Massachusetts spy and Worcester advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1823-1825, 1823-10-22
3aoftrn.
PoETRYRUNM.AD.

Single and double; sss
Tosee how one thing with another chimes;
That is, il you have not wit enough to plan a
Story, or something else to write about,
Without
Much trouble.
II.
Suppose we try it now.-One ASA Stokes,
One of those men whom every thing provokes,
A surly-temper'd, evil-minded, bearish,
Il-natured kind OF being;
He was the Deacon of the parish,
And had the overseeing
Of some small matters, such as the ringing
Ofthe church bell, and "tOok the lead in sing
ing"
Well: Deacon Stokes had gone to bed, one
night,
About eleuen-
Twas in December, if my memory's right,
In-97.
Twas cold enough to make Russian shiver.
think, never
Knew one
Colder than this:--in faith, it was blue one !
As by the Almanack foretold, twas
A real Lapland night. Good Lord! how cold
twas.
".
There was chap about there, named EZEKIEL
A clerer- good. fOr-nothing fellOu,
Who, very often, used to get quite mellow;
OF whom the Deacon always used to speak i'll;
For he was fond Of cracking jokes
On Deacon Stokes;
To shew, on 100,
What terms he stood, among the sconera folks,
And so on.
ltcame to pass, that on the night spake of,
Ezekiel left the tavern bar-room, where
He'd spent the evening for the sake of
Drowning his care,
By partaking
OF the merry-making
And enjoyment
OF some good fslOws there whose sole employ
Was, in all kinds of weather,
On every night,
''By early candle-light,"
To get together,
Reading the papers, smoking pipes and chewing;
Telling LONG YARNs," and pouring down
1.-THE RUIN"
Pretty well corned, and up to any thing >
Drunk as lord, and happy as a king,
blue as razor from his midnight reveI,
Not fearing muskets, women, or the devil;
With light heart,
Much lighter than feather;
With a light sOuI
That spurned the freezing weather;
And with d head
Ten times as light as either;
And purse, perhaps as light as all together;
On went Ezekiel, with great expansion
OF thought,
INT ] he brought
Up, at a post before the Deacon's mansion.
VII.
With one arm round the post, while he stood,
In thoughtful mood;
With one eye turned
Up towards the window where,
With feeble glare,
candle burned;
Then, with serious
Face, and grave, mysterious
Shake OF the head,
Ezekiel said;
(His right eye, once more, thrown
Upon the beacon
That from the window, shone D.
"I'H start the DeacOn,''
VIII.
Rap, rap, rap, rap, went Deacon Stokes's
knocker.
But no one stirred.-Rap, rap, it went again.
=" BY George lit aust be after ten o'clock, or
They take An early hour for turning IN"
TX.
Rap, rap, rap, rap,-my conscience how they
A fellow waiting! Lord how sound they
sleeps"
The Deacon then began to be alarmed;
And in amazement,
Threw up the Easement;
And with cap on head,
Oifrey red,
Demanded, what the cause was, of the riot
That, thus, disturbed his quiet.
- XII.
"Quite cool this evening, Deacon Stokes -
replied
The voice below Well, well, sir! what's
the mattersn
"Quite chilly, Deacon; how your teeth do
chatteri'
You vagabond; pretty time you've chosen
10 shew your wit for am almost frozen:
Be off or rll come down & put the lash on. .
Why, bless you Deacon; don't be in pas
sion."--
twas all in vain
To speak again;
For, with the Deacon's threat about the lash.
Down went the SASH
XII.
Rap, rap, rap, rap, the knocker went again;
And neither of 'em was very light rap.
Ihump, thump, against the door, went 'Ze-
kicl's zane,
And that, once more, brought Deacon Stokes
night cap.
XIII.
very cold weather, Deacon Stokes, tonight