Farmer Whipple. - Bachelor.
by James Whitcomb Riley

It's a mystery to see me - a man o' fifty-four,
Who's lived a cross old bachelor fer thirty year' and more - 
A-lookin' glad and smilin'!    And they's none o' you can say
That you can guess the reason why I feel so good to-day!
I must tell you all about it!    But I'll have to deviate
A little in beginning so's to set the matter straight
As to how it comes to happen that I never took a wife - 
Kind o' "crawfish" from the Present to the Springtime of my life!
I was brought up in the country: Of a family of five - 
Three brothers and a sister - I'm the only one alive, - 
Fer they all died little babies; and 'twas one o' Mother's ways,
You know, to want a daughter; so she took a girl to raise.
The sweetest little thing she was, with rosy cheeks, and fat - 
We was little chunks o' shavers then about as high as that!
But someway we sort o' suited-like! and Mother she'd declare
She never laid her eyes on a more lovin' pair
Than we was!    So we growed up side by side fer thirteen year',
And every hour of it she growed to me more dear! - 
W'y, even Father's dyin', as he did, I do believe
Warn't more affectin' to me than it was to see her grieve!
I was then a lad o' twenty; and I felt a flash o' pride
In thinkin' all depended on me now to pervide
Fer Mother and fer Mary; and I went about the place
With sleeves rolled up - and workin', with a mighty smilin' face. - 
Fer sompin' else was workin'! but not a word I said
Of a certain sort o' notion that was runnin' through my head, - 
"Someday I'd mayby marry, and a brother's love was one
Thing - a lover's was another!" was the way the notion run!
I remember onc't in harvest, when the "cradle-in'" was done - 
When the harvest of my summers mounted up to twenty-one - 
I was ridin' home with Mary at the closin' o' the day - 
A-chawin' straws and thinkin', in a lover's lazy way!
And Mary's cheeks was burnin' like the sunset down the lane:
I noticed she was thinkin', too, and ast her to explain
Well - when she turned and kissed me, with her arm around me - law!
I'd a bigger load o' heaven than I had a load o' straw!
I don't p'tend to learnin', but I'll tell you what's a fac',
They's a mighty truthful sayin' somers in a almanack - 
Er somers - 'bout "puore happiness" - perhaps some folks'll laugh
At the idy - "only lastin' jest two seconds and a half." - 
But its jest as true as preachin'! - fer that was a sister's kiss,
And a sister's lovin' confidence a-tellin' to me this: - 
"She was happy, bein' promised to the son o' farmer Brown." - 
And my feelin's struck a pardnership with sunset and went down!
I don't know how I acted - I don't know what I said,
Fer my heart seemed jest a-turnin' to an ice-cold lump o' lead;
And the hosses kind o' glimmered before me in the road,
And the lines fell from my fingers - and that was all I knowed - 
Fer - well, I don't know how long - They's a dim rememberence
Of a sound o' snortin' bosses, and a stake-and-ridered fence
A-whizzin' past, and wheat-sheaves a-dancin' in the air,
And Mary screamin' "Murder!" and a-runnin' up to where
I was layin' by the roadside, and the wagon upside down
A-leanin' on the gate-post, with the wheels a whirlin' round!
And I tried to raise and meet her, but I couldn't, with a vague
Sort o' notion comin' to me that I had a broken leg.
Well, the women nussed me through it; but many a time I'd sigh
As I'd keep a-gittin' better instid o' goin' to die,
And wonder what was left me worth livin' fer below,
When the girl I loved was married to another, don't you know!
And my thoughts was as rebellious as the folks was good and kind
When Brown and Mary married - Railly must a-been my mind
Was kindo' out o' kilter! - fer I hated Brown, you see,
Worse'n pizen - and the feller whittled crutches out fer me - 
And done a thousand little ac's o' kindness and respec' - 
And me a-wishin' all the time that I could break his neck!
My relief was like a mourner's when the funeral is done
When they moved to Illinois in the Fall o' Forty-one.
Then I went to work in airnest - I had nothin' much in view
But to drownd out rickollections - and it kep' me busy, too!
But I slowly thrived and prospered, tel Mother used to say
She expected yit to see me a wealthy man some day.
Then I'd think how little money was, compared to happiness - 
And who'd be left to use it when I died I couldn't guess!
But I've still kep' speculatin' and a-gainin' year by year,
Tel I'm payin' half the taxes in the county, mighty near!
Well! - A year ago er better, a letter comes to hand
Astin' how I 'd like to dicker fer some Illinois land - 
"The feller that had owned it," it went ahead to state,
"Had jest deceased, insolvent, leavin' chance to speculate," - 
And then it closed by sayin' that I'd "better come and see." - 
I'd never been West, anyhow - a most too wild fer me,
I'd allus had a notion; but a lawyer here in town
Said I'd find myself mistakend when I come to look around.
So I bids good-bye to Mother, and I jumps aboard the train,
A-thinkin' what I'd bring her when I come back home again - 
And ef she'd had an idy what the present was to be,
I think it's more 'n likely she'd a-went along with me!
Cars is awful tejus ridin', fer all they go so fast!
But finally they called out my stopping-place at last:
And that night, at the tavern, I dreamp' I was a train
O' cars, and skeered at sumpin', runnin' down a country lane!
Well, in the mornin' airly - after huntin' up the man - 
The lawyer who was wantin' to swap the piece o' land - 
We started fer the country;' and I ast the history
Of the farm - its former owner - and so-forth, etcetery!
And - well - it was interestin' - I su'prised him, I suppose,
By the loud and frequent manner in which I blowed my nose! - 
But his su'prise was greater, and it made him wonder more,
When I kissed and hugged the widder when she met us at the door! - 
It was Mary: They's a feelin' a-hidin' down in here - 
Of course I can't explain it, ner ever make it clear. - 
It was with us in that meeting I don't want you to fergit!
And it makes me kind o' nervous when I think about it yit!
I bought that farm, and deeded it, afore I left the town,
With "title clear to mansions in the skies," to Mary Brown!
And fu'thermore, I took her and the childern - fer you see,
They'd never seed their Grandma - and I fetched 'em home with me.
So now you've got an idy why a man o' fifty-four,
Who's lived a cross old bachelor fer thirty year' and more,
Is a-lookin' glad and smilin'! - And I've jest come into town
To git a pair o' license fer to marry Mary Brown.