PS 2704 .R9 1908 Copy 1 .M. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, COPYRIGHT OFFICE. No registration of title of this article as a preliminary to copyright protection has been found. -orwarded to 1 M^c ^ Division;i'^^»^^-^^- ' So little Saul has grit to take Things jes as they occur; And sister Shelton's proud o' him As he is proud o' her! And when she "got up" — jes fer him And little playmates all — A Chris'mus-tree, — they ever'one Was there but little Saul. — Pore little chap was sick in bed Next room; and Doc was there, And said the childern might file past, But go right back to where The tree was, in the settin'-room. And Saul jes laid and smiled — Ner couldn't nod, ner wave his hand, It hurt so — Bless the child! And so they left him there with Doc — And warm tear of his Ma's. .... Then — suddent-like — high over all Their laughture and applause — They heerd, — "I don't care what you git On yer old Chris'mus-tree, 'Cause Fm got somepin' you all haint,— Fm got the pleurisy!" S.'? NAUGHTY CLAUDE WHEN Little Claude was naughty wunst At 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!" 84 LITTLE MANDY'S CHRISTMAS-TREE LITTLE Mandy and her Ma 'S porest folks you ever saw! — Lived in porest house in town, Where the fence 'uz all tore down. And no front-door steps at all — 1st a' old box 'g'inst the wall; And no door-knob on the door Outside. — My! but they 'uz pore! Wuz no winder-shutters on, And some of the winders gone. And where they 'uz broke they'd pas'e 1st brown paper 'crost the place. Tell you! when it's winter there, And the snow ist ever'where, Little Mandy's Ma she say 'Spec' they'll freeze to death some day. Wunst my Ma and me — when we Be'n to church, and's goin' to be Chris'mus purty soon, — we went There — like the Committee sent. And-sir! when we're in the door, Wuz no carpet on the floor, And no fire — and heels-and-head Little Mandy's tucked in bed! And her Ma telled my Ma she Got no coffee but ist tea, And fried mush — and's all they had Sence her health broke down so bad. Nen Ma hug and hold me where Little Mandy's layin' there; And she kiss her, too, and nen Mandy kiss my Ma again. And my Ma she telled her we Goin' to have a Chris'mus-Tree, At the Sund'y School, 'at's fer All the childern, and fer her. Little Mandy think — nen she Say, 'What is a Chris'mus-Tree?" . Nen my Ma she gived her Ma Somepin' 'at I never saw. And say she must take it, — and She ist maked her keep her hand Wite close shut, — and nen she kiss Her hand — shut ist like it is. 86 Nen we corned away. . . . And nen When it's Chris'mus Eve again, And all of us childerns be At the Church and Chris'mus-Tree — And all git our toys and things 'At old Santy Claus he brings And puts on the Tree; — wite where The big Tree 'uz standin' there, And the things 'uz all tooked down. And the childerns, all in town. Got their presents — nen we see They's a little Chris'mus-Tree Wite behind the big Tree — so We can't see till nen, you know, — And it's all ist loaded down With the purtiest things in town! And the teacher smile and say: ''This-here Tree 'at's hid away It's marked 'Little Mandy's Tree.'— Little Mandy! Where is she?" Nen nobody say a word. — Stillest place you ever heard! — Till a man tiptoe up where Teacher's still a-waitin' there. 89 Nen the man he whispers, so 1st the Teacher hears, you know. Nen he tiptoe back and go Out the big door — ist as slow! Little Mandy, though, she don't Answer — and Ma say "she won't Never, though each year they'll be 'Little Mandy's Chris'mus-Tree' Fer pore childern" — my Ma says — And Committee say they guess "Little Mandy's Tree" 'uU be Bigger than the other Tree! jf^' 90 C.Q.C THE LAND OF THUS-AND-SO 66 H OW would Willie like to go To the Land of Thus-and-So? Everything is proper there — All the children comb their hair Smoother than the fur of cats, Or the nap of high silk hats; Every face is clean and white As a lily washed in light; Never vaguest soil or speck Found on forehead, throat or neck; Every little crimpled ear, In and out, as pure and clear As the cherry-blossom's blow In the Land of Thus-and-So. 91 "Little boys that never fall Down the stair, or cry at all — Doing nothing to repent, Watchful and obedient; Never hungry, nor in haste — Tidy shoe-strings always laced; Never button rudely torn From its fellows all unworn; Knickerbockers always new — Ribbon, tie, and collar, too; Little watches, worn like men, Always promptly half-past ten — Just precisely right, you know, For the Land of Thus-and-So! "And the little babies there Give no one the slightest care — Nurse has not a thing to do But be happy and sigh 'Boo!' While Mamma just nods, and knows Nothing but to doze and doze : Never litter round the grate; Never lunch or dinner late; Never any household din Peals without or rings within — Baby coos nor laughing calls On the stairs or through the halls — Just Great Hushes to and fro Pace the Land of Thus-and-so! "Oh! the Land of Thus-and-So!— Isn't it delightful, though?" "Yes," lisped Willie, answering me Somewhat slow and doubtfully — "Must be awful nice, but I Ruther wait till by-and-by 'Fore I go there — maybe when I be dead I'll go there then. — But" — the troubled little face Closer pressed in my embrace — "Le's don't never ever go To the Land of Thus-and-So!" AT AUNTY'S HOUSE ONE time, when we'z at Aunty's house- 'Way in the country! — where They's ist but woods — an' pigs, an' cow^s- An' all's outdoors an' air! — An' orchurd-swing; an' churry-trees — An' churries in 'em! — Yes, an' these- Here redhead 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! 94 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 redheads in the churry-tree, An' beehives, 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' chicken-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 everwhtxtl — An' a' old redhead flew Purt'-nigh wite over my high-chair, When we et on the porchi 95 LITTLE JOHNTS'S CHRIS'MUS WE got it up a-purpose, jes fer little Johnts, you know ; His mother was so pore an' all, an' had to manage so — Jes bein' a War-widder, an' her pension mighty slim, She'd take in weavin', er work out, er anything, fer him ! An' little Johnts was puny-like, but law, the nerve he had!— You'd want to kindo' pity him, but couldn't, very bad, — His pants o' army-blanket an' his coat o' faded blue Kep' hintin' of his father, like, an' pity wouldn't do! So we collogued together, onc't, one winter-time, 'at we — Jes me an' mother an' the girls, an' Wilse, John-Jack an' Free — Would jine an' git up little Johnts, by time 'at Chris'mus come. Some sort o' doin's, don't you know, 'at would su'prise him some. 96 An' so, all on the quiet, Mother she turns in an' gits Some blue-janes — cuts an' makes a suit; an' then sets down an' knits A pair o' little galluses to go 'long with the rest — An' putts in a red-flannen back, an' buckle on the vest. — The little feller'd be'n so much around our house, you see, An' be'n sich he'p to her an' all, an' handy as could be, 'At Mother couldn't do too much fer little Johnts — No, Sir! She ust to jes declare 'at ''he was meat-an'-drink to her!" An' Piney, Lide, an' Madaline they watched their chance an' rid To Fountaintown with Lijey's folks; an' bought a book, they did, O' fairy tales, with pictur's in; an' got a little pair O' red-top boots 'at John-Jack said he'd be'n a-pricin' there. An' Lide got him a little sword, an' Madaline, a drum; An' shootin'-crackers — Lawzy-day! an' they're so dangersome! 99 An' Pinev, ever' time the rest 'ud buy some other toy, She'd take an' turn in then an' buy more candy fer the boy! "Well,'' thinks-says-I, when they got back, ''your pocketbooks is dry!" — But little Johnts was there hisse'f that afternoon, so I — Well, all of us kep' mighty mum, tel we got him away By tellin' him be shore an' come to-morry — Chris'- mus Day — An' fetch his mother 'long with him! An' how he scud acrost The fields — his towhead, in the dusk, jes like a streak o' frost! — His comfert fiuttern as he run — an' old Tige, don't you know, A-jumpin' high fer rabbits an' a ploughin' up the snow ! It must 'a' be'n 'most fen that night afore we got to bed — With Wilse an' John-Jack he'pin' us; an' Freeman in the shed, lOO An' Lide out with the lantern while he trimmed the Chris'mus-Tree Out of a little scrub-oak-top 'at suited to a ''T'M All night I dreamp' o' hearin' things a-skulkin' round the place — An' "Old Kriss," with his whiskers off, an' freckles on his face — An' reindeers, shaped like shavin'-hosses at the cooper-shop, A-stickin' down the chimbly, with their heels out at the topi By time 'at Mother got me up 'twas plum' daylight an' more — The front yard full o' neighbers all a-crowdin' rouna the door. With Johnts's mother leadin'; yes — an' little Johnts hisse'f. Set up on Freeman's shoulder, like a jug up on the she'f! Of course I can't describe it when they all got in to where We'd conjered up the Chris'mus-Tree an' all the fixin's there! — Fer all the shouts o' laughture — clappin' hands, an' crackin' jokes, Was heap o' kissin' goin' on amongst the women- folks :— Fer, lo-behold-ye! there they had that young-un! — An' his chin A-wobblin'-like ; — an', shore enough, at last he started in — ^ An' — sich another bellerin', in all my mortal days, I never heerd, er 'spect to hear, in woe's appointed ways ! An' Mother grabs him up an' says: "It's more'n he can bear — It's all too suddent fer the child, an' too su'prisin'! — There!" "Oh, no it ain't" — sobbed little Johnts — "I ain't su'prised — but Fm A-cryin' 'cause I watched you all, an' knowed it all the time!" I02 THE BEAR STORY THAT ALEX "1ST MAKED UP HIS-OWX-SE'f" W'Y, wunst they wuz a Little Boy went out 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 ^^JFooh!" — 1st thataway — "Woo-ooh!" An' he wuz skeered, 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'z a grea-big Bear. — But they ist boff went ''PVooh!" — An' here they come To climb the tree an' git the Little Boy An' eat him up! An' nen the Little Boy He 'uz skeered worse'n ever! An' here come 103 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 grea-big Bear A-comin', 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! 104 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 Bears 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 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! — T07 'Cause here come the old Bear! — so clos't, his bref's Purt' nigh so's he kin feel how hot it is Ag'inst his bare feet — ist like old "Ring's" href 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 'nother 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 'Afs 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 — nen — Oh, yes! — W'y, purty soon the old Bear climbs 'Way out on a big limb — a grea'-long limb, — 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 — io8 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 couldnt 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-oohr all the time! An' Little Boy He haf to stay up in the tree — all night — An' 'thout no supper neether! — On'y they Wuz apples on the tree! — An' Little Boy Et apples — ist all night — an' cried — an' cried! Nen when 't'uz morning th' old Bear went "Woohr 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!" 109 An' — Oh, yes! — 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, 'stid 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 bojf the bears, he did — an' tuk 'em home An' cooked 'em, too, an' et 'em! —An' that's all. H71-80 1 ^ 'is tj,. ..„--AS\.