"Darned if we know; but all the same And happier still we 're going to be!" And Frederick And Jim. The people laughed “Aha, oho! And Frederick And Jim. Days and weeks and months they sped, A beautiful, bright vermilion red— "T was all so gaudy a lark, it seemed As if it could not be, And some folks thought it a dream they dreamed Of sailing that foreign sea, But I'll identify you these three Lyman And Frederick And Jim. Lyman and Frederick are bankers and sich And Jim is an editor kind; The first two named are awfully rich And Jim ain't far behind! So keep your eyes open and mind your tricks, you are like to be In quite as much of a Tartar fix BE MY SWEETHEART As the pirates that sailed the sea And monkeyed with the pardners three, Lyman And Frederick And Jim! BE MY SWEETHEART SWEETHEART, be my sweetheart Sweetheart, be my sweetheart Of earth aflush with the gracious blush Sweetheart, be my sweetheart Sweetheart, be my sweetheart When the year is white and old, Yet, sweetheart, be my sweetheart 177 THE PETER-BIRD OUT of the woods by the creek cometh a calling for Peter, So let me tell you the tale, when, where, and how it all happened, Once on a time, long ago, lived in the State of Kentucky One that was reckoned a witch-full of strange spells and devices; Nightly she wandered the woods, searching for charms voodooistic Scorpions, lizards, and herbs, dormice, chameleons, and plantains! Serpents and caw-caws and bats, screech-owls and crickets and adders These were the guides of that witch through the dank deeps of the forest. Then, with her roots and her herbs, back to her cave in the morning Ambled that hussy to brew spells of unspeakable evil; And, when the people awoke, seeing that hillside and valley Sweltered in swathes as of mist-"Look!" they would whisper in terror "Look! the old witch is at work brewing her spells of great evil!" Then would they pray till the sun, darting his rays through the vapor, Lifted the smoke from the earth and baffled the witch's intentions. One of the boys at that time was a certain young person named Peter, Given too little to work, given too largely to dreaming; Fonder of books than of chores, you can imagine that Peter Led a sad life on the farm, causing his parents much trouble. "Peter!" his mother would call, "the cream is a'ready for churning!" "Peter!" his father would cry, "go grub at the weeds in the garden!" So it was "Peter!" all day-calling, reminding, and chidingPeter neglected his work; therefore that nagging at Peter! THE PETER-BIRD 179 Peter got hold of some books-how, I'm unable to tell you; Some have suspected the witch-this is no place for suspicions! It is sufficient to stick close to the thread of the legend. Nor is it stated or guessed what was the trend of those volumes; What thing soever it was-done with a pen and a pencil, Wrought with a brain, not a hoe-surely 't was hostile to farming! "Fudge on all readin'!" they quoth; or "that's what's the ruin of Peter!" So, when the mornings were hot, under the beech or the maple, Cushioned in grass that was blue, breathing the breath of the blos soms, Lulled by the hum of the bees, the coo of the ring-doves a-mating, Peter would frivol his time at reading, or lazing, or dreaming. "Peter!" his mother would call, "the cream is a' ready for churning!" "Peter!" his father would cry, "go grub at the weeds in the garden!" "Peter!" and "Peter!" all day-calling, reminding, and chiding- Surely enough, on a time, reading and lazing and dreaming Wrought the calamitous ill all had predicted for Peter; For, of a morning in spring when lay the mist in the valleys"See," quoth the folk, "how the witch breweth her evil decoctions! See how the smoke from her fire broodeth on woodland and meadow! Grant that the sun cometh out to smother the smudge of her caldron! She hath been forth in the night, full of her spells and devices, Roaming the marshes and dells for heathenish magical nostrums; Digging in leaves and at stumps for centipedes, pismires, and spiders, Grubbing in poisonous pools for hot salamanders and toadstools; Charming the bats from the flues, snaring the lizards by twilight, Sucking the scorpion's egg and milking the breast of the adder!" Peter derided these things held in such faith by the farmer, Scouted at magic and charins, hooted at Jonahs and hoodoos Thinking and reading of books must have unsettled his reason! "There ain't no witches," he cried; "it is n't smoky, but foggy! I will go out in the wet-you all can't hender me, nuther!" Surely enough he went out into the damp of the morning, Out of the woods by the creek cometh a calling for Peter Clothed in his jeans and his pride, Peter sailed out in the weather, Lo, when he vanished from sight, knowing the evil that threatened Forth with importunate cries hastened his father and mother. "Peter!" they shrieked in alarm, "Peter!" and evermore "Peter!" Ran from the house to the barn, ran from the barn to the garden, Ran to the corn-crib anon, then to the smoke-house proceeded; Henhouse and woodpile they passed, calling and wailing and weeping, Through the front gate to the road, braving the hideous vapor |