 80 Chairley Burke 60 Edgar Wilson Nye 132 Fall Crick View of the Earthquake, A 88 Fire at Night 86 Good-bye er Howdy-do 7i "Go Read Your Book" 166 Her Beautiful Hands 112 Hint of Spring, A 99 His Pa's Romance 1 His Room 120 In State 126 Law of the Perverse, The 58 Lisper, The 31 Local Politician from Away Back, A 73 Lockerbie Fair IOI CONTENTS Page Me and Mary 83 Mr. Silberberg 91 Mute Singer, The 128 My Bachelor Chum 109 Never Talk Back 78 Noon Interval, A 134 Old Granny Dusk 45 Old Hec's Idolatry 135 Old Man of the Sea, The 63 Our Betsy 34 Paths of Peace, The 124 Prose or Verse 165 Simple Recipe, A 30 Some Christmas Youngsters The Strength of the Weak 40 The Little Questioner 43 Parental Christmas Presents 44 Songs of a Life-Time 133 Spirits at Home 95 The Best is Good Enough 115 Tinkle of Bells, A 103 Toil 117 Toy-Balloon, The sy Tribute of His Home, The 130 Twilight Stories 25 Unless 163 When Uncle Doc was Young 51 Young Old Man, The 47 His Pas Romance HIS PA'S ROMANCE All 'at I ever want to be Is ist to be a man like Pa When he wuz young an' married Ma ! Uncle he telled us yisterdy Ist all about it then — 'cause they, My Pa an' Ma, wuz bofe away To 'tend P'tracted Meetin', where My Pa an' Ma is alius there When all the big "Revivals" is, An' "Love-Feasts," too, an' "Class," an 5 "Prayer," An' when's "Comoonian Servicis." An', yes, an' Uncle said to not To never tell them nor let on Like we knowed now ist how they got First married. So — while they wuz gone — I his pa's romance Uncle he telled us everything — 'Bout how my Pa wuz ist a pore Farm-boy. — He says, I tell you what, Your Pa wuz pore ! But neighbors they All liked him — all but one old man An' his old wife that folks all say Nobody liked, ner never can ! Yes, sir ! an' Uncle purt'-nigh swore About the mean old man an' way He treat' my Pa ! — 'cause he's a pore Farm-hand — but prouder 'an a king — An' ist work' on, he did, an' wore His old patched clo'es, ist anyway, So he saved up his wages — then He ist worked on an' saved some more, An' ist worked on, ist night an' day — Till, sir, he save' up nine or ten Er hunnerd dollars ! But he keep All still about it, Uncle say — But he ist thinks — an' thinks a heap ! Though what he wuz a-thinkin', Pa 2 his pa's romance He never tell' a soul but Ma — (Then, course, you know, he wuzn't Pa, An', course, you know, she wuzn't Ma — They wuz ist sweethearts, course you know) ; 'Cause Ma wuz ist a girl, about Sixteen ; an' when my Pa he go A-courtin' her, her Pa an' Ma — The very first they find it out — Wuz maddest folks you ever saw ! 'Cause it wuz her old Ma an' Pa 'At hate' my Pa, an' toss their head, An' ist raise Ned ! An' her Pa said He'd ruther see his daughter dead! An' said she's ist a child ! — an' so Wuz Pa ! — An' ef he wuz man-grown An' only man on earth below, His daughter shouldn't marry him Ef he's a king an' on his throne ! Pa's chances then looked mighty slim Fer certain, Uncle said. But he — 3 HIS PA S ROMANCE He never told a soul but her What he wuz keepin' quiet fer. i I *&£Jm titiSS-^^S ,q Her folks 1st lived a mile from where He lived at — an' they drove past there 4 HIS PA S ROMANCE To git to town. An' ever' one An' all the neighbors they liked her An' showed it ! But her folks — no, sir ! — Nobody liked her parents none ! An' so when they shet down, you know, On Pa — an' old man tell' him so — Pa ist went back to work, an' she 1st waited. An', sir ! purty soon Her folks they thought he's turned his eye Some other way — 'cause by-an'-by They heerd he'd rented the old place He worked on. An' one afternoon A neighbor, that had bust' a trace, He tell' the old man they wuz signs Around the old place that the young Man wuz a-fixin' up the old Log cabin some, an' he had brung New furnichur from town ; an' told How th' old house 'uz whitewashed clean An' sweet — wiv mornin'-glory vines An' hollyhawks all 'round the door 5 his pa's romance An' winders — an' a bran'-new floor In th' old porch — an' wite-new green- An'-red pump in the old sweep-well ! An', Uncle said, when he hear tell O' all them things, the old man he 1st grin' an' says, he "reckon' now Some gal, er widder anyhow, That silly boy he's coaxed at last To marry him !" he says, says-ee, "An' ef he has, 'so mote it be' I" Then went back to the house to tell His wife the news, as he went past The smokehouse, an' then went on in The kitchen, where his daughter she Wuz washin', to tell her, an' grin An' try to worry her a spell ! The mean old thing ! But Uncle said She ain't cry much — ist pull her old Sunbonnet forrerds on her head — So's old man he can't see her face At all ! An' when he s'pose he scold' 6 HIS PA S ROMANCE An' jaw enough, he ist clear' out An' think he's boss of all the place ! Then Uncle say, the first you know They's go' to be a Circus-show — jl_I1" In town ; an' old man think he'll take His wife an' go. An' when she say To take their daughter, too, she shake Her head like she don't want to go ; An' when he sees she wants to stay, 7 his pa's romance The old man takes her, anyway ! An' so she went ! But Uncle he Said she looked mighty sweet that day, Though she wuz pale as she could be, A-speshully a-drivin' by Wite where her beau lived at, you know ; But out the corner of his eye The old man watch' her ; but she throw He pairsol 'round so she can't see The house at all ! An' then she hear Her Pa an' Ma a-talkin' low An' kindo' laughin'-like ; but she 1st set there in the seat behind, P'tendin' like she didn't mind. An', Uncle say, when they got past * The young man's place, an' 'pearantly He wuzn't home, but off an' gone To town, the old man turned at last An' talked back to his daughter there, All pleasant-like, from then clean on Till they got into town, an' where 8 HIS PA S ROMANCE The Circus wuz, an' on inside O' that, an' through the crowd, on to V \ m »i 1/ ' VV The very top seat in the tent Wite next the band— a-bangin' through A tune 'at bust his yeers in two ! 9 his pa's romance An' there the old man scrouged an' tried To make his wife set down, an' she A-yellin' ! But ist what she meant He couldn't hear, ner couldn't see Till she turned 'round an' pinted. Then He turned an' looked — an' looked again ! . He ist saw neighbors ever'where — But, sir, his daughter wuzn't there ! An', Uncle says, he even saw Her beau, you know, he hated sc ; An' he wuz with some other girl. An' then he heerd the Clown "Haw-haw !" An' saw the horses wheel an' whirl Around the ring, an' heerd the zipp O' the Ringmaster's long slim whip — But that whole Circus, Uncle said, Wuz all inside the old man's head ! An' Uncle said, he didn't find His daughter all that afternoon— An' her Ma says she'll lose her mind 10 his pa's romance Ef they don't find her purty soon ! But, though they looked all day, an 5 stayed There fer the night p'formance — not No use at all ! — they never laid Their eyes on her. An' then they got Their team out, an' the old man shook His fist at all the town, an' then Shook it up at the moon ag'in, An' said his time 'ud come, some day ! An' jerked the lines an' driv away. Uncle, he said, he 'spect, that night, The old man's madder yet when they Drive past the young man's place, an' hear A fiddle there, an' see a light Inside, an' shadders light an' gay A-dancin' 'crost the winder-blinds. An' some young chaps outside yelled, "Say ! What 'pears to be the hurry — hey ?" But the old man ist whipped the lines An' streaked past like a runaway ! II his pa's romance An' now you'll be su'prised, I bet !^~ I hardly ain't quit laughin' yet When Uncle say, that jamboree An' dance an' all — w'y, that's a sign That any old man ort to see, As plain as 8 and I makes 9, That they's a weddin' wite inside That very house he's whippin' so To git apast — an', sir ! the bride There's his own daughter ! Yes, an' oh ! She's my Ma now — an' young man she Got married, he's my Pa ! Whoop-ee ! But Uncle say to not laugh all The laughin' yet, but please save some To kindo' spice up what's to come ! Then Uncle say, about next day The neighbers they begin to call An' wish 'em well, an' say how glad An' proud an' tickled ever' way Their friends all is — an' how they had 12 his pa's romance The lovin' prayers of ever' one That had homes of their own ! But none Said nothin' 'bout the home that she Had run away from ! So she sighed Sometimes — an' wunst she purt'-nigh cried, Well, Uncle say, her old Pa, he 1st like to died, he wuz so mad ! An' her Ma, too ! But by-an'-by They cool down some. An', 'bout a week, She want to see her Ma so bad, She think she'll haf to go ! An' so She coax him ; an' he kiss her cheek An' say, Lord bless her, course they'll go ! An', Uncle say, when they're bofe come A-knockin' there at her old home — W'y, first he know, the door it flew Open, all quick, an' she's jerked in, An', quicker still, the door's banged to An' locked : an' crosst the winder-sill 13 HIS VA S ROMANCE The old man pokes a shotgun through An' says to git ! "You stold my child," .11 ii.^.' , .;*.-.-."'.v jaw / p r v *w>\ «**'** He says ; "an', now she's back, w'y you Clear out, this minute, er I'll kill 14 his pa's romance You ! Yes, an' I 'ull kill her, too, Ef you don't go !" An' then, all wild, His young wife begs him please to go ! An* so he turn' an* walk'— all slow An' pale as death, but awful still An' ca'm — back to the gate, an' on Into the road, where he had gone So many times alone, you know ! An', Uncle say, a whipperwill Holler so lonesome, as he go On back to'rds home, he say he 'spec' He ist 'ud like to wring its neck ! An' I ain't think he's goin' back All by hisse'f — but Uncle say That's what he does, an' it's a f ac' ! An' 'pears-like he's gone back to stay — 'Cause there he stick', ist thataway, An' don't go nowheres any more, Ner don't nobody ever see IS HIS PA S ROMANCE Him set his foot outside the door — Till 'bout five days, a boy loped down The road, a-comin' past from town, An' he called to him from the gate, An' sent the old man word : He's thought Things over now ; an', while he hate To lose his wife, he think she ought To mind her Pa an' Ma an' do 16 HIS PA S ROMANCE Whatever they advise her to. An' sends word, too, to come an' git Her new things an' the furnichur That he had special' bought fer her— 'Cause, now that they wuz goin' to quit, She's free to ist have all of it ; — So, fer his love fer her, he say To come an' git it, wite away. An' spang ! that very afternoon, Here come her Ma — ist 'bout as soon As old man could hitch up an' tell Her "hurry back!" An' 'bout as quick As she's drove there to where my Pa — I mean to where her son-in-law — Lives at, he meets her at the door All smilin', though he's awful pale An' trimbly — like he's ist been sick ; He take her in the house — an', 'fore She knows it, they's a cellar-door Shet on her, an' she hears the click 17 HIS PA S ROMANCE Of a' old rusty padlock ! Then, Uncle, he say, she kindo' stands An' thinks — an' thinks — an' thinks ag'in- An' maybe thinks of her own child Locked up — like her ! An' Uncle smiled, An' I ist laughed an' clapped my hands ! An' there she stayed ! An' she can cry Ist all she want ! an' yell an' kick To ist her heart's content ! an' try 18 his pa's romance To pry out wiv a quiltin'-stick ! But Uncle say he guess at last She 'bout give up, an' holler' through The door-crack fer to please to be So kind an' good as send an' tell The old man, like she want him to, To come, 'fore night, an' set her free, Er — they wuz rats down there ! An' yell She did, till, Uncle say, it saured The morning's milk in the back yard ! But all the answer reached her, where She's skeerd so in the dark down there, Wuz ist a mutterin' that she heard — "I've sent him word ! — I've sent him word !" An' shore enough, as Uncle say, He has "sent word !" Well, it's plum night An' all the house is shet up tight — Only one winder 'bout half-way Raised up, you know ; an' ain't no light Inside the whole house, Uncle say. 19 his pa's romance Then, first you know, there where the team Stands hitched yet, there the old man stands— A' old tin lantern in his hands An' monkey-wrench ; an' he don't seem To make things out, a-standin' there. He comes on to the gate an' feels An' fumbles fer the latch — then hears A voice that chills him to the heels — "You halt ! an' stand right where you air !" Then, sir ! my — my — his son-in-law, There at the winder wiv his gun, He tell the old man what he's done : "You hold my wife a prisoner — An' your wife, drat ye ! I've got her ! An' now, sir," Uncle say he say, "You ist turn round an' climb wite in That wagon, an' drive home ag'in An' bring my wife back wite away, An' we'll trade then — an' not before Will I unlock my cellar-door — 20 HIS PAS ROMANCE Not fer your wife's sake ner your own, But my wife's sake — an' her's alone !" An', Uncle say, it don't sound like It's so, but yet it is ! — He say, 21 his pa's romance From wite then, somepin' seem' to strike The old man's funny-bone some way ; An', minute more, that team o' his Went tearin' down the road k'whiz ! An' in the same two-forty style Come whizzin' back ! An' oh, that-air Sweet girl a-cryin' all the while, Thinkin' about her Ma there, shet In her own daughter's cellar, where 1st week or so she's kep' house there, She hadn't time to clean it yet ! So when her Pa an' her they git There — an' the young man grab' an' kiss An' hug her, till she make him quit An' ask him where her mother is. An' then he smile' an' try to not ; Then slow-like find th' old padlock key, An' blow a' oat-hull out of it, An' then stoop down there where he's got Her Ma locked up so keerfully — An' where, wite there, he say he thought 22 HIS PAS ROMANCE It ort to been the old man — though Uncle, he say, he reckon not — When out she bounced, all tickled so To taste fresh air ag'in an' find Her folks wunst more, an' grab' her child An' cry an' laugh, an' even go An' hug the old man ; an' he wind HIS PA'S ROMANCE Her in his arms, an' laugh, an' pat Her back, an' say he's riconciled, In such a happy scene as that, To swop his daughter for her Ma, An' have so smart a son-in-law As they had ! "Yes, an' he's my Pa !" I laugh' an' yell', "Hooray-hooraw !" 24- $*# TWILIGHT STORIES Neither daylight, starlight, moonlight, But a sad-sweet term of some light By the saintly name of Twilight. The Grandma Twilight Stories! — Still, A childish listener, I hear The katydid and whippoorwill, In deepening atmosphere 25 TWILIGHT STORIES Of velvet dusk, blent with the low Soft music of the voice that sings And tells me tales of long ago And old enchanted things. . . . While far fails the last dim daylight, And the -fireflies in the Twilight Drift about like flakes of starlight. 26 ALMOST BEYOND ENDURANCE I ain't a-goin' to cry no more, no more ! I'm got ear-ache, an' Ma can't make It quit a-tall ; An' Carlo bite my rubber-ball An' puncture it ; an' Sis she take An' poke' my knife down through the stable-floor An' loozed it — blame it all ! But I ain't goin' to cry no more, no more ! An' Aunt Mame wrote she's comin', an' she can't — Folks is come there! — An' I don't care She is my Aunt ! An' my eyes stings ; an' I'm 1st coughin' all the time, 27 ALMOST BEYOND ENDURANCE An 5 hurts me so, an' where my side's so sore Grampa felt where, an' he Says "Mayby it's pleurasy!" But I ain't goin' to cry no more, no more ! An' I clumbed up an' nen failed off the fence, An' Herbert he ist laugh at me ! An' my fi'-cents 28 ALMOST BEYOND ENDURANCE It sticked in my tin bank, an' I ist tore Purt'-nigh my thumbnail off, a-tryin' to git It out— nen smash it !— An' it's in there yit ! But I ain't goin' to cry no more, no more ! Oo! I'm so wickud ! — An' my breath's so hot — Ist like I run an' don't res' none But ist run on when I ought to not ; Yes, an' my chin An' lips 's all warpy, an' teeth's so fast, An' 's a place in my throat I can't swaller past — An' they all hurt so ! — An' oh, my-oh ! I'm a-startin' ag'in — I'm z-startin' ag'in, but I won't, fer shore! — / ist ain't goin' to cry no more, no more! 29 A SIMPLE RECIPE To be a wholly worthy man, As you, my boy, would like to be, — This is to show you how you can — This simple recipe : — Be honest — both in word and act, Be strictly truthful through and through : Fact cannot fail. — You stick to fact, And fact will stick to you. Be clean — outside and in, and sweep Both hearth and heart and hold them bright ; Wear snowy linen — aye, and keep Your conscience snowy-white. Do right, your utmost — good must come To you who do your level best — Your very hopes will help you some, And work will do the rest. 30 THE LISPER Elsie Mingus lisps, she does ! She lives wite acrosst from us In Miz. Ayers'uz house 'at she Rents part to the Mingusuz. — Yes, an' Elsie plays wiv me. Elsie lisps so, she can't say Her own name, ist anyzvay! — 31 ,.^-Vv— THE LISPER She says "Eltliy" — like they wuz Feathers on her words, an' they 1st stick on her tongue like tv , .' she 's putty, though! — An 5 when She lisps, w'y, she 's puny nen! When she relied me, wunst, her doll Wuz so "thweei." an 5 T p'ten' • / lisp too. — she laugh 3 — 'at 's all ! — She don't never git mad none — 'Cause she know I'm ist In fun.— Elsie she ain't one bit sp'iled. — Of all childerns — ever' one — She's the ladylikest child! — My Ma say she is! One time Elsie start to say the rhyme, "Thing a thong- o' thixpenth" — Wl I ist \v//.' An' Ma say Em Unpolite as I can be! 3* THE LISPER Wunst I went wiv Ma to call On Elsie's Ma, an' eat an' all ; An' nen Elsie, when we've et, An' we 're playin' in the hall, Elsie say : It 's etikett Fer young gentlemens, like me, Eatin' when they 's company, Not to never ever crowd Down their food, ner "thip their tea Ner thup thoop so awful loud!" 33 OUR BETSY Us childern 's all so lonesome, We hardly want to play Or skip or swing or anything, — 'Cause Betsy she's away ! She's gone to see her people At her old home. — But then — Oh! every child '11 jist be wild When she's back here again! CHORUS Then it 's whoopty-doopty dooden!- Whoopty-dooden then! Oh! it 's zvhoopty-doopty dooden, When Betsy 's back again! 34 OUR BETSY She's like a mother to us, And like a sister, too — Oh ! she's as sweet as things to eat When all the dinner 's through ! And hey ! to hear her laughin' ! And ho ! to hear her sing ! — To have her back is all we lack Of havin' everything! fir'1! CHORUS Then it 's zvhoopty-doopty doodenl Whoopty-dooden then! Oh! it 's zvhoopty-doopty dooden, When Betsy 's back again! 35 OUR BETSY Oh ! some may sail the northern lakes, And some to foreign lands, And some may seek old Nameless Creek, Or India's golden sands ; Or some may go to Kokomo, And some to Mackinac, — But Fll go down to Morgantown To fetch our Betsy back. CHORUS Then it 's whoopty-doopty dooden! — Whoopty-dooden then! Oh! it 's whoopty-doopty dooden, When Betsy 's back again! 36 THE TOY-BALLOON They wuz a Big Day wunst in town, An' little Jason's Pa Buyed him a little toy-balloon, The first he ever saw. — An' oh! but Jase wuz more'n proud, A-holdin' to the string An' scrougin' through the grea'-big crowd. To hear the Glee Club sing. The Glee Club it wuz goin' to sing In old Masonic Hall ; An' Speakin', it wuz in there, too, An' soldiers, folks an' all: An' Jason's Pa he git a seat An' set down purty soon, A-holdin' little Jase, an' him A-holdin' his balloon. 37 THE TOY-BALLOON An' while the Speakin' 's startin' up An' ever'body still — The first you know wuz little Jase A-yellin' fit to kill !— Nen Jason's Pa jump on his seat An' grab up in the air, — But little Jason's toy-balloon Wuz clean away from there ! An' Jase he yelled ; an* Jase's Pa, Still lookin' up, clumb down- While that-air little toy-balloon Went bumpin' roun' an' roun' Ag'inst the ceilin', 'way up there Where ever'body saw, An' they all yelled, an' Jason yelled, An' little Jason's Pa ! But when his Pa he packed him out A-screamin' — nen the crowd Looked down an' hushed — till they looked up An' howled again out loud ; 38 THE TOY-BALLOON An' nen the speaker, mad an' pale, jist turned an' left the stand, An' all j'ined in the Glee Club— "Hail, Columby, Happy Land!" 39 SOME CHRISTMAS YOUNGSTERS THE STRENGTH OF THE WEAK Last Chris'mus, little Benny Wuzn't sick so bad, — Now he 's had the worst spell Ever yet he had. Ever' Chris'mus-morning, though, He '11 p'tend as if He 's asleep — an' first you know He 's got your "Chris'mus-gif ' !' : Pa he 's good to all of us All the time ; but when, Ever' time it 's Chris'mus, He's as good again ! — 40 SOME CHRISTMAS YOUNGSTERS 'Sides our toys an' candy, Ever' Chris'mus, he Gives us all a quarter, Certain as can be ! Pa, this morning, tiptoe' in To make the fire, you know, Long 'fore it 's daylight, An' all 's ice an' snow ! — 41 SOME CHRISTMAS YOUNGSTERS An' Benny holler, cc Chris' puis- gif l } An' Pa jump an' say, "You '11 only git a dollar if You skeer me thataway l" 4-2 SOME CHRISTMAS YOUNGSTERS II THE LITTLE QUESTIONER Babe she 's so always Wantin' more to hear All about Santy Claus, An' says : "Mommy dear, Where 's Santy's home at When he ain't away? — An' is they Mizzus Santy Claus An' little folks — say ? — Chris'mus, Santy 's always here- Don't they want him, too ? When it ain't Chris'mus What does he do?" 43 SOME CHRISTMAS YOUNGSTERS III PARENTAL CHRISTMAS PRESENTS Parunts don't git toys an 5 things, Like you 'd think they ruther. — Mighty funny Chris'mus-gif s Parunts gives each other ! — Pa give Ma a barrel o' flour. An' Ma she give to Pa The nicest dinin'-table She know he ever saw ! OLD GRANNY DUSK Old Granny Dusk, when the sun goes down, Here she comes into thish-yer town ! Out o' the wet black woods an' swamps In she traipses an' trails an' tromps — With her old sunbonnet all floppy an' brown, An' her cluckety shoes, an' her old black gown, Here she comes into thish-yer town ! 45 OLD GRANNY DUSK Old Granny Dusk, when the bats begin To flap around, comes a-trompin' in ! An' the katydids they rasp an' whir, An' the lightnin'-bugs all blink at her; An' the old Hop-toad turns in his thumbs, An' the bunglin' June-bug booms an' bums, An' the Bullfrog croaks, "O here she comes !" Old Granny Dusk, though I'm 'feard o' you, Shore- fer-certain I'm sorry, too: 'Cause you look as lonesome an' starved an' sad As a mother 'at's lost ever' child she had. — Yet never a child in thish-yer town Clings at yer hand er yer old black gown, Er kisses the face you 're a-bendin' down. 46 THE YOUNG OLD MAN VOLUNTARY BY ARTLESS ^LITTLE BROTHER^ Mamma is a widow : there's only us three — Our pretty Mamma, little sister, and me: And we 've come to live in this new neighborhood Where all seems so quiet, old-fashioned and good. Mamma sits and sews at the window, and I — I 'm out at the gate when an old man goes by — Such a lovely old man, — though I can't tell you why, Unless it's his greeting, — "Good morning! Good morning! good morning!" the old man will say, — "Fine bracing weather we're having to-day ! — 47 THE YOUNG OLD MAN And how ? s little brother — And sister— and mother? — So dear to each other ! — Good morning !" The old man goes by, in his glossy high-hat, And stripe-trousers creased, and all turned-up, at that, And his glancing nose-glasses — and pleasantest eyes, As he smiles on me, always in newer surprise : And though his mustache is as white as the snow, He wears it waxed out and all pointed, you know, And gloves, and high collar and bright, jaunty bow, And stylish umbrella. — "Good morning ! 4 8 THE YOUNG OLD MAN Good morning! good morning!" the old man will say, — "Fine falling weather we're promised to- day! — And how 's little brother — And sister — and mother ? — So fond of each other ! — Good morning !" It's Christmas ! — it's Christmas ! and oh, but we're gay ! The postman's been here, and Ma says, "Run and play :— You must leave your Mamma to herself for a while!" And so sweet is her voice, and so tender her smile ! — And she looks so pretty and happy and — Well !— She 's just too delicious for language to tell ! — 49 THE YOUNG OLD MAN So Sis hugs her more — and / answer the bell, — And there in the doorway— "Good morn- ing!— Good morning ! good morning ! good morning, I say! — Fine Christmas weather we're having to- day ! — And how 's little brother — Dear sister — er, ruther — Why, here is your mother. . . . Good morning!" 5o WHEN UNCLE DOC WAS YOUNG Though Doctor Glenn — the best of men- Is wrinkled, old, and gray, He '11 always smile and stop awhile Where little children play : Si WHEN UNCLE DOC WAS YOUNG And often then he tells us, when He was a youngster, too, He was as glad and bad a lad As old folks ever knew ! As he walks down, no boy in town But sees him half a block, And stops to shout a welcome out With "Here comes Uncle Doc !" Then all the rest, they look their best As he lines up among Us boys of ten — each thinking then When Uncle Doc was young. We run to him! — Though grave and grim, With voice pitched high and thin, He still reveals the joy he feels In all that he has been : 52 J- WHEN UNCLE DOC WAS YOUNG With heart too true, and honest, too, To ever hide a truth, He frankly owns, in laughing tones, He was "a sorry youth !" — When he was young, he says, he sung And howled his level-best ; He says he guyed, and sneaked, and lied, And wrecked the robin's nest. — 53 WHEN UNCLE DOC WAS YOUNG And this, and worse, will he rehearse, Then smooth his snowy locks And look the saint he says he ain't. . Them eyes of Uncle Doc's ! He says, when he — like you and me — Was just too low and mean To slap asleep, he used to weep To find his face was clean : His hair, he said, was just too red To tell with mortal tongue — "The Burning Shame" was his nickname When Uncle Doc was young. 54 BILLY MILLER'S CIRCUS-SHOW At Billy Miller's Circus-Show — In their old stable where it's at — The boys pays twenty pins to go, An' gits their money's-worth at that !■ 'Cause Billy he can climb and chalk His stockin'-feet an' purt'-nigh walk A tight-rope — yes, an' ef he fall He'll ketch, an' "skin a cat"— 'at's all ! 55 BILLY MILLER'S CIRCUS-SHOW He ain't afeard to swing and hang 1st by his legs ! — an' mayby stop An' yell "Look out !" an' nen — k-spang ! — He'll let loose, upside-down, an' drop Wite on his hands ! An' nen he'll do "Contortion-acts" — ist limber through As "Injarubber Mens" 'at goes With shore-f er-certain circus-shows ! At Billy Miller's Circus-Show He's got a circus-ring — an' they's A dressin'-room, — so's he can go An' dress an' paint up when he plays He's somepin' else ; — 'cause sometimes he's "Ringmaster" — bossin' like he please — An' sometimes "Ephalunt" — er "Bare- Back Rider," prancin' out o' there ! An' sometimes — an' the best of all ! — He's "The Old Clown," an' got on clo'es All stripud, — an' white hat, all tall An' peakud — like in shore-'nuff shows, — 56 BILLY MILLER'S CIRCUS-SHOW An' got three-cornered red-marks, too, On his white cheeks — ist like they do !- An' you'd ist die, the way he sings An' dances an' says funny things ! 57 THE LAW OF THE PERVERSE Where did the custom come from, anyway? — Sending the boys to "play," at dinner-time, When we have company? What is there, pray, About the starched, unmalleable guest That, in the host's most genial interest, Finds him first favor on Thanksgiving Day Beside the steaming turkey, with its wings Akimbo over all the savory things It has been stuffed with, yet may never thus Make one poor boy's face glad and glorious ! Fancy the exiled boy in the back-yard, Ahungered so that any kind of grub Were welcome, yet with face set stern and hard, Hearing the feasters' laugh and mild hubbub, And wanting to kill something with a club !— 58 THE LAW OF THE PERVERSE Intuitively arguing the unjust Distinction, as he naturally must, — The guest with all the opportunity, — The boy with all the appetite ! Ah, me ! So is it that when I, a luckless guest, Am thus arraigned at banquet, I sit grim And sullen, eating nothing with a zest, With smirking features, yet a soul distressed, Missing the banished boy and envying him — Aye, longing for a spatter on my vest From his deflecting spoon, and yearning for The wild swoop of his lips insatiate, or His ever-ravenous, marauding eye Fore-eating everything from soup to pie ! 59 CHAIRLEY BURKE It's Chairley Burke's in town, b'ys! He's down til "Jamesy's Place/' Wid a bran'-new shave upon 'urn, an' the fhwhus- kers aff his face ; He's quit the Section Gang last night, an' yez can chalk it down There 's goin' to be the divil's toime, sence Chair- ley Burke's in town. It's treatin' iv'ry b'y he is, an' poundin' on the bar Till iv'ry man he's drinkin' wid must shmoke a f oine cigar ; An' Missus Murphy's little Kate, that's comin' there for beer, Can't pay wan cint the bucketful, the whilst that Chairley's here! 60 CHAIRLEY BURKE He's joompin' oor the tops o' sthools, the both f orninst an' back ! He'll lave yez pick the blessed flure, an' walk the straightest crack ! He's liftin' barrels wid his teeth, and singin' "Garry Owen" Till all the house be strikin' hands, sence Chairley Burke's in town. The Road-Yaird hands comes dhroppin' in, an' never goin' back ; An' there's two freights upon the switch — the wan on aither track — An' Mr. Gearry, from The Shops, he's mad enough to swear, An' durst n't spake a word but grin, the whilst that Chairley's there ! Och! Chairley! — Chairley! — Chairley Burke! ye divil, wid yer ways O' dhrivin' all the troubles aff, these dark an' gloomy days ! 61 CHAIRLEY BURKE Ohone ! that it's meself , wid all the griefs I have to dhrown, Must lave me pick to resht a bit, sence Chair hy Burke's in town ! 62 SONG— THE OLD MAN OF THE SEA I'm The Old Man of the Sea— I am !— And this is my secret pride, That I have a hundred shapes, all sham, And a hundred names besides : They have named me "Habit," and "Way," for* sooth, "Capricious," and "Fancy-free" ; — But to you, O Youth, I confess the truth, — I'm The Old Man of the Sea. I'm The Old Man of the Sea, yo-ho! So lift up a song with me, As I sit on the throne of your shoulders, alone, I'm The Old Man of the Sea. 63 SONG — THE OLD MAN OF THE SEA Crowned with the crown of your noblest thought, I'm The Old Man of the Sea: I reign, rule, ruin, and palter not In my pitiless tyranny : You, my lad, are my gay Sinbad, Frisking about, with me High on the perch I have always had — I'm The Old Man of the Sea. SONG THE OLD MAN OF THE SEA Fm The Old Man of the Sea, yo-ho! So lift up a song with me, As I sit on the throne of your shoulders, alone, Fm The Old Man of the Sea. Tricked in the guise of your best intent, I am your failures — all — I am the victories you invent, And your high resolves that fall : I am the vow you are breaking now As the wassail-bowl swings free And the red guilt flushes your cheek and brow- Fm The Old Man of the Sea. Fm The Old Man of the Sea, yo-ho! So lift up a song with me, As I sit on the throne of your shoulders, alone, Fm The Old Man of the Sea, 65 SONG — THE OLD MAN OF THE SEA I am your false dreams of success And your mythical future fame — Your life-long lies, and your soul's distress And your slowly-dying shame : I'm the clattering half of your latest laugh, And your tongue's last perfidy — Your doom, your tomb, and your epitaph . . I'm The Old Man of the Sea. Fm The Old Man of the Sea, yo-ho! So lift up a song with me, As I sit on the throne of your shoulders, alone, Fm The Old Man of the Sea. 66 AT NINETY IN THE SHADE Hot weather ? Yes ; but really not, Compared with weather twice as hot. Find comfort, then, in arguing thus, And you'll pull through victorious ! — For instance, while you gasp and pant And try to cool yourself — and can't — With soda, cream and lemonade, The heat at ninety in the shade, — Just calmly sit and ponder o'er These same degrees, with ninety more On top of them, and so concede The weather now is cool indeed ! Think — as the perspiration dews Your fevered brow, and seems to ooze From out the ends of every hair — Whole floods of it, with floods to spare- 6 7 AT NINETY IN THE SHADE Think, I repeat, the while the sweat Pours down your spine — how hotter yet Just ninety more degrees would be, And bear this ninety patiently ! Think — as you mop your brow and hair, With sticky feelings everywhere — How ninety more degrees increase 68 AT NINETY IN THE SHADE Of heat like this would start the grease ; Or, think, as you exhausted stand, A wilted "palmleaf" in each hand — When the thermometer has done With ease the lap of ninety-one ; O think, I say, what heat might do At one hundred and eighty-two — Just twice the heat you now declare, Complainingly, is hard to bear. Or, as you watch the mercury Mount, still elate, one more degree, And doff your collar and cravat, And rig a sponge up in your hat, And ask Tom, Harry, Dick and Jim If this is hot enough for him — Consider how the sun would pour At one hundred and eighty- four — Just twice the heat that seems to be Affecting you unpleasantly, The very hour that you might find As cool as dew, were you inclined. 6 9 AT NINETY IN THE SHADE But why proceed when none will heed Advice apportioned to the need ? Hot weather ? Yes ; but really not, Compared with weather twice as hot ! 70 GOOD-BYE ER HOWDY-DO Say good-bye er howdy-do — What 's the odds betwixt the two ? Comin' — goin' — every day — Best friends first to go away — Grasp of hands you 'd ruther hold Than their weight in solid gold, Slips their grip while greetin' you. — Say good-bye er howdy-do? Howdy-do, and then, good-bye — Mixes jist like laugh and cry; Deaths and births, and worst and best, Tangled their contrariest ; Ev'ry jinglin' weddin'-bell Skeerin' up some funer'l knell. — Here's my song, and there's your sigh, Howdy-do, and then, good-bye! 71 GOOD-BYE ER HOWDY-DO Say good-bye er howdy-do — Jist the same to me and you ; 'Taint worth while to make no fuss, 'Cause the job's put up on us ! Some One's runnin' this concern That's got nothin' else to learn : If He's willin', we'll pull through — Say good-bye er howdy-do ! 72 A LOCAL POLITICIAN FROM AWAY BACK Jedge is good at argyin' — No mistake in that ! Most folks 'at tackles him He'll skin 'em like a cat ! You see, the Jedge is read up, And ben in politics, Hand-in-glove, you might say, Sense back in '56. Elected to the Shurrif, first, Then elected Clerk ; Went into lawin' then, And buckled down to work ; 73 A LOCAL POLITICIAN FROM AWAY BACK Practiced three or four terms, Then he run for jedge — Speechified a little 'round, And went in like a wedge ! Run fer Legislatur' twic't — Made her, ever' pop ! Keeps on the way he's doin', Don't know where he'll stop ! Some thinks he's got his eye On the govnership; — Well, ef he tuk the track, Guess he'd make the trip ! But I started out to tell you — (Now I alius liked the man — Not fer his politics, But social', understan' ! — Fer, 's regards to my views, Political and sich, — When we come together there We're purty ap' to hitch.) 74 A LOCAL POLITICIAN FROM AWAY BACK Ketched him in at Knox's shop On'y t'other day — Gittin' shaved, the Jedge was, Er somepin' thataway. — Well, I tetched him up some On the silver bill : — Jedge says, "I won't discuss it ;" / says, "You will!" / // / . /// I-says-ee, "I reckon You'll concede with me, Coin's the on'y ginuine Money," I-says-ee; 75 A LOCAL POLITICIAN FROM AWAY BACK Says I, "What's a dollar-bill?" Says I, "What's a ten— Er forty-leven hunderd of 'em? — Give us specie, then!" I seed I was a gittin' The Jedge kindo' red Around the gills. He hawked some And cle'red his throat and said ! — "Facts is too complicated 'Bout the bill in view," Squirmed and told the barber then He wisht he'd hurry through. 'LI, then, I knowed I had him,— And the crowd around the fire Was all a-winkin' at me, As the barber raised him higher — Says I, "Jedge, what's a dollar? — Er a half-un," I-says-ee — "What's a quarter? — What's a dime?' "What's cents?" says he. 76 A LOCAL POLITICIAN FROM AWAY BACK W'y I had him fairly b'ilin' ! "You needn't comb my hair/' He says to the barber — "I want fresh air ;" And you'd a-died a-laughin' To a-seed him grab his hat, As I-says-ee, says I, "Jedge, Where you goin' at !" Jedge is good at argyin' By-and-large ; and yit Beat him at his own game And he's goin' to git ! And yit the Jedge is read up, And ben in politics, Hand-in-glove, you might say, Sence back in '56. 77 NEVER TALK BACK Never talk back! sich things is repperhensible ; A feller only hurts hisse'f that jaws a man that's hot ; In a quarrel, ef you'll only keep your mouth shet and act sensible, The man that does the talkin' '11 git worsted every shot! Never talk back to a feller that's abusin' you — Jest let him carry on, and rip, and snort, and swear ; And when he finds his blamin' and defamin' 's jest amusin' you, You've got him clean kaflummixed, — and you want to hold him there ! 78 NEVER TALK BACK Never talk back, and wake up the whole com- munity And call a man a liar, over Law, er Politics. — You can lilt and land him furder and with grace- fuller impunity With one good jolt of silence than half a dozen kicks ! P^ 79 "A BRAVE REFRAIN" When snow is here, and the trees look weird, And the knuckled twigs are gloved with frost ; When the breath congeals in the drover's beard, And the old pathway to the barn is lost ; When the rooster's crow is sad to hear, And the stamp of the stabled horse is vain, And the tone of the cow-bell grieves the ear — O then is the time for a brave refrain ! When the gears hang stiff on the harness-peg, And the tallow gleams in frozen streaks; And the old hen stands on a lonesome leg, And the pump sounds hoarse and the handle squeaks ; 80 "a brave refrain" When the woodpile lies in a shrouded heap, And the frost is scratched from the window- pane, And anxious eyes from the inside peep — O then is the time for a brave refrain ! When the ax-helve warms at the chimney- jamb! And hob-nailed shoes on the hearth below, And the house-cat curls in a slumber calm, And the eight-day clock ticks loud and slow ; 81 "a brave refrain" When the harsh broom-handle jabs the ceil 'Neath the kitchen-loft, and the drowsy brain Sniffs the breath of the morning meal- — O then is the time for a brave refrain ! Envoi. When the skillet seethes, and a-blubbering hot Tilts the lid of the coffee-pot, And the scent of the buckwheat cake grows plain — O then is the time for a brave refrain ! 82 ME AND MARY All my feelin's in the Spring Gits so hlame contrary, I can't think of anything Only me and Mary ! "Me and Mary !" all the time, "Me and Mary!" like a rhyme, Keeps a-dingin' on till I'm Sick o' "Me and Mary!" "Me and Mary ! Ef us two Only was together — Playin' like we used to do In the Aprile weather!" All the night and all the day I keep wishin' thataway Till I'm gittin' old and gray Jes on "Me and Mary !" 83 ME AND MARY Muddy yit along the pike Sence the Winter's freezing And the orchard's back'ard-like Bloomin' out this season ; Only heerd one bluebird yit — Nary robin ner tomtit ; What's the how and why of it ? 'Spectit's "Me and Mary!" Me and Mary liked the birds — That is, Mary sorto' Liked 'em first, and afterwards, W'y, I thought I'd ort'o. And them birds — ef Mary stood Right here with me, like she should — They'd be singin', them birds would, All fer me and Mary. Birds er not, I'm hopin' some I can git to plowin' ! Ef the sun'll only come, And the Lord allowin', 8 4 ME AND MARY Guess tomorry I'll turn in And git down to work ag'in ; This here loaferin' won't win, Not fer me and Mary! Fer a man that loves like me, And's afeard to name it, Till some other feller, he Gits the girl — dad-shame-it! Wet er dry, er clouds er sun — Winter gone er jes begun — Outdoor work fer me er none, No more "Me and Mary !" 85 FIRE AT NIGHT Fire! Fire! Ring! and ring! Hear the old bell bang and ding! Fire! Fire! 'way at night, — Can't you hear ? — I think you might !- Can't you hear them-air clangin' bells ?- W'y, / can't hear nothin' else ! Fire ! Ain't you 'wake at last ! — Hear them horses poundin' past — 86 FIRE AT NIGHT Hear that ladder-wagon grind Round the corner! — and, behind, Hear the hose-cart, turnin' short, And the horses slip and snort, As the engine's clank-and-jar Jolts the whole street, near and far. Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! Can't you hist that winder higher? La ! they've all got past like "scat !" Night's as black as my old hat — And it's rainin', too, at that ! . . . Wonder where their old fire's at ! 87 A FALL CRICK VIEW OF THE EARTHQUAKE I kin hump my back and take the rain, And I don't keer how she pours ; I kin keep kindo' ca'm in a thunder-storm, No matter how loud she roars ; I hain't much skeered o' the lightnin' Ner I hain't sich awful shakes Afeard o' cyclones — but I don't want none O' yer dad-burned old earthquakes ! As long as my legs keeps stiddy, And long as my head keeps plum', And the buildin' stays in the front lot, I still kin whistle, some! 88 A FALL CRICK VIEW OF THE EARTHQUAKE But about the time the old clock Flops off'n the mantel-shelf, And the bureau skoots f er the kitchen, I'm a-goin' to skoot, myself! rfifli Plague-take! ef you keep me stabled While any earthquakes is around ! — I'm jist like the stock, — I'll beller And break fer the open ground ! 8 9 A FALL CRICK VIEW OF THE EARTHQUAKE And I 'low you'd be as nervous, And in jist about my fix, When yer whole farm slides from inunder you, And on'y the mor'gage sticks! Now cars hain't a-goin' to kill you Ef you don't drive 'crost the track ; Crediters never '11 jerk you up Ef you go and pay 'em back ; You kin stand all moral and mundane storms Ef you'll on'y jist behave- But a' earthquake: — well, ef it wanted you It 'ud husk you out o' yer grave ! 90 MR. SILBERBERG AND LITTLE JULIUS I like me yet dot leedle chile Vich climb my lap up in to-day, Unt took my cheap cigair avay, Unt laugh and kiss me purty-whvile,- 91 MR. SILBERBERG Possescially I like dose mout' Vich taste his moder's like— unt so, Eef my cigair it gone clean out — Yust let it go ! Vat I caire den for any ding? Der "heraldt" schlip out fon my handt Unt all my odvairtizement standt Mitout new changements boddering; I only t'ink — I have me dis Von leedle boy to pet unt love Unt play me vit, unt hug unt kiss — Unt dot's enough! Der plans unt pairposes I vear Out in der vorld all fades avay, Unt vit der beeznis of der day I got me den no time to spare ; Der caires of trade vas caires no more — Dem cash accounts dey dodge me by, Unt vit my chile I roll der floor, Unt laugh unt gry ! 92 MR. SILBERBERG Ach ! frient ! dem childens is der ones Dot got some happy times — -you bet ! — Dot 's vy ven I been growed up yet I visht I shtill been leedle vonce ! Unf ven dot leedle roozter tries Dem baby-tricks I used to do, My mout it vater, unt my eyes Dey vater too ! Unt all der summertime unt spring Of childhood it come back to me, So dot it vas a dream I see Ven I yust look at anyding! Unt ven dot leedle boy run by, I dink "Dot's me," fon hour to hour Schtill chasing yet dose butterfly Fon flower to flower ! Oxpose I vas lots money vairt, Mit blenty schtone-front schtore to rent, Unt mor'gages at twelf per tcent, Unt diamonds in my ruffled shairt, — 93 MR. SILBERBERG I make assignment of all dot, Unt tairn it over mit a schmile Aber you please — but, don'd forgot, I keep dot chile! 94 SPIRITS AT HOME THE FAMILY There was Father, and Mother, and Emmy, and Jane, And Lou, and Ellen, and John and me — And father was killed in the war, and Lou She died of consumption, and John did too, And Emmy she went with the pleurisy. THE SPIRITS Father believed in 'em all his life — But Mother, at first, she'd shake her head — Till after the battle of Champion Hill, When many a flag in the winder-sill Had crape mixed in with the white and red ! 95 SPIRITS AT HOME I used to doubt 'em myself till then — But me and Mother was satisfied When Ellen she set, and Father came And rapped "God Bless You!" and Mother's name, And "The flag's up here!" And we just all cried. Used to come often, after that, And talk to us — just as he used to do, Pleasantest kind ! And once, for John, He said he was "lonesome but wouldn't let on — Fear mother would worry, and Emmy and Lou." But Lou was the bravest girl on earth — For all she never was hale and strong, She'd have her fun ! — With her voice clean lost She'd laugh and joke us that "when she crossed To Father, we'd all come taggin' along !" 9 6 SPIRITS AT HOME Died — just that way ! And the raps was thick That night, as they often since occur, Extry loud ! And when Lou got back She said it was Father and her — and "whack !" She tuck the table — and we knowed her! John and Emmy, in five years more, Both had went. — And it seemed like fate ! — For the old home it burnt down, — but Jane And me and Ellen we built again The new house, here, on the old estate. And a happier family I don't know Of anywheres — unless it's them, — Father, with all his love for Lou, And her there with him, and healthy, too, And laughin', with John and little Em. 97 SPIRITS AT HOME And, first we moved in the new house here, They all dropped in for a long pow-wow, "We like your buildin', of course," Lou said, — "But wouldn't swop with you to save your head — For we live in the ghost of the old house now !" 9 8 A HINT OF SPRING 'Twas but a hint of Spring — for still The atmosphere was sharp and chill, Save where the genial sunshine smote The shoulders of my overcoat, And o'er the snow beneath my feet Laid spectral fences down the street. My shadow even seemed to be Elate with some new buoyancy, And bowed and bobbed in my advance With trippingest extravagance, And, when the birds chirpt out somewhere, It seemed to wheel with me and stare. Above I heard a rasping stir — And on the roof the carpenter LofC. 99 A HINT OF SPRING Was perched, and prodding rusty leaves From out the choked and dripping eaves— And some one, hammering about, Was taking all the windows out. Old scraps of shingles fell before The noisy mansion's open door ; And wrangling children raked the yard, And labored much, and laughed as hard, And fired the burning trash I smelt And sniffed again — so good I felt! ioo LOCKERBIE FAIR O the Lockerbie Fair !— Have you heard of its fame And its fabulous riches, too rare for a name! — The gold of the noon of the June-time refined To the Orient-Night, till the eyes and the mind Are dazed with the sights, in the earth and the air, Of the opulent splendors of Lockerbie Fair. What more fortunate fate might to mortal befall, Midst the midsummer beauty and bloom of it all, Than to beam with the moon o'er the rapturous scene And twink with the stars as they laughingly lean O'er the luminous revel and glamour and glare Fused in one dazzling glory at Lockerbie Fair. IOI LOCKERBIE FAIR The Night, like a queen in her purple and lace, With her diamonded brow, and imperious grace As she leads her fair votaries, train upon train, A-dance thro' the feasts of this mystic domain To the mandolin's twang, and the warble and blare Of voice, flute and bugle at Lockerbie Fair. All strange, ever-changing, enchanted delights Found now in this newer Arabian Nights, — Where each lovely maid is a Princess, and each Lucky swain an Aladdin — all treasures in reach Of the lamps and the rings — and with Genii to spare, Simply waiting your orders, at Lockerbie Fair. 102 A TINKLE OF BELLS The light of the moon on the white of the snow, And the answering twinkles along the street, And our sleigh flashing by, in the glamour and glow Of the glorious nights of the long ago, When the laugh of her lips rang clear and sweet As the tinkle our horses shook out of the bells And flung and tossed back On our glittering track In a shower of tremulous, murmuring swells Of the echoing, airy, melodious bells ! — O the mirth of the bells ! And the worth of the bells ! Come tinkle again, in this dearth of the bells, — This laughter and love that I lack, yearning back, For the far-away sound of the bells ! 103 A TINKLE OF BELLS Ah ! the bells, they were glad in the long ago ! And the tinkles they had, they have thrilled me so I have said : "It is they and her songs and face Make summer for me in the wintriest place !" And now — but sobbings and sad farewells, As I peer in the night through the sleeted pane, Hearing a clangor and wrangle of bells, And never a tinkle again ! The snow is a-swoon, and the moon dead-white, And the frost is wild in the air to-night ! Yet still will I linger and listen and pray Till the sound of her voice shall come this way, With a tinkle of bells, And the lisp-like tread Of the hooves of the sleigh, And the murmurs and swells Of the vows she said. And O, I shall listen as madmen may, Till the tinkling bells ring down this way ! — 104 A TINKLE OF BELLS Till again the grasp of my hand entwines The tensioned loops of the quivering lines, And again we ride in the wake of the pride And the strength of the coursers, side by side ; With our faces smitten again by the spray Of the froth of our streets as we gallop away In affright of the bells, And the infinite glee and delight of the bells, As they tinkle and tinkle and tinkle, till they Are heard through a dawn where the mists are drawn, And we canter a gallop and dash away Sheer into The Judgment Day ! ioS AN OLD FRIEND Hey, Old Midsummer ! are you here again, With all your harvest-store of olden joys,- Vast overhanging meadow-lands of rain, ~\J^. ^ s 1 06 AN OLD FRIEND And drowsy dawns, and noons when golden grain Nods in the sun, and lazy truant boys Drift ever listlessly adown the day, Too full of joy to rest, and dreams to play. 1 The same old Summer, with the same old smile Beaming upon us in the same old way 107 AN OLD FRIEND We knew in childhood! Though a weary while Since that far time, yet memories reconcile The heart with odorous breaths of clover- hay; And again I hear the doves, and the sun streams through The old barn-dpor just as it used to do. And so it seems like welcoming a friend — An old, old friend, upon his coming home From some far country — coming home to spend Long, loitering days with me: And I extend My hand in rapturous glee : — And so you've come ! — Ho, I'm so glad ! Come in and take a chair : Well, this is just like old times, I declare ! 108 MY BACHELOR CHUM O a corpulent man is my bachelor chum, With a neck apoplectic and thick — An abdomen on him as big as a drum, And a fist big enough for the stick ; With a walk that for grace is clear out of the case, And a wobble uncertain — as though His little bow-legs had forgotten the pace That in youth used to favor him so. He is forty, at least ; and the top of his head Is a bald and a glittering thing ; And his nose and his two chubby cheeks are as red As three rival roses in Spring. iog MY BACHELOR CHUM His mouth is a grin with the corners tucked in, And his laugh is so breezy and bright That it ripples his features and dimples his chin With a billowy look of delight. He is fond of declaring he "don't care a straw" — That "the ills of a bachelor's life Are blisses compared with a mother-in-law, And a boarding-school miss for a wife !" So he smokes and he drinks, and he jokes and he winks, And he dines and he wines, all alone, With a thumb ever ready to snap as he thinks Of the comforts he never has known. But up in his den — (Ah, my bachelor chum!) — I have sat with him there in the gloom, When the laugh of his lips died away to become But a phantom of mirth in the room. no MY BACHELOR CHUM And to look on him there you would love him, for all His ridiculous ways, and be dumb As the little girl-face that smiles down from the wall On the tears of my bachelor chum. in HER BEAUTIFUL HANDS O your hands — they are strangely fair ! Fair — for the jewels that sparkle there, — Fair — for the witchery of the spell That ivory keys alone can tell ; But when their delicate touches rest Here in my own do I love them best, As I clasp with eager, acquisitive spans My glorious treasure of beautiful hands ! Marvelous — wonderful — beautiful hands ! They can coax roses to bloom in the strands Of your brown tresses ; and ribbons will twine, Under mysterious touches of thine, Into such knots as entangle the soul And fetter the heart under such a control As only the strength of my love understands — My passionate love for your beautiful hands. 112 HER BEAUTIFUL HANDS As I remember the first fair touch Of those beautiful hands that I love so much, I seem to thrill as I then was thrilled, Kissing the glove that I found unfilled — When I met your gaze, and the queenly bow, As you said to me, laughingly, "Keep it now!" . . . And dazed and alone in a dream I stand, Kissing this ghost of your beautiful hand. When first I loved, in the long ago, And held your hand as I told you so — Pressed and caressed it and gave it a kiss And said "I could die for a hand like this !" Little I dreamed love's fullness yet Had to ripen when eyes were wet And prayers were vain in their wild demands For one warm touch of your beautiful hands. 113 HER BEAUTIFUL HANDS Beautiful Hands ! — O Beautiful Hands ! Could you reach out of the alien lands Where you are lingering, and give me, to-night, Only a touch — were it ever so light — My heart were soothed, and my weary brain Would lull itself into rest again ; For there is no solace the world commands Like the caress of your beautiful hands. 114 THE BEST IS GOOD ENOUGH I quarrel not with Destiny, But make the best of everything — The best is good enough for me. Leave Discontent alone, and she Will shut her mouth and let you sing. I quarrel not with Destiny. I take some things, or let 'em be — Good gold has always got the ring ; The best is good enough for me. Since Fate insists on secrecy, I have no arguments to bring — I quarrel not with Destiny. 115 THE BEST IS GOOD ENOUGH The fellow that goes "haw" for "gee" Will find he hasn't got full swing. The best is good enough for me. One only knows our needs, and He Does all of the distributing. I quarrel not with Destiny; The best is good enough for me. L"S I ) 116 TOIL He had toiled away for a weary while, Thro' day's dull glare and the night's deep gloom ; And many a long and lonesome mile He had paced in the round of his dismal room ; He had fared on hunger — had drank of pain As the drouthy earth might drink of rain ; And the brow he leaned in his trembling* palm Throbbed with a misery so intense That never again did it seem that calm Might come to him with the gracious balm Of old-time languor and indolence. And he said, "I will leave the tale half told, And leave the song for the winds to sing ; And the pen — that pitiless blade of gold That stabs my heart like a dagger-sting — I will drive to the hilt through the inkstand's top And spill its blood to the last black drop !" 117 TOIL Then he masked his voice with a laugh, and went Out in the world with a lawless grace — With a brazen lie in his eyes and face Told in a smile of glad content: He roved the rounds of pleasure through, And tasted each as it pleased him to ; He joined old songs, and the clink and din Of the revelers at the banquet hall; And he tripped his feet where the violin Spun its waltz for the carnival ; He looked, bedazed, on the luring wile And the siren-light of a woman's smile, And peered in her eyes as a diver might Peer in the sea ere he leaps from sight,— Caught his breath, with a glance above, And dropped full-length in the depths of love. sjc ;fc $z ^c if: ^ >fc ^s >|s ■%. 'Tis well if ever the false lights die On the alien coasts where our wreck'd hopes lie ! 'Tis well to feel, through the blinding rain, Our outflung hands touch earth again! 118 TOIL So the castaway came, safe from doom, Back at last to his lonely room Filled with its treasure of work to do And radiant with the light and bloom Of the summer sun and his glad soul, too ! And sweet as ever the song of birds, Over his work he sang these words : — "O friends are good, with their princely ways, And royal hearts they are goodly things ; And fellowship, in the long dark days When the drear soul cowers with drooping wings, Is a thing to yearn for. — Mirth is good, — ■ For a ringing laugh is a rhythmic cry Blown like a hail from the Angelhood To the barque of the lone soul drifting by. — Goodly, too, is the mute caress Of woman's hands and their tenderness — The warm breath wet with the dews of love — The vine-like arms, and the fruit thereof — The touch that thrills, and the kiss that melts, — But Toil is sweeter than all things else." 119 HIS ROOM « "I'm home again, my dear old Room, I'm home again, and happy, too, As, peering through the brightening gloom, I find myself alone with you : Though brief my stay, nor far away, I missed you — missed you night and day- As wildly yearned for you as now. — Old Room, how are you, anyhow ? "My easy chair, with open arms, Awaits me just within the door; The littered carpet's woven charms Have never seemed so bright before, — The old rosettes and mignonettes And ivy-leaves and violets, Look up as pure and fresh of hue As though baptized in morning dew. I20 m t HIS ROOM ''Old Room, to me )T>ur homely walls Fold round me like the arms of love, And over all my being falls A blessing pure as from above — Even as a nestling child caressed And lulled upon a loving breast, With folded eyes, too glad to weep And yet too sad for dreams or sleep. "You've been so kind to me, old Room — So patient in your tender care, My drooping heart in fullest bloom Has blossomed for you unaware ; And who but you had cared to woo A heart so dark, and heavy too, As in the past you lifted mine From out the shadow to the shine? "For I was but a wayward boy When first you gladly welcomed me And taught me work was truer joy Than rioting incessantly: 121 HIS FOOM And thus the din that stormed within The old guitar and violin Has fallen in a fainter tone And sweeter, for your sake alone. Though in my absence I have stood In festal halls a favored guest, I missed, in this old quietude, My worthy work and worthy rest- By this I know that long ago You loved me first, and told me so In art's mute eloquence of speech The voice of praise may never reach. Tor lips and eyes in truth's disguise Confuse the faces of my friends, Till old affection's fondest ties I find unraveling at the ends ; But as I turn to you, and learn To meet my griefs with less concern, Your love seems all I have to keep Me smiling lest I needs must weep. 122 HIS ROOM "Yet I am happy, and would fain Forget the world and all its woes ; So set me to my tasks again, Old Room, and lull me to repose : And as we glide adown the tide Of dreams, forever side by side, I'll hold your hands as lovers do Their sweethearts' and talk love to you.' 123 THE PATHS OF PEACE MAURICE THOMPSON FEBRUARY 14, I9OI He would have holiday — outworn, in sooth, Would turn again to seek the old release, — The open fields — the loved haunts of his youth — The woods, the waters, and the paths of peace. The rest — the recreation he would choose Be his abidingly ! Long has he served And greatly— ay, and greatly let us use Our grief, and yield him nobly as deserved. Perchance — with subtler senses than our own And love exceeding ours — he listens thus To ever nearer, clearer pipings blown From out the lost lands of Theocritus. 124 THE PATHS OF PEACE Or, haply, he is beckoned from us here, By knight or yeoman of the bosky wood, Or, chained in roses, haled a prisoner Before the blithe Immortal, Robin Hood. Or, mayhap, Chaucer signals, and with him And his rare fellows he goes pilgriming; Or Walton signs him, o'er the morning brim Of misty waters midst the dales of Spring. Ho! wheresoe'r he goes, or whosoe'er He fares with, he has bravely earned the boon. Be his the open, and the glory there Of April-buds, May-blooms and flowers of June ! Be his the glittering dawn, the twinkling dew, The breathless pool or gush of laughing streams — Be his the triumph of the coming true Of all his loveliest dreams ! 125 IN STATE Is it the martins or katydids ? — Early morning or late at night ? A dream, belike, kneeling down on the lids Of a dying man's eyesight. • • » • • • • Over and over I heard the rain — Over and over I waked to see The blaze of the lamp as again and again Its stare insulted me. It is not the click of the clock I hear — It is the pulse of the clock,- — and lo ! How it throbs and throbs on the quickened ear Of the dead man listening so ! 126 IN STATE I heard them whisper She would not come ; But, being dead, I knew — I knew ! Some hearts they love us alive, and some They love us dead — they do! And I am dead — and I joy to be, — For here are my folded hands, so cold And yet blood-warm with the roses she Has given me to hold. Dead — yea, dead ! — But I hear the beat Of her heart as her warm lips touch my brow- And O how sweet — how blinding sweet To know that she loves me now! 127 THE MUTE SINGER The morning sun seemed fair as though It were a great red rose ablow In lavish bloom, With all the air for its perfume, — Yet he who had been wont to sing, Could trill no thing. II Supine, at noon, as he looked up Into the vast inverted cup Of heavenly gold, Brimmed with its marvels manifold, And his eye kindled, and his cheek — Song could not speak. 128 THE MUTE SINGER III Night fell forebodingly ; he knew Soon must the rain be falling, too, — And, home, heartsore, A missive met him at the door — — Then Song lit on his lips, and he Sang gloriously. 129 THE TRIBUTE OF HIS HOME BENJAMIN HARRISON, INDIANAPOLIS, MARCH 14, I9OI Bowed, midst a universal grief that makes Columbia's self a stricken mourner, cast In tears beneath the old Flag- at half-mast, A sense of glory rouses us and breaks Like song upon our sorrowing and shakes The dew from our drenched eyes, that smile at last In childish pride — as though the great man passed To his most high reward for our poor sakes. 130 THE TRIBUTE OF HIS HOME Loved of all men — we muse, — yet ours he was — Choice of the Nation's mighty brotherhood — Her soldier, statesman, ruler. — Ay, but then, We knew him — long before the world's applause And after — as a neighbor, kind and good, Our common friend and fellow-citizen. 131 EDGAR WILSON NYE OBIT FEBRUARY 22, 1 896 The saddest silence falls when Laughter lays Finger on lip, and falteringly breaks The glad voice into dying minor shakes And quavers, lorn as airs the wind-harp plays At wane of drearest Winter's bleakest days. A troubled hush, in which all hope forsakes Us, and the yearning upstrained vision aches With tears that drown e'en heaven from our gaze. Such silence — after such glad merriment! O prince of halest humor, w T it and cheer ! Could you speak yet to us, I doubt not we Should catch your voice, still blithely eloquent Above all murmurings of sorrow here, Calling your love back to us laughingly. 132 SONGS OF A LIFE-TIME MRS. SARAH T. BOLTON'S POEMS l8 97 Songs of a Life-Time — with the Singer's head A silvery glory shining midst the green Of laurel-leaves that bind a brow serene And godlike as was ever garlanded. — So seems her glory who herein has wed Melodious Beauty to the strong of mien And kingly Speech — made kinglier by this queen In lilied cadence voiced and raimented. Songs of a Life-Time : by your own sweet stress Of singing were ye loved of bygone years — As through our day ye are, and shall be hence, Till fame divine marks your melodiousness And on the Singer's lips, with smiles and tears, Seals there the kiss of love and reverence. 133 A NOON INTERVAL A deep, delicious hush in earth and sky— A gracious lull — since, from its wakening, The morn has been a feverish, restless thing In which the pulse of Summer ran too high And riotous, as though its heart went nigh To bursting with delights past uttering: Now, as an o'er joyed child may cease to sing All falteringly at play, with drowsy eye Draining the pictures of a fairy-tale To brim his dreams with — there comes o'er the day A loathful silence, wherein all sounds fail Like loitering tones of some faint roundelay . . . No wakeful effort longer may avail — The wand waves, and the dozer sinks away. 134 OLD HECS IDOLATRY Heigh-o! our jolly tilts at New World song! — What was the poem indeed! and where the bard — "Stabbing his inkpot ever, not his heart," As Hector phrased it contumeliously, Mouthing and munching, at the orchard-stile, A water-cored rambo whose spirted juice Glanced, sprayed and flecked the sunlight as he mouth'd And muncht, and muncht and mouth'd. All loved the man ! "Our Hector" as his Alma Mater oozed It into utterance — "Old Hec" said we Who knew him, hide-and-tallow, hoof-and-horn' So he : "O ay ! my soul ! our New World song — The tweedle-deedles of our modern school — 135 OLD HEC'S IDOLATRY A school of minnows, — not one gamy bass — To hook the angler, not the angler him. Here ! all ye little fishes : tweedle-dee ! Soh ! one — along the vasty stream of time — Glints to the surface with a gasp, — and, lo, A bubble ! and he thinks, 'My eye ! — see there, Ye little fishes, — there's a song I've sung !' Another gapes : another bubble ; then He thinks : 'Well, is it not a wondrous art To breathe a great immortal poem like that !' And then another — and another still — And yet another, — till from brim to brim The tide is postuled over with a pest Of bubbles — bursting bubbles ! Ay ! O ay !" So, bluff old Hec. And we, who knew his mood Had ramped its worst — unless we roused it yet To ire's horriffickest insanity By some inane, unguarded reference To "verse beragged in Hoosier dialect" — (A strangely unforgotten coinage of Old Hec's long years agone) — we, so, forbore 136 OLD HEC'S IDOLATRY A word, each glimpsing each, as down we sank, Couched limply in the orchard's selvage, where — The rambo finished and the soggy core Zippt at a sapphire wasp with waist more slim Than any slender lady's, of old wars, Pent fasting for long sennights in tall towers That overtop the undercringing seas — With one accordant voice, the while he creased "Sis scroll of manuscript, we said, "Go on." f hen Hector thus : AN IDYLL OF THE KING Erewhile, at Autumn, to King Arthur's court Came Raelus, clamoring : "Lo, has our house Been sacked and pillaged by a lawless band Of robber knaves, led on by Alstanes, The Night-Flower named, because of her fair face, All like a lily gleaming in the dusk 137 OLD HEC S IDOLATRY Of her dark hair — and like a lily brimmed With dewy eyes that drip their limpid smiles Like poison out, for by them has been wro't My elder brother's doom, as much I fear. While three days gone was holden harvest-feast At Lyhion Castle — clinging like a gull High up the gray cliffs of Caerleon — Came, leaf-like lifted from the plain below As by a twisted wind, a rustling pack 138 OLD HEC's IDOLATRY Of bandit pillagers, with Alstanes Bright-fluttering like a red leaf in the front. And ere we were aware of fell intent — Not knowing whether it was friend or foe— We found us in their toils, and all the house In place of guests held only prisoners — Save that the host, my brother, wro't upon By the strange beauty of the robber queen, Was left unfettered, but by silken threads Of fine-spun flatteries and wanton smiles Of the enchantress, till her villain thieves Had rifled as they willed and signal given To get to horse again. And so they went — Their leader flinging backward, as she rode, A kiss to my mad brother — mad since then, — For from that sorry hour he but talked Of Alstanes, and her rare beauty, and Her purity — ay, even that he said Was star-white, and should light his life with love Or leave him groping blindly in its quest 139 OLD HEC S IDOLATRY Thro' all eternity. So, sighing, he Went wandering about till set of sun, Then got to horse, and bade us all farewell ; And with his glamoured eyes bent trancedly c? '<=?-<&3\-:eo->- ^