"We shan't have the place to ourselves to enjoy—- Not likely, when all the young Lorens deploy. They'll be there to-morrow, or even to-night. They won't be too friendly—-they may be polite—- To people they look on as having no right To pick where they're picking. But we won't complain. You ought to have seen how it looked in the rain, The fruit mixed with water in layers of leaves, Like two kinds of jewels, a vision for thieves."
BROWN'S DESCENT OR, THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE
Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
Walls were all buried, trees were few: He saw no stay unless he stove A hole in somewhere with his heel. But though repeatedly he strove
And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
Sometimes he came with arms outspread Like wings, revolving in the scene Upon his longer axis, and With no small dignity of mien.
Faster or slower as he chanced, Sitting or standing as he chose, According as he feared to risk His neck, or thought to spare his clothes,
He never let the lantern drop. And some exclaimed who saw afar The figures he described with it, "I wonder what those signals are
Brown makes at such an hour of night! He's celebrating something strange. I wonder if he's sold his farm, Or been made Master of the Grange."
He reeled, he lurched, he bobbed, he checked; He fell and made the lantern rattle (But saved the light from going out). So half-way down he fought the battle
Incredulous of his own bad luck. And then becoming reconciled To everything, he gave it up And came down like a coasting child.
"Well—-I-—be----" that was all he said, As standing in the river road, He looked back up the slippery slope (Two miles it was) to his abode.
Sometimes as an authority On motor-cars, I'm asked if I Should say our stock was petered out, And this is my sincere reply: