Riley Child-Rhymes | Page 6

the teams we met, and the
countrymen;
And the long highway, with sunshine spread
As thick
as butter on country bread,
Our cares behind, and our hearts ahead
Out to Old Aunt Mary's.
[Illustration: We patter along in the dust again]

Why, I see her now in the open door,
Where the little gourds grew up
the sides and o'er
The clapboard roof!--And her face--ah, me!

Wasn't it good for a boy to see--
And wasn't it good for a boy to be
Out to Old Aunt Mary's?
And O my brother, so far away,
This is to tell you she waits to-day

To welcome us:--Aunt Mary fell
Asleep this morning, whispering,
"Tell
The boys to come!" And all is well
Out to Old Aunt Mary's.
[Illustration: Old Aunt Mary's--Tailpiece]
WINTER FANCIES
[Illustration: Winter Fancies--Title]
I
Winter without
And warmth within;
The winds may shout
And
the storm begin;
The snows may pack
At the window pane,
And
the skies grow black,
And the sun remain
Hidden away
The
livelong day--
But here--in here is the warmth of May!
[Illustration: Winter without and warmth within]
II
Swoop your spitefullest
Up the flue,
Wild Winds--do!
What in the world do I care for you?

O delightfullest
Weather of all,
Howl and squall,
And shake the trees till the last
leaves fall!

III
The joy one feels,
In an easy chair,
Cocking his heels
In the dancing air
That wreathes the rim of a roaring stove
Whose
heat loves better than hearts can love,
Will not permit
The coldest day
To drive away
The fire in his blood, and the bliss of it!
IV
Then blow, Winds, blow!
And rave and shriek,
And snarl and snow

Till your breath grows weak--
While here in my room
I'm as
snugly shut
As a glad little worm
In the heart of a nut!
[Illustration: Here in my room I'm as snugly shut]
THE RUNAWAY BOY
Wunst I sassed my Pa, an' he
Won't stand that, an' punished me,--

Nen when he was gone that day,
I slipped out an' runned away.
I tooked all my copper-cents,
An' clumbed over our back fence
In
the jimpson-weeds 'at growed
Ever'where all down the road.
Nen I got out there, an' nen
I runned some--an' runned again
When I
met a man 'at led
A big cow 'at shooked her head.
I went down a long, long lane
Where was little pigs a-play'n';
An' a
grea'-big pig went "Booh!"
An' jumped up, an' skeered me too.
Nen I scampered past, an' they
Was somebody hollered "Hey!"
An'
I ist looked ever'where,
An' they was nobody there.

I Want to, but I'm 'fraid to try
To go back.... An' by-an'-by
Somepin'
hurts my throat inside--
An' I want my Ma--an' cried.
Nen a grea'-big girl come through
Where's a gate, an' telled me who

Am I? an' ef I tell where
My home's at she'll show me there.
But I couldn't ist but tell
What's my name; an' she says well,
An'
she tooked me up an' says
She know where I live, she guess.
[Illustration: An' a grea'-big pig went "Booh!"]
Nen she telled me hug wite close
Round her neck!--an' off she goes

Skippin' up the street! An' nen
Purty soon I'm home again.
An' my Ma, when she kissed me,
Kissed the big girl_ too, an' _she

Kissed me--ef I p'omise shore
I won't run away no more!
[Illustration: Hug wite close round her neck]
THE LITTLE COAT
Here's his ragged "roundabout";
Turn the pockets inside out:
See;
his pen-knife, lost to use,
Rusted shut with apple-juice;
Here, with
marbles, top and string,
Is his deadly "devil-sling,"
With its rubber,
limp at last
As the sparrows of the past!
Beeswax--buckles--leather
straps--
Bullets, and a box of caps,--
Not a thing of all, I guess,

But betrays some waywardness--
E'en these tickets, blue and red,

For the Bible-verses said--
Such as this his mem'ry kept--
"Jesus wept."
[Illustration: The Little Coat]
Here's a fishing hook-and-line,
Tangled up with wire and twine,

And dead angle-worms, and some
Slugs of lead and chewing-gum,

Blent with scents that can but come
From the oil of rhodium.


Here--a soiled, yet dainty note,
That some little sweetheart wrote,

Dotting,--"Vine grows round the stump,"
And--"My sweetest sugar
lump!"
Wrapped in this--a padlock key
Where he's filed a
touch-hole--see!
And some powder in a quill
Corked up with a liver
pill;
And a spongy little chunk
Of "punk."
Here's the little coat--but O!
Where is he we've censured so!
Don't
you hear us calling, dear?
Back! come back, and never fear.--
You
may wander where you will,
Over orchard, field and hill;
You may
kill the birds, or do
Anything that pleases you!
Ah, this empty coat
of his!
Every tatter worth a kiss;
Every stain as pure instead
As
the white stars overhead:
And the pockets--homes were they
Of the
little hands that play
Now no more--but, absent, thus
Beckon us.
[Illustration: The Little Coat--Tailpiece]
AN IMPETUOUS RESOLVE
[Illustration: An Impetuous Resolve--Title]
When little Dickie Swope's a man,
He's go' to be a Sailor;
An' little
Hamey Tincher, he's
A-go' to be a Tailor:
Bud Mitchell, he's a-go'
to be
A stylish Carriage-Maker;
An' when _I_ grow a grea'-big man,

I'm go' to be a Baker!
An' Dick'll buy his sailor-suit
O' Hame; and Hame'll take it
An' buy
as fine a double-rigg
As ever Bud can make it:
An' nen all three'll
drive roun' fer me
An' we'll drive off togevver,
A-slingin' pie-crust
'long the road
Ferever an'