Chapter VI: Book TWO (4)

I leave it to a higher Will To stay or speed me, trusting still That all is well, and sure that He Who launched my bark will sail with me Through storm and calm, and will not fail, Whatever breezes may prevail, To land me, every peril past, Within His Haven at the last. Then blow it east, or blow it west, The wind that blows, that wind is best.

_Caroline H. Mason._

The School-Master's Guests

I

The district school-master was sitting behind his great book-laden desk, Close-watching the motions of scholars, pathetic and gay and grotesque. As whisper the half-leafless branches, when autumn's brisk breezes have come, His little scrub-thicket of pupils sent upward a half-smothered hum. There was little Tom Timms on the front seat, whose face was withstanding a drouth. And jolly Jack Gibbs just behind him, with a rainy new moon for a mouth; There were both of the Smith boys, as studious as if they bore names that could bloom, And Jim Jones, a heaven-built mechanic, the slyest young knave in the room, With a countenance grave as a horse's, and his honest eyes fixed on a pin, Queer-bent on a deeply-laid project to tunnel Joe Hawkins's skin. There were anxious young novices, drilling their spelling-books into their brain, Loud-puffing each half-whispered letter, like an engine just starting its train; There was one fiercely muscular fellow, who scowled at the sums on his slate, And leered at the innocent figures a look of unspeakable hate; And set his white teeth close together, and gave his thin lips a short twist, As to say, "I could whip you, confound you! could such things be done with the fist!" There were two knowing girls in the corner, each one with some beauty possessed, In a whisper discussing the problem which one the young master likes best; A class in the front, with their readers, were telling, with difficult pains, How perished brave Marco Bozzaris while bleeding at all of his veins; And a boy on the floor to be punished, a statue of idleness stood, Making faces at all of the others, and enjoying the scene all he could.

II

Around were the walls, gray and dingy, which every old school-sanctum hath, With many a break on their surface, where grinned a wood-grating of lath. A patch of thick plaster, just over the school-master's rickety chair, Seemed threat'ningly o'er him suspended, like Damocles' sword, by a hair. There were tracks on the desks where the knife-blades had wandered in search of their prey; Their tops were as duskily spattered as if they drank ink every day. The square stove it puffed and it crackled, and broke out in red flaming sores, Till the great iron quadruped trembled like a dog fierce to rush out-o'-doors. White snowflakes looked in at the windows; the gale pressed its lips to the cracks; And the children's hot faces were streaming, the while they were freezing their backs.

III

Now Marco Bozzaris had fallen, and all of his suff'rings were o'er, And the class to their seats were retreating, when footsteps were heard at the door; And five of the good district fathers marched into the room in a row, And stood themselves up by the fire, and shook off their white cloaks of snow. And the spokesman, a grave squire of sixty, with countenance solemnly sad, Spoke thus, while the children all listened, with all of the ears that they had: "We've come here, school-master, in-tendin' to cast an inquirin' eye 'round, Concernin' complaints that's been entered, an' fault that has lately been found; To pace off the width of your doin's, an' witness what you've been about, An' see if it's paying to keep you, or whether we'd best turn ye out.

"The first thing I'm bid for to mention is, when the class gets up to read You give 'em too tight of a reinin', an' touch 'em up more than they need; You're nicer than wise in the matter of holdin' the book in one han', An' you turn a stray _g_ in their _doin's_, an' tack an odd _d_ on their _an'_; There ain't no great good comes of speakin' the words so polite, as I see, Providin' you know what the facts is, an' tell 'em off jest as they be. An' then there's that readin' in corncert, is censured from first unto last; It kicks up a heap of a racket, when folks is a-travelin' past. Whatever is done as to readin', providin' things go to my say, Shan't hang on no new-fangled hinges, but swing in the old-fashioned way." And the other four good district fathers gave quick the consent that was due, And nodded obliquely, and muttered: "Them 'ere is my sentiments tew." "Then as to your spellin': I've heern tell, by the mas has looked into this, That you turn the _u_ out o' your _labour_, an' make the word shorter than 'tis; An' clip the _k_ off yer _musick_, which makes my son Ephraim perplexed, An' when he spells out as he ought'r, you pass the word on to the next. They say there's some new-grafted books here that don't take them letters along; But if it is so, just depend on 't, them new-grafted books is made wrong. You might just as well say that Jackson didn't know all there was about war, As to say that old Spellin'-book Webster didn't know what them letters was for." And the other four good district fathers gave quick the consent that was due, And scratched their heads slyly and softly, and said: "Them's my sentiments tew." "Then, also, your 'rithmetic doin's, as they are reported to me, Is that you have left Tare an' Tret out, an' also the old Rule o' Three; An' likewise brought in a new study, some high-steppin' scholars to please, With saw-bucks an' crosses and pothooks, an' _w's, x's, y's_ an' _z's_. We ain't got no time for such foolin'; there ain't no great good to be reached By tiptoein' childr'n up higher than ever their fathers was teached." And the other four good district fathers gave quick the consent that was due, And cocked one eye up to the ceiling, and said: "Them's my sentiments tew." "Another thing, I must here mention, comes into the question to-day, Concernin' some things in the grammar you're teachin' our gals for to say. My gals is as steady as clockwork, and never give cause for much fear, But they come home from school t'other evenin' a-talking such stuff as this here: 'I love,' an' 'Thou lovest,' an' 'He loves,' an' 'We love,' an' 'You love,' an' 'They--' An' they answered my questions: 'It's grammar'--'twas all I could get 'em to say. Now if, 'stead of doin' your duty, you're carryin' matters on so As to make the gals say that they love you, it's just all that I want to know."

IV

Now Jim, the young heaven-built mechanic, in the dusk of the evening before, Had well-nigh unjointed the stovepipe, to make it come down on the floor; And the squire bringing smartly his foot down, as a clincher to what he had said, A joint of the pipe fell upon him, and larruped him square on the head. The soot flew in clouds all about him, and blotted with black all the place And the squire and the other four fathers were peppered with black in the face. The school, ever sharp for amusement, laid down all their cumbersome books And, spite of the teacher's endeavors, laughed loud at their visitors' looks. And the squire, as he stalked to the doorway, swore oaths of a violet hue; And the four district fathers, who followed, seemed to say: "Them's my sentiments tew."

_Will Carleton._

Mother o' Mine

If I were hanged on the highest hill,
Mother o' mine!
Oh, mother o' mine!
I know whose love would follow me still;
Mother o' mine!
Oh, mother o' mine!

If I were drowned in the deepest sea,
Mother o' mine!
Oh, mother o' mine!
I know whose tears would flow down to me,
Mother o' mine!
Oh, mother o' mine!

If I were damned o' body and soul,
Mother o' mine!
Oh, mother o' mine!
I know whose prayers would make me whole,
Mother o' mine!
Oh, mother o' mine!

_Rudyard Kipling._

Encouragement

Who dat knockin' at de do'? Why, Ike Johnson--yes, fu' sho'! Come in, Ike. I's mighty glad You come down. I t'ought you's mad At me 'bout de othah night, An' was stayin' 'way fu' spite. Say, now, was you mad fu' true W'en I kin' o' laughed at you? Speak up, Ike, an' 'spress yo'se'f.

'Tain't no use a-lookin' sad, An' a-mekin' out you's mad; Ef you's gwine to be so glum, Wondah why you evah come. I don't lak nobidy 'roun' Dat jes' shet dey mouf an' frown-- Oh, now, man, don't act a dunce! Cain't you talk? I tol' you once, Speak up, Ike, an' 'spress yo'se'f.

Wha'd you come hyeah fu' to-night? Body'd t'ink yo' haid ain't right. I's done all dat I kin do-- Dressed perticler, jes' fu' you; Reckon I'd a' bettah wo' My ol' ragged calico. Aftah all de pains I's took, Cain't you tell me how I look? Speak up, Ike, an' 'spress yo'se'f.

Bless my soul! I 'mos' fu'got Tellin' you 'bout Tildy Scott. Don't you know, come Thu'sday night, She gwine ma'y Lucius White? Miss Lize say I allus wuh Heap sight laklier 'n huh; An' she'll git me somep'n new, Ef I wants to ma'y too. Speak up, Ike, an' 'spress yo'se'f.

I could ma'y in a week, If de man I wants 'ud speak. Tildy's presents 'll be fine, But dey wouldn't ekal mine. Him whut gits me fu' a wife 'll be proud, you bet yo' life. I's had offers, some ain't quit; But I hasn't ma'ied yit! Speak up, Ike, an' 'spress yo'se'f.

Ike, I loves you--yes, I does; You's my choice, and allus was. Laffin' at you ain't no harm-- Go 'way, dahky, whah's yo' arm? Hug me closer--dah, da's right! Wasn't you a awful sight, Havin' me to baig you so? Now ax whut you want to know-- Speak up, Ike, an' 'spress yo'se'f.

_Paul Laurence Dunbar._

The Harp That Once Through Tara's Halls

The harp that once through Tara's halls The soul of music shed, Now hangs as mute on Tara's walls As if that soul were fled. So sleeps the pride of former days, So glory's thrill is o'er, And hearts, that once beat high for praise, Now feel that pulse no more.

No more to chiefs and ladies bright
The harp of Tara swells:
The chord alone, that breaks at night,
Its tale of ruin tells.
Thus freedom now so seldom wakes,
The only throb she gives
Is when some heart indignant breaks,
To show that still she lives.

_Thomas Moore._

Aux Italiens

At Paris it was, at the opera there;--
And she looked like a queen in a book that night,
With the wreath of pearl in her raven hair,
And the brooch on her breast so bright.

Of all the operas that Verdi wrote,
The best, to my taste, is the Trovatore;
And Mario can soothe, with a tenor note,
The souls in purgatory.

The moon on the tower slept soft as snow;
And who was not thrilled in the strangest way,
As we heard him sing, while the gas burned low,
_Non ti scordar di me?_[A]

The emperor there, in his box of state,
Looked grave, as if he had just then seen
The red flag wave from the city gate,
Where his eagles in bronze had been.

The empress, too, had a tear in her eye,
You'd have said that her fancy had gone back again,
For one moment, under the old blue sky,
To the old glad life in Spain.

Well, there in our front-row box we sat
Together, my bride betrothed and I;
My gaze was fixed on my opera hat,
And hers on the stage hard by.

And both were silent, and both were sad.
Like a queen she leaned on her full white arm,
With that regal, indolent air she had;
So confident of her charm!

I have not a doubt she was thinking then
Of her former lord, good soul that he was!
Who died the richest and roundest of men.
The Marquis of Carabas.

I hope that, to get to the kingdom of heaven,
Through a needle's eye he had not to pass;
I wish him well, for the jointure given
To my Lady of Carabas.

Meanwhile, I was thinking of my first love,
As I had not been thinking of aught for years,
Till over my eyes there began to move
Something that felt like tears.

I thought of the dress that she wore last time,
When we stood 'neath the cypress trees together,
In that lost land, in that soft clime,
In the crimson evening weather:

Of that muslin dress (for the eve was hot);
And her warm white neck in its golden chain;
And her full soft hair, just tied in a knot,
And falling loose again;

And the jasmine flower in her fair young breast;
(Oh, the faint, sweet smell of that jasmine flower!)
And the one bird singing alone to his nest;
And the one star over the tower.

I thought of our little quarrels and strife,
And the letter that brought me back my ring;
And it all seemed then, in the waste of life,
Such a very little thing!

For I thought of her grave below the hill,
Which the sentinel cypress tree stands over;
And I thought, "Were she only living still,
How I could forgive her and love her!"

And I swear, as I thought of her thus, in that hour,
And of how, after all, old things are best,
That I smelt the smell of that jasmine flower
Which she used to wear in her breast.

It smelt so faint, and it smelt so sweet,
It made me creep, and it made me cold;
Like the scent that steals from the crumbling sheet
Where a mummy is half unrolled.

And I turned and looked: she was sitting there,
In a dim box over the stage, and drest
In that muslin dress, with that full, soft hair,
And that jasmine in her breast!

I was here, and she was there;
And the glittering horse-shoe curved between:--
From my bride betrothed, with her raven hair,
And her sumptuous, scornful mien,

To my early love, with her eyes downcast,
And over her primrose face the shade,
(In short, from the future back to the past,)
There was but a step to be made.

To my early love from my future bride
One moment I looked. Then I stole to the door,
I traversed the passage; and down at her side
I was sitting, a moment more.

My thinking of her or the music's strain,
Or something which never will be exprest,
Had brought her back from the grave again,
With the jasmine in her breast.

She is not dead, and she is not wed!
But she loves me now, and she loved me then!
And the very first word that her sweet lips said,
My heart grew youthful again.

The marchioness there, of Carabas,
She is wealthy, and young, and handsome still;
And but for her--well, we'll let that pass;
She may marry whomever she will.

But I will marry my own first love,
With her primrose face, for old things are best;
And the flower in her bosom, I prize it above
The brooch in my lady's breast.

The world is filled with folly and sin,
And love must cling where it can, I say:
For beauty is easy enough to win;
But one isn't loved every day,

And I think in the lives of most women and men,
There's a moment when all would go smooth and even,
If only the dead could find out when
To come back, and be forgiven.

But oh the smell of that jasmine flower!
And oh, that music! and oh, the way
That voice rang out from the donjon tower,
_Non ti scordar di me_,
_Non ti scordar di me!_

_Robert Bulwer Lytton._

[Footnote A: A line in the opera "II Trovatore" meaning "Do not forget me."]

My Prairies

I love my prairies, they are mine
From zenith to horizon line,
Clipping a world of sky and sod
Like the bended arm and wrist of God.

I love their grasses. The skies
Are larger, and my restless eyes
Fasten on more of earth and air
Than seashore furnishes anywhere.

I love the hazel thickets; and the breeze,
The never resting prairie winds. The trees
That stand like spear points high
Against the dark blue sky

Are wonderful to me. I love the gold
Of newly shaven stubble, rolled
A royal carpet toward the sun, fit to be
The pathway of a deity.

I love the life of pasture lands; the songs of birds
Are not more thrilling to me than the herd's
Mad bellowing or the shadow stride
Of mounted herdsmen at my side.

I love my prairies, they are mine
From high sun to horizon line.
The mountains and the cold gray sea
Are not for me, are not for me.

_Hamlin Garland._

Home They Brought Her Warrior Dead

(_From "The Princess"_)

Home they brought her warrior dead:
She nor swoon'd, nor utter'd cry:
All her maidens, watching, said,
"She must weep or she will die."
Then they praised him, soft and low,
Call'd him worthy to be loved,
Truest friend and noblest foe;
Yet she neither spoke nor moved.
Stole a maiden from her place,
Lightly to the warrior stept,
Took the face-cloth from the face;
Yet she neither moved nor wept.
Rose a nurse of ninety years,
Set his child upon her knee--
Like summer tempest came her tears--
"Sweet my child, I live for thee."

_Alfred, Lord Tennyson._

September

Sweet is the voice that calls
From babbling waterfalls
In meadows where the downy seeds are flying;
And soft the breezes blow,
And eddying come and go
In faded gardens where the rose is dying.

Among the stubbled corn
The blithe quail pipes at morn,
The merry partridge drums in hidden places,
And glittering insects gleam
Above the reedy stream,
Where busy spiders spin their filmy laces.

At eve, cool shadows fall
Across the garden wall,
And on the clustered grapes to purple turning;
And pearly vapors lie
Along the eastern sky,
Where the broad harvest-moon is redly burning.

Ah, soon on field and hill
The wind shall whistle chill,
And patriarch swallows call their flocks together,
To fly from frost and snow,
And seek for lands where blow
The fairer blossoms of a balmier weather.

The cricket chirps all day,
"O fairest summer, stay!"
The squirrel eyes askance the chestnuts browning;
The wild fowl fly afar
Above the foamy bar,
And hasten southward ere the skies are frowning.

Now comes a fragrant breeze
Through the dark cedar-trees
And round about my temples fondly lingers,
In gentle playfulness,
Like to the soft caress
Bestowed in happier days by loving fingers.

Yet, though a sense of grief
Comes with the falling leaf,
And memory makes the summer doubly pleasant,
In all my autumn dreams
A future summer gleams,
Passing the fairest glories of the present!

_George Arnold._

The Old Kitchen Floor

Far back, in my musings, my thoughts have been cast To the cot where the hours of my childhood were passed. I loved all its rooms from the pantry to hall, But the blessed old kitchen was dearer than all. Its chairs and its tables no brighter could be And all its surroundings were sacred to me, From the nail in the ceiling to the latch on the door, And I loved every crack in that old kitchen floor.

I remember the fireplace with mouth high and wide And the old-fashioned oven that stood by its side Out of which each Thanksgiving came puddings and pies And they fairly bewildered and dazzled our eyes. And then old St. Nicholas slyly and still Came down every Christmas our stockings to fill. But the dearest of memories laid up in store Is my mother a-sweeping that old kitchen floor.

To-night those old musings come back at their will But the wheel and its music forever are still. The band is moth-eaten, the wheel laid away, And the fingers that turned it are mold'ring in clay. The hearthstone so sacred is just as 'twas then And the voices of children ring out there again. The sun at the window looks in as of yore, But it sees other feet on that old kitchen floor.

Rustic Courtship

The night was dark when Sam set out
To court old Jones's daughter;
He kinder felt as if he must,
And kinder hadn't oughter.
His heart against his waistcoat throbbed,
His feelings had a tussle,
Which nearly conquered him despite
Six feet of bone and muscle.

The candle in the window shone
With a most doleful glimmer,
And Sam he felt his courage ooze,
And through his fingers simmer.
Says he: "Now, Sam, don't be a fool,
Take courage, shaking doubter,
Go on, and pop the question right,
For you can't live without her."

But still, as he drew near the house,
His knees got in a tremble,
The beating of his heart ne'er beat
His efforts to dissemble.
Says he: "Now, Sam, don't be a goose,
And let the female wimmin
Knock all your thoughts a-skelter so,
And set your heart a-swimmin'."

So Sam, he kinder raised the latch,
His courage also raising,
And in a moment he sat inside,
Cid Jones's crops a-praising.
He tried awhile to talk the farm
In words half dull, half witty,
Not knowing that old Jones well knew
His only thought was--Kitty.

At last the old folks went to bed--
The Joneses were but human;
Old Jones was something of a man,
And Mrs. Jones--a woman.
And Kitty she the pitcher took,
And started for the cellar;
It wasn't often that she had
So promising a feller.

And somehow when she came upstairs, And Sam had drank his cider, There seemed a difference in the chairs, And Sam was close beside her; His stalwart arm dropped round her waist, Her head dropped on his shoulder, And Sam--well, he had changed his tune And grown a trifle bolder.

But this, if you live long enough,
You surely will discover,
There's nothing in this world of ours
Except the loved and lover.
The morning sky was growing gray
As Sam the farm was leaving,
His face was surely not the face
Of one half grieved, or grieving.

And Kitty she walked smiling back,
With blushing face, and slowly;
There's something in the humblest love
That makes it pure and holy.
And did he marry her, you ask?
She stands there with the ladle
A-skimming of the morning's milk--
That's Sam who rocks the cradle.

The Red Jacket

'Tis a cold, bleak night! with angry roar The north winds beat and clamor at the door; The drifted snow lies heaped along the street, Swept by a blinding storm of hail and sleet; The clouded heavens no guiding starlight lend But o'er the earth in gloom and darkness bend; Gigantic shadows, by the night lamps thrown, Dance their weird revels fitfully alone.

In lofty halls, where fortune takes its ease, Sunk in the treasures of all lands and seas; In happy homes, where warmth and comfort meet The weary traveler with their smiles to greet; In lowly dwellings, where the needy swarm Round starving embers, chilling limbs to warm, Rises the prayer that makes the sad heart light-- "Thank God for home, this bitter, bitter night!"

But hark! above the beating of the storm Peals on the startled ear the fire alarm. Yon gloomy heaven's aflame with sudden light, And heart-beats quicken with a strange affright; From tranquil slumbers springs, at duty's call, The ready friend no danger can appall; Fierce for the conflict, sturdy, true, and brave, He hurries forth to battle and to save.

From yonder dwelling, fiercely shooting out, Devouring all they coil themselves about, The flaming furies, mounting high and higher, Wrap the frail structure in a cloak of fire. Strong arms are battling with the stubborn foe In vain attempts their power to overthrow; With mocking glee they revel with their prey, Defying human skill to check their way.

And see! far up above the flame's hot breath, Something that's human waits a horrid death; A little child, with waving golden hair, Stands, like a phantom, 'mid the horrid glare,-- Her pale, sweet face against the window pressed, While sobs of terror shake her tender breast. And from the crowd beneath, in accents wild, A mother screams, "O God! my child! my child!"

Up goes a ladder. Through the startled throng A hardy fireman swiftly moves along; Mounts sure and fast along the slender way, Fearing no danger, dreading but delay. The stifling smoke-clouds lower in his path, Sharp tongues of flame assail him in their wrath; But up, still up he goes! the goal is won! His strong arm beats the sash, and he is gone!

Gone to his death. The wily flames surround And burn and beat his ladder to the ground, In flaming columns move with quickened beat To rear a massive wall 'gainst his retreat. Courageous heart, thy mission was so pure, Suffering humanity must thy loss deplore; Henceforth with martyred heroes thou shalt live, Crowned with all honors nobleness can give.

Nay, not so fast; subdue these gloomy fears; Behold! he quickly on the roof appears, Bearing the tender child, his jacket warm Flung round her shrinking form to guard from harm, Up with your ladders! Quick! 'tis but a chance! Behold, how fast the roaring flames advance! Quick! quick! brave spirits, to his rescue fly; Up! up! by heavens, this hero must not die!

Silence! he comes along the burning road, Bearing, with tender care, his living load; Aha! he totters! Heaven in mercy save The good, true heart that can so nobly brave! He's up again! and now he's coming fast-- One moment, and the fiery ordeal's passed-- And now he's safe! Bold flames, ye fought in vain. A happy mother clasps her child again.

_George M. Baker._

John Maynard

'Twas on Lake Erie's broad expanse
One bright midsummer day,
The gallant steamer Ocean Queen
Swept proudly on her way.
Bright faces clustered on the deck,
Or, leaning o'er the side,
Watched carelessly the feathery foam
That flecked the rippling tide.

Ah, who beneath that cloudless sky,
That smiling bends serene,
Could dream that danger, awful, vast,
Impended o'er the scene;
Could dream that ere an hour had sped
That frame of sturdy oak
Would sink beneath the lake's blue waves,
Blackened with fire and smoke?

A seaman sought the captain's side,
A moment whispered low;
The captain's swarthy face grew pale;
He hurried down below.
Alas, too late! Though quick, and sharp,
And clear his orders came,
No human efforts could avail
To quench th' insidious flame.

The bad news quickly reached the deck,
It sped from lip to lip,
And ghastly faces everywhere
Looked from the doomed ship.
"Is there no hope, no chance of life?"
A hundred lips implore;
"But one," the captain made reply,
"To run the ship on shore."

A sailor, whose heroic soul
That hour should yet reveal,
By name John Maynard, eastern-born,
Stood calmly at the wheel.
"Head her southeast!" the captain shouts,
Above the smothered roar,
"Head her southeast without delay!
Make for the nearest shore!"

No terror pales the helmsman's cheek,
Or clouds his dauntless eye,
As, in a sailor's measured tone,
His voice responds, "Ay! ay!"
Three hundred souls, the steamer's freight,
Crowd forward wild with fear,
While at the stern the dreaded flames
Above the deck appear.

John Maynard watched the nearing flames,
But still with steady hand
He grasped the wheel, and steadfastly
He steered the ship to land.
"John Maynard, can you still hold out?"
He heard the captain cry;
A voice from out the stifling smoke
Faintly responds, "Ay! ay!"

But half a mile! a hundred hands
Stretch eagerly to shore.
But half a mile! That distance sped
Peril shall all be o'er.
But half a mile! Yet stay, the flames
No longer slowly creep,
But gather round that helmsman bold,
With fierce, impetuous sweep.

"John Maynard!" with an anxious voice
The captain cries once more,
"Stand by the wheel five minutes yet,
And we shall reach the shore."
Through flame and smoke that dauntless heart
Responded firmly still,
Unawed, though face to face with death,
"With God's good help I will!"

The flames approach with giant strides,
They scorch his hand and brow;
One arm, disabled, seeks his side,
Ah! he is conquered now.
But no, his teeth are firmly set,
He crushes down his pain,
His knee upon the stanchion pressed,
He guides the ship again.

One moment yet! one moment yet!
Brave heart, thy task is o'er,
The pebbles grate beneath the keel,
The steamer touches shore.
Three hundred grateful voices rise
In praise to God that He
Hath saved them from the fearful fire,
And from the engulfing sea.

But where is he, that helmsman bold?
The captain saw him reel,
His nerveless hands released their task,
He sank beside the wheel.
The wave received his lifeless corse,
Blackened with smoke and fire.
God rest him! Never hero had
A nobler funeral pyre!

_Horatio Alger, Jr._

Piller Fights

Piller fights is fun, I tell you; There isn't anything I'd rather do Than get a big piller and hold it tight, Stand up in bed and then just fight.

Us boys allers have our piller fights And the best night of all is Pa's lodge night. Soon as ever he goes, we say "Good night," Then go right upstairs for a piller fight.

Sometimes maybe Ma comes to the stairs And hollers up, "Boys, have you said your prayers?" And then George will holler "Yes, Mamma," for he always has; Good deal of preacher about George, Pa says.

Ma says "Pleasant dreams," and shuts the door; If she's a-listenin' both of us snore, But as soon as ever she goes we light a light And pitch right into our piller fight.

We play that the bed is Bunker Hill And George is Americans, so he stands still. But I am the British, so I must hit As hard as ever I can to make him git. We played Buena Vista one night-- Tell you, that was an awful hard fight!

Held up our pillers like they was a flag, An' hollered, "Little more grape-juice, Captain Bragg!" That was the night that George hit the nail-- You just ought to have seen those feathers sail!

I was covered as white as flour, Me and him picked them up for 'most an hour; Next day when our ma saw that there mess She was pretty mad, you better guess;

And she told our pa, and he just said, "Come right on out to this here shed." Tell you, he whipped us till we were sore And made us both promise to do it no more.

That was a long time ago, and now lodge nights Or when Pa's away we have piller fights, But in Buena Vista George is bound To see there aren't any nails anywhere 'round.

Piller fights is fun, I tell you; There isn't anything I'd rather do Than get a big piller and hold it tight, Stand up in bed, and then just fight.

_D.A. Ellsworth._

Little Bateese

You bad leetle boy, not moche you care How busy you're kipin' your poor gran'pere Tryin' to stop you ev'ry day Chasin' de hen aroun' de hay. W'y don't you geev' dem a chance to lay! Leetle Bateese!

Off on de fiel' you foller de plough, Den we'en you're tire, you scare de cow, Sickin' de dog till dey jamp de wall So de milk ain't good for not'ing at all, An' you're only five an' a half this fall-- Leetle Bateese!

Too sleepy for sayin' de prayer tonight? Never min', I s'pose it'll be all right; Say dem to-morrow--ah! dere he go! Fas' asleep in a minute or so-- An' he'll stay lak dat till the rooster crow-- Leetle Bateese.

Den wake up right away, toute suite, Lookin' for somethin' more to eat, Makin' me t'ink of dem long-lag crane, Soon as they swaller, dey start again; I wonder your stomach don't get no pain, Leetle Bateese.

But see heem now lyin' dere in bed, Look at de arm onderneat' hees head; If he grow lak dat till he's twenty year, I bet he'll be stronger than Louis Cyr And beat de voyageurs leevin' here-- Leetle Bateese.

Jus' feel de muscle along hees back,-- Won't geev' heem moche bodder for carry pack On de long portage, any size canoe; Dere's not many t'ings dat boy won't do, For he's got double-joint on hees body too-- Leetle Bateese.

But leetle Bateese! please don't forget We rader you're stayin' de small boy yet. So chase de chicken and mak' dem scare, An' do w'at you lak wit' your ole gran'pere, For w'en you're beeg feller he won't be dere-- Leetle Bateese!

_W.H. Drummond._

Conscience and Future Judgment

I sat alone with my conscience, In a place where time had ceased, And we talked of my former living In the land where the years increased; And I felt I should have to answer The question it might put to me, And to face the question and answer Throughout an eternity.

The ghosts of forgotten actions Came floating before my sight, And things that I thought had perished Were alive with a terrible might; And the vision of life's dark record Was an awful thing to face-- Alone with my conscience sitting In that solemnly silent place.

And I thought of a far-away warning, Of a sorrow that was to be mine, In a land that then was the future, But now is the present time; And I thought of my former thinking Of the judgment day to be; But sitting alone with my conscience Seemed judgment enough for me.

And I wondered if there was a future To this land beyond the grave; But no one gave me an answer And no one came to save. Then I felt that the future was present, And the present would never go by, For it was but the thought of a future Become an eternity.

Then I woke from my timely dreaming, And the vision passed away; And I knew the far-away warning Was a warning of yesterday. And I pray that I may not forget it In this land before the grave, That I may not cry out in the future, And no one come to save.

I have learned a solemn lesson Which I ought to have known before, And which, though I learned it dreaming, I hope to forget no more.

So I sit alone with my conscience In the place where the years increase, And I try to fathom the future, In the land where time shall cease. And I know of the future judgment, How dreadful soe'er it be, That to sit alone with my conscience Will be judgment enough for me.

Dandelion

There's a dandy little fellow, Who dresses all in yellow, In yellow with an overcoat of green; With his hair all crisp and curly, In the springtime bright and early A-tripping o'er the meadow he is seen. Through all the bright June weather, Like a jolly little tramp, He wanders o'er the hillside, down the road; Around his yellow feather, Thy gypsy fireflies camp; His companions are the wood lark and the toad.

But at last this little fellow Doffs his dainty coat of yellow, And very feebly totters o'er the green; For he very old is growing And with hair all white and flowing, A-nodding in the sunlight he is seen. Oh, poor dandy, once so spandy, Golden dancer on the lea! Older growing, white hair flowing, Poor little baldhead dandy now is he!

_Nellie M. Garabrant._

The Inventor's Wife

It's easy to talk of the patience of Job, Humph! Job hed nothin' to try him! Ef he'd been married to 'Bijah Brown, folks wouldn't have dared come nigh him. Trials, indeed! Now I'll tell you what--ef you want to be sick of your life, Jest come and change places with me a spell--for I'm an inventor's wife. And such inventions! I'm never sure, when I take up my coffee-pot, That 'Bijah hain't been "improvin'" it and it mayn't go off like a shot. Why, didn't he make me a cradle once, that would keep itself a-rockin'; And didn't it pitch the baby out, and wasn't his head bruised shockin'? And there was his "Patent Peeler," too--a wonderful thing, I'll say; But it hed one fault-it never stopped till the apple was peeled away. As for locks and clocks, and mowin' machines and reapers, and all such trash, Why, 'Bijah's invented heaps of 'em but they don't bring in no cash. Law! that don't worry him--not at all; he's the most aggravatin'est man-- He'll set in his little workshop there, and whistle, and think, and plan, Inventin' a jew's-harp to go by steam, or a new-fangled powder-horn, While the children's goin' barefoot to school and the weeds is chokin' our corn. When 'Bijah and me kep' company, he warn't like this, you know; Our folks all thought he was dreadful smart--but that was years ago. He was handsome as any pictur then, and he had such a glib, bright way-- I never thought that a time would come when I'd rue my weddin' day; But when I've been forced to chop wood, and tend to the farm beside, And look at Bijah a-settin' there, I've jest dropped down and cried. We lost the hull of our turnip crop while he was inventin' a gun But I counted it one of my marcies when it bu'st before 'twas done. So he turned it into a "burglar alarm." It ought to give thieves a fright-- 'Twould scare an honest man out of his wits, ef he sot it off at night. Sometimes I wonder if 'Bijah's crazy, he does sech cur'ous things. Hev I told you about his bedstead yit?--'Twas full of wheels and springs; It hed a key to wind it up, and a clock face at the head; All you did was to turn them hands, and at any hour you said, That bed got up and shook itself, and bounced you on the floor, And then shet up, jest like a box, so you couldn't sleep any more. Wa'al, 'Bijah he fixed it all complete, and he sot it at half-past five, But he hadn't mor'n got into it when--dear me! sakes alive! Them wheels began to whiz and whir! I heered a fearful snap! And there was that bedstead, with 'Bijah inside, shet up jest like a trap! I screamed, of course, but 'twan't no use, then I worked that hull long night A-trying to open the pesky thing. At last I got in a fright; I couldn't hear his voice inside, and I thought he might be dyin'; So I took a crow-bar and smashed it in.--There was 'Bijah peacefully lyin', Inventin' a way to git out agin. That was all very well to say, But I don't b'lieve he'd have found it out if I'd left him in all day. Now, sence I've told you my story, do you wonder I'm tired of life? Or think it strange I often wish I warn't an inventor's wife?

_Mrs. E.T. Corbett._

Out in the Snow

The snow and the silence came down together,
Through the night so white and so still;
And young folks housed from the bitter weather,
Housed from the storm and the chill--

Heard in their dreams the sleigh-bells jingle,
Coasted the hill-sides under the moon,
Felt their cheeks with the keen air tingle,
Skimmed the ice with their steel-clad shoon.

They saw the snow when they rose in the morning,
Glittering ghosts of the vanished night,
Though the sun shone clear in the winter dawning,
And the day with a frosty pomp was bright.

Out in the clear, cold, winter weather--
Out in the winter air, like wine--
Kate with her dancing scarlet feather,
Bess with her peacock plumage fine,

Joe and Jack with their pealing laughter,
Frank and Tom with their gay hallo,
And half a score of roisterers after,
Out in the witching, wonderful snow,

Shivering graybeards shuffle and stumble,
Righting themselves with a frozen frown,
Grumbling at every snowy tumble;
But young folks know why the snow came down.

_Louise Chandler Moulton._

Give Them the Flowers Now

Closed eyes can't see the white roses,
Cold hands can't hold them, you know;
Breath that is stilled cannot gather
The odors that sweet from them blow.
Death, with a peace beyond dreaming,
Its children of earth doth endow;
Life is the time we can help them,
So give them the flowers now!

Here are the struggles and striving,
Here are the cares and the tears;
Now is the time to be smoothing
The frowns and the furrows and fears.
What to closed eyes are kind sayings?
What to hushed heart is deep vow?
Naught can avail after parting,
So give them the flowers now!

Just a kind word or a greeting;
Just a warm grasp or a smile--
These are the flowers that will lighten
The burdens for many a mile.
After the journey is over
What is the use of them; how
Can they carry them who must be carried?
Oh, give them the flowers now!

Blooms from the happy heart's garden,
Plucked in the spirit of love;
Blooms that are earthly reflections
Of flowers that blossom above.
Words cannot tell what a measure
Of blessing such gifts will allow
To dwell in the lives of many,
So give them the flowers now!

_Leigh M. Hodges._

The Lost Occasion

(Written in memory of Daniel Webster.)

Some die too late and some too soon, At early morning, heat of noon, Or the chill evening twilight. Thou, Whom the rich heavens did so endow With eyes of power and Jove's own brow, With all the massive strength that fills Thy home-horizon's granite hills, With rarest gifts of heart and head From manliest stock inherited-- New England's stateliest type of man, In port and speech Olympian; Whom no one met, at first, but took A second awed and wondering look (As turned, perchance, the eyes of Greece On Phidias' unveiled masterpiece); Whose words, in simplest home-spun clad, The Saxon strength of Caedmon's had, With power reserved at need to reach The Roman forum's loftiest speech, Sweet with persuasion, eloquent In passion, cool in argument, Or, ponderous, falling on thy foes As fell the Norse god's hammer blows. Crushing as if with Talus' flail Through Error's logic-woven mail, And failing only when they tried The adamant of the righteous side,-- Thou, foiled in aim and hope, bereaved Of old friends, by the new deceived, Too soon for us, too soon for thee, Beside thy lonely Northern sea, Where long and low the marsh-lands spread, Laid wearily down thy august head.

Thou shouldst have lived to feel below Thy feet Disunion's fierce upthrow,-- The late-sprung mine that underlaid Thy sad concessions vainly made. Thou shouldst have seen from Sumter's wall The star-flag of the Union fall, And armed Rebellion pressing on The broken lines of Washington! No stronger voice than thine had then Called out the utmost might of men, To make the Union's charter free And strengthen law by liberty. How had that stern arbitrament To thy gray age youth's vigor lent, Shaming ambition's paltry prize Before thy disillusioned eyes; Breaking the spell about thee wound Like the green withes that Samson bound; Redeeming, in one effort grand, Thyself and thy imperiled land! Ah cruel fate, that closed to thee, O sleeper by the Northern sea, The gates of opportunity! God fills the gaps of human need, Each crisis brings its word and deed. Wise men and strong we did not lack; But still, with memory turning back, In the dark hours we thought of thee, And thy lone grave beside the sea.

Above that grave the east winds blow, And from the marsh-lands drifting slow The sea-fog comes, with evermore The wave-wash of a lonely shore, And sea-bird's melancholy cry, As Nature fain would typify The sadness of a closing scene, The loss of that which should have been. But, where thy native mountains bare Their foreheads to diviner air, Fit emblem of enduring fame, One lofty summit keeps thy name. For thee the cosmic forces did The rearing of that pyramid, The prescient ages shaping with Fire, flood, and frost thy monolith. Sunrise and sunset lay thereon With hands of light their benison, The stars of midnight pause to set Their jewels in its coronet. And evermore that mountain mass Seems climbing from the shadowy pass To light, as if to manifest Thy nobler self, they life at best!

_John G. Whittier._

The Flower of Liberty

What flower is this that greets the morn, Its hues from Heaven so freshly born? With burning star and flaming band It kindles all the sunset land: O tell us what its name may be,-- Is this the Flower of Liberty? It is the banner of the free, The starry Flower of Liberty!

In savage Nature's far abode Its tender seed our fathers sowed; The storm-winds rocked its swelling bud, Its opening leaves were streaked with blood, Till lo! earth's tyrants shook to see The full-blown Flower of Liberty! Then hail the banner of the free, The starry Flower of Liberty!

Behold its streaming rays unite, One mingling flood of braided light-- The red that fires the Southern rose, With spotless white from Northern snows, And, spangled o'er its azure, see The sister Stars of Liberty! Then hail the banner of the free, The starry Flower of Liberty!

The blades of heroes fence it round, Where'er it springs is holy ground; From tower and dome its glories spread; It waves where lonely sentries tread; It makes the land as ocean free, And plants an empire on the sea! Then hail the banner of the free, The starry Flower of Liberty!

Thy sacred leaves, fair Freedom's flower, Shall ever float on dome and tower, To all their heavenly colors true, In blackening frost or crimson dew,-- And God love us as we love thee, Thrice holy Flower of Liberty! Then hail the banner of the free, The starry Flower of Liberty!

_Oliver Wendell Holmes._

The Lamb

Little lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee, Gave thee life, and made thee feed By the stream and o'er the mead? Gave thee clothing of delight,-- Softest clothing, woolly, bright? Gave thee such a tender voice, Making all the vales rejoice? Little lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee?

Little lamb, I'll tell thee; Little lamb, I'll tell thee; He is called by thy name, For he calls himself a lamb. He is meek and He is mild; He became a little child: I a child, and thou a lamb, We are called by His name. Little lamb, God bless thee! Little lamb, God bless thee!

_William Blake._

The Roll Call

"Corporal Green!" the orderly cried;
"Here!" was the answer, loud and clear,
From the lips of the soldier standing near,
And "Here" was the answer the next replied.

"Cyrus Drew!"--then a silence fell--
This time no answer followed the call,
Only the rear man had seen him fall,
Killed or wounded he could not tell.

There they stood in the failing light,
These men of battle, with grave dark looks,
As plain to be read as open books,
While slowly gathered the shades of night.

The fern on the hillside was splashed with blood,
And down in the corn, where the poppies grew
Were redder stains than the poppies knew
And crimson-dyed was the river's flood.

"Herbert Kline!" At the call there came
Two stalwart soldiers into the line,
Bearing between them Herbert Kline,
Wounded and bleeding, to answer his name.

"Ezra Kerr!"--and a voice said "Here!"
"Hiram Kerr!"--but no man replied.
They were brothers, these two; the sad winds sighed,
And a shudder crept through the cornfield near.

"Ephraim Deane!" then a soldier spoke;
"Deane carried our regiment's colors," he said;
"Where our ensign was shot, I left him dead,
Just after the enemy wavered and broke.

"Close by the roadside his body lies;
I paused a moment and gave him a drink,
He murmured his mother's name I think,
And Death came with it and closed his eyes."

'Twas a victory; yes, but it cost us dear--
For that company's roll when called that night,
Of a hundred men who went into the fight,
Numbered but twenty that answered "Here!"

_N.G. Shepherd._

A Prayer for a Little Home

God send us a little home To come back to when we roam-- Low walls and fluted tiles, Wide windows, a view for miles; Red firelight and deep chairs; Small white beds upstairs; Great talk in little nooks; Dim colors, rows of books; One picture on each wall; Not many things at all. God send us a little ground-- Tall trees standing round, Homely flowers in brown sod, Overhead, Thy stars, O God! God bless, when winds blow, Our home and all we know.

_London "Spectator."_

I Have Drank My Last Glass

No, comrades, I thank you--not any for me; My last chain is riven--henceforward I'm free! I will go to my home and my children to-night With no fumes of liquor their spirits to blight; And, with tears in my eyes, I will beg my poor wife To forgive me the wreck I have made of her life. _I have never refused you before?_ Let that pass, For I've drank my last glass, boys, I have drank my last glass.

Just look at me now, boys, in rags and disgrace, With my bleared, haggard eyes, and my red, bloated face; Mark my faltering step and my weak, palsied hand, And the mark on my brow that is worse than Cain's brand; See my crownless old hat, and my elbows and knees, Alike, warmed by the sun, or chilled by the breeze. Why, even the children will hoot as I pass;-- But I've drank my last glass, boys, I have drank my last glass.

You would hardly believe, boys, to look at me now That a mother's soft hand was pressed on my brow-- When she kissed me, and blessed me, her darling, her pride, Ere she lay down to rest by my dead father's side; But with love in her eyes, she looked up to the sky Bidding me meet her there and whispered "Good-bye." And I'll do it, God helping! Your _smile_ I let pass, For I've drank my last glass, boys, I have drank my last glass.

Ah! I reeled home last night, it was not very late, For I'd spent my last sixpence, and landlords won't wait On a fellow who's left every cent in their till, And has pawned his last bed, their coffers to fill. Oh, the torments I felt, and the pangs I endured! And I begged for one glass--just one would have cured,-- But they kicked me out doors! I let that, too, pass, For I've drank my last glass, boys, I have drank my last glass.

At home, my pet Susie, with her rich golden hair, I saw through the window, just kneeling in prayer; From her pale, bony hands, her torn sleeves hung down, And her feet, cold and bare, shrank beneath her scant gown, And she prayed--prayed for _bread_, just a poor crust of bread, For one crust, on her knees my pet darling plead! And I heard, with no penny to buy one, alas! For I've drank my last glass, boys, I have drank my last glass.

For Susie, my darling, my wee six-year-old, Though fainting with hunger and shivering with cold, There, on the bare floor, asked God to bless _me_! And she said, "Don't cry, mamma! He will; for you see, I _believe_ what I ask for!" Then sobered, I crept Away from the house; and that night, when I slept, Next my heart lay the PLEDGE! You smile! let it pass, For I've drank my last glass, boys I have drank my last glass.

My darling child saved me! Her faith and her love Are akin to my dear sainted mother's above! I will make my words true, or I'll die in the race, And sober I'll go to my last resting place; And she shall kneel there, and, weeping, thank God No _drunkard_ lies under the daisy-strewn sod! Not a drop more of poison my lips shall e'er pass, For I've drank my last glass, boys, I have drank my last glass.

Highland Mary

Ye banks, and braes, and streams around
The castle o' Montgomery,
Green be your woods, and fair your flowers,
Your waters never drumlie!
There simmer first unfauld her robes,
And there the langest tarry;
For there I took the last fareweel
O' my sweet Highland Mary.

How sweetly bloom'd the gay green birk,
How rich the hawthorn's blossom,
As, underneath their fragrant shade,
I clasp'd her to my bosom!
The golden hours, on angel wings,
Flew o'er me and my dearie;
For dear to me as light and life
Was my sweet Highland Mary!