# The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke/XIII. The Kid

* The Kid
* Y son!… Them words, jist like a blessed song,
* Is singin' in me 'eart the 'ole day long;
* Over an' over; while I'm scared I'll wake
* Out of a dream, to find it all a fake.
* My son! Two little words, that, yesterdee,
* Wus jist two simple, senseless words to me;
* An' now—no man, not since the world begun,
* Made any better pray'r than that.… My son!
* My son an' bloomin' 'eir… Ours!… 'Ers an' mine!
* The finest kid in—Aw, the sun don't shine—
* Ther' ain't no joy fer me beneath the blue
* Unless I'm gazin' lovin' at them two.
* A little while ago it was jist "me"—
* A lonely, longin' streak o' misery.
* An' then 'twas "'er an' me"—Doreen, my wife!
* An' now it's "'im an' us" an'—sich is life.
* ​But 'Struth! 'E is king-pin! The 'ead serang!
* I mustn't tramp about, or talk no slang;
* I mustn't pinch 'is nose, or make a face,
* I mustn't—Strike! 'E seems to own the place!
* Cunnin'? Yeh'd think, to look into 'is eyes,
* 'E knoo the game clean thro'; 'e seems that wise,
* Wiv 'er an' nurse 'e is the leadin' man,
* An' poor ole dad's amongst the "also ran."
* "Goog, goo," 'e sez, an' curls 'is cunnin' toes.
* Yeh'd be su'prised the 'eaps o' things 'e knows.
* I'll swear 'e tumbles I'm 'is father, too;
* The way 'e squints at me, an' sez, "Goog, goo."
* Why! 'smornin', 'ere 'is lordship gits a grip
* Fair on me finger—give it quite a nip!
* An' when I tugs, 'e won't let go 'is hold!
* 'Angs on like that! An' 'im not three weeks old!
* "Goog, goo," 'e sez. I'll swear yeh never did
* In all yer natcheril, see sich a kid.
* The cunnin' ways 'e's got; the knowin' stare—
* Ther' ain't a youngster like 'im anywhere!
* ​An', when he gets a little pain inside,
* 'Is dead straight griffin ain't to be denied.
* I'm sent to talk sweet nuffin's to the fowls;
* While nurse turns 'and-springs ev'ry time 'e 'owls.
* But say, I tell yeh straight… I been thro' 'ell!
* The things I thort I wouldn't dare to tell
* Lest, in the tellin', I might feel again
* One little part of all that fear an' pain.
* It came so sudden that I lorst me block.
* First, it was, 'Ell-fer-leather to the doc.,
* 'Oo took it all so calm 'e made me curse—
* An' then I sprints like mad to get the nurse.
* By gum; that woman! But she beat me flat!
* A man's jist putty in a game like that.
* She owned me 'appy 'ome almost before
* She fairly got 'er nose inside the door.
* Sweatin' I was; but cold wiv fear inside—
* An' then, to think a man could be denied
* 'Is wife an' 'ome an' told to fade away
* By jist one fat ole nurse 'oo's in 'is pay!
* ​I wus too weak wiv funk to start an' rouse.
* 'Struth! Ain't a man the boss in 'is own 'ouse?
* "You go an' chase yerself!" she tips me straight.
* "Ther's nothin' now fer you to do but—wait."
* Wait?… Gawd!… I never knoo wot waitin' meant
* In all me life, till that day I was sent
* To loaf around, while there inside—Aw, strike!
* I couldn't tell yeh wot that hour was like!
* Three times I comes to listen at the door;
* Three times I drag meself away once more;
* 'Arf dead wiv fear; 'arf filled wiv tremblin' joy…
* An' then she beckons me, an' sez—"A boy!"
* "A boy!" she sez. "An' bofe is doin' well!"
* I drops into a chair, an' jist sez—"'Ell!"
* It was a pray'r. I feels bofe crook an' glad…
* An' that's the strength uv bein' made a dad.
* I thinks uv church, when in that room I goes,
* 'Oldin' me breaf an' walkin' on me toes,
* Fer 'arf a mo' I feared me nerve 'ud fail
* To see 'er lying there so still an' pale.
* ​She looks so frail, at first, I dursn't stir.
* An' then, I leans acrost an' kisses 'er;
* An' all the room gits sort o' blurred an' dim…
* She smiles, an' moves 'er 'ead. "Dear lad! Kiss 'im."
* Near smothered in a ton of snowy clothes,
* First thing, I sees a bunch o' stubby toes,
* Bald 'ead, termater face, an' two big eyes.
* "Look, Kid," she smiles at me. "Ain't 'e a size?"
* 'E didn't seem no sort o' size to me;
* But yet, I speak no lie when I agree;
* "'E is," I sez, an' smiles back at Doreen,
* "The biggest nipper fer 'is age I've seen."
* She turns away; 'er eyes is brimmin' wet.
* "Our little son!" she sez. "Our precious pet!"
* An' then, I seen a great big drop roll down
* An' fall—kersplosh!—fair on 'is nibs's crown.
* An' still she smiles. "A lucky sign," she said.
* "Somewhere, in some ole book, one time I read,
* 'The child will sure be blest all thro' the years
* Who's christened wiv 'is mother's 'appy tears.'"
* ​"Kiss 'im," she sez. I was afraid to take
* Too big a mouthful of 'im, fear 'e'd break.
* An' when 'e gits a fair look at me phiz
* 'E puckers up 'is nose, an' then—Geewhizz!
* 'Ow did 'e 'owl! In 'arf a second more
* Nurse 'ad me 'ustled clean outside the door.
* Scarce knowin' 'ow, I gits out in the yard,
* An' leans agin the fence an' thinks real 'ard.
* A long, long time I looks at my two 'ands.
* "They're all I got," I thinks, "they're all that stands
* 'Twixt this 'ard world an' them I calls me own.
* An' fer their sakes I'll work 'em to the bone."
* Them vows an' things sounds like a lot o' guff.
* Maybe it's foolish thinkin' all this stuff—
* Maybe it's childish-like to scheme an' plan;
* But—I dunno—it's that way wiv a man.
* I only know that kid belongs to me!
* We ain't decided yet wot 'e's to be.
* Doreen, she sez 'e's got a poit's eyes;
* But I ain't got much use fer them soft guys.
* ​I think we ought to make 'im something great—
* A bookie, or a champeen 'eavy-weight:
* Some callin' that'll give 'im room to spread.
* A fool could see 'e's got a clever 'ead.
* I know 'e's good an' honest; fer 'is eyes
* Is jist like 'ers; so big an' lovin'-wise;
* They carries peace an' trust where e'er they goes.
* An', say, the nurse she sez 'e's got my nose!
* Dead ring fer me ole conk, she sez it is.
* More like a blob of putty on 'is phiz,
* I think. But 'e's a fair 'ard case, all right.
* I'll swear I thort 'e wunk at me larst night!
* My wife an' fam'ly! Don't it sound all right!
* That's wot I whispers to meself at night.
* Some day, I s'pose, I'll learn to say it loud
* An' careless; kiddin' that I don't feel proud.
* My son!… If ther's a Gawd 'Oo's leanin' near
* To watch our dilly little lives down 'ere,
* 'E smiles, I guess, if 'E's a lovin' one—
* Smiles, friendly-like, to 'ear them words—My son.