But they made (raw or bilec ones) ten to one." I've allus foun' 'em, I allow, sence then About ez good for talkin' to ez men; They'll take edvice, like other folks, to keep, (To use it 'ould be holdin' on 't tu cheap,) They listen wal, don' kick up when you scold 'em, An' ef they've tongues, hev sense enough to hold 'em ; Though th' ain't no denger we shall lose the breed, I gin❜lly keep a score or so for seed, An' when my sappiness gits spry in spring, So's 't my tongue itches to run on full swing, I fin' 'em ready-planted in Marchmeetin', Warm ez a lyceum-audience in their greetin', An' pleased to hear my spoutin' frum the fence, Comin', ez 't doos, entirely free 'f expense. This year I made the follerin' observa sense For wisdom's church o' second innocence, Nut Age's winter, no, no sech a thing, But jest a kin' o' slippin'-back o' spring, - [Sev'ril noses blowed.] We've gathered here, ez ushle, to decide Which is the Lord's an' which is Satan's side, Coz all the good or evil thet can heppen Is 'long o' which on 'em you choose for Cappen. [Cries o' "Thet 's so !"] Aprul's come back; the swellin' buds an' green; The birds are here, for all the season's late; They take the sun's height an' don' never wait; Soon 'z he officially declares it's spring Their light hearts lift 'em on a north'ard wing, An' th' ain't an acre, fur ez you can hear, Can't by the music tell the time o' year; But thet white dove Carliny scared away, Five year ago, jes' sech an Aprul day; Peace, that we hoped 'ould come an' build last year An' coo by every housedoor, is n't here, No, nor wun't never be, for all our jaw, Till we 're ez brave in pol'tics ez in war! O Lord, ef folks wuz made so 's 't they could see The begnet-pint there is to an idee! [Sensation.] Ten times the danger in 'em th' is in steel; They run your soul thru an' you never feel, But crawl about an' seem to think you 're livin', Poor shells o' men, nut wuth the Lord's forgivin', Till you come bunt ag'in a real live fect, An' go to pieces when you'd ough' to ect ! Thet kin' o' begnet 's wut we're crossin' now, An' no man, fit to nevvigate a scow, 'Ould stan' expectin' help from Kingdom Come, While t' other side druv their cold iron home. 'T was commonsense afore the war wuz thru ; Thet loaded all our guns an' made 'em speak So 's't Europe heared 'em clearn acrost the creek; "They 're drivin' o' their spiles down now," sez she, "To the hard grennit o' God's fust idee; Ef they reach thet, Democ'cy need n't fear The tallest airthquakes we can git up here." Some call 't insultin' to ask ary pledge, An' say 't will only set their teeth on edge, But folks you've jest licked, fur 'z I ever see, Are 'bout ez mad 'z they wal know how Ez for their l'yalty, don't take a goad to 't, But I do' want to block their only road to 't By lettin' 'em believe thet they can git Mor 'n wut they lost, out of our little wit: I tell ye wut, I'm 'fraid we 'll drif' to leeward 'Thout we can put more stiffenin' into Seward; He seems to think Columby'd better ect This ain't the fittest time to go it blind, Nor these ain't metters thet with pol'tics swings, But goes 'way down amongst the roots o' things; Coz Sumner talked o' whitewashin' one day They wun't let four years' war be throwed away. "Let the South hev her rights?" They say, "Thet's you But nut greb hold of other folks's tu." Who owns this country, is it they or Andy? Leastways it ough' to be the People and he; Let him be senior pardner, ef he's so, But let them kin' o' smuggle in ez Co; [Laughter.] Did he diskiver it? Consid❜ble numbers Think thet the job wuz taken by Columbus. Did he set tu an' make it wut it is? Did he put thru the rebbles, clear the docket, An' pay th' expenses out of his own pocket? Ef thet's the case, then everythin' I Is this ere pop'lar gov'ment thet we run A kin' o' sulky, made to kerry one? An' is the country goin' to knuckle down To hev Smith sort their letters 'stid o' Brown? Who wuz the 'Nited States 'fore Richmon' fell? Wuz the South needfle their full name to spell? An' can't we spell it in thet short-han' way Till th' underpinnin' 's settled so 's to stay? Who cares for the Resolves of '61, Thet tried to coax an airthquake with a bun? Hez act'ly nothin' taken place sence then To larn folks they must hendle fects like men? Ain't this the true p'int? Did the Rebs accep' 'em ' Ef nut, whose fault is 't thet we hev n't kep' 'em? War n't there two sides? an' don't it stend to reason Thet this week's 'Nited States ain't las' week's treason? When all these sums is done, with nothin' missed, An' nut afore, this school 'll be dismissed. I knowed ez wal ez though I'd seen 't with eyes Thet when the war wuz over copper 'd So they sent off a deacon to remonstrate Along 'th the wolves an' urge 'em to go on straight; They did n' seem to set much by the deacon, Nor preachin' did n' cow 'em, nut to speak on; Fin'ly they swore thet they 'd go out an' stay, An' hev their fill o' mutton every day; Then dogs an' shepherds, after much hard dammin', [Groan from Deac'n G.] Turned tu an' give 'em a tormented lammin', An' sez, "Ye sha' n't go out, the murrain rot ye, To keep us wastin' half our time to |