So I run an' fetch de stick, an' after heem so quick
Jus' to mak' heem feelin' sorry he was born;
An' dat pig he laugh at me, an' he fill hees belly full
'Fore he 's makin' up his min' for come along--
I 'm sure I see heem wink--should n't wonder if he t'ink,
"Very easy see dere 's somet'ing goin' wrong--
De ole man 's gettin on."

If only I can get some doctor feex me up,
Mak' me feel a leetle looser on de knee--
On de shoulder, ev'ryw'ere--ba tonder! I don't care,
I 'le spen' a couple o' dollar, mebbe t'ree--
Jus' to larn dem feller dere how to skip an' how to jomp,
On de way I beat deir fader long ago--
Yass siree! an' purty soon dey 'll sing anoder tune,
An' wonder w'at de devil 's dere to show
De ole man's gettin' on.

Oh! dat maudit rheumateez! now she's ketchin' me again
On de back becos I 'm leetle bit excite,
An' put ma finger down, widout stoopin' on de groun'--
But I 'll do dat trick to-morrow, not to-night--
All de sam' I often t'ink ev'ry dog is got hees day,
Dat 's de lesson I was learnin' on de school;
So I can't help feelin' blue w'en I wonder if it 's true
W'at dey 're sayin'--dough o' course dey 're only fool--
De ole man 's gettin' on.

[Illustration: Thistle]

[Illustration: Border]

Pioneers

If dey 're walkin' on de roadside, an' dey 're bote in love togeder,
An' de star of spring is shinin' wit' de young moon in between,
It was purty easy guessin' dey 're not talkin' of de wedder,
W'en de boy is comin' twenty, an' de girl is jus' eighteen.

It 's a sign de winter 's over, an' it 's pleasan' hear de talkin'
Of de bull-frog on de swamp dere wit' all hees familee--
But it 's lonesome doin' not'ing, an' dere 's not moche fun in walkin',
So we fin' some fence dat 's handy for mese'f an' Rosalie.

[Illustration: "So we fin' some fence dat 's handy
for mese'f an' Rosalie."]

An' I dunno how it happen, w'en her head come on ma shoulder,
An' her black eye on de moonlight, lak de star shine--dat 's de way.
(Mebbe it 's becos de springtam) so I ketch her han' an' tole her
Of how moche I 'd lak to tak' her on some contree far away.

Den she say, I 'll mak' an offer, if you 're sure you want to tak' me
On de place I dunno w'ere--me--you mus' pay beeg price, Jo-seph.
You can carry me off to-morrow, so I 'm never comin' back--me-