The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1858-09-29
SPLINTERS AND FAG-ENnS,


GATHERED FROM THE PICKINGs OF EVERY DAYLIFE
The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table,
in the September Atlantic Monthly, pro.
duoes the followin, remarkable piece of
poomtry," which, if it cannot be reck-
oned among the Fine Arts, certainly re-
fleets credit upon the Mechanic Arts. As
the the Deacon says Of his SHAY
"shell dew p Times.
The Deacon's Masterpiece
Or THE WONDERFUL ONE-Hoss-SHAY."
LOGICAL STORY.
Have you heard OF the wonderful one boss shay,
That was built in such logical way
1t ran hundred years to day,
And then, of a sudden, it - all, but stay,
I'll tell you what happened without delay, -
Soaring the parson into fits.
Frightening the people out Of their wis.,
Have you heard of that, say?
Seventeen hundred and ifty-five,
Georgius Secundus was then alive
Snuffy old drone from the German hive
That was the year when Lisbon-town
Saw the earth open and gulp her down,
And Braddock's army was done 50 brown,
Left without scalp to its crown.
1t was the terrible Earthquake-day
That the Deacon finished sih ne-hoss-shay.
Now in building chase, tell YOU what,
There is always somewhere u weakest spot
In hub, tire, felloe, in spring or thill,
In screw, bolt, thorJu Misunderstanding still
Find it somewhere you must and will
Above or below, or within or without
And that's the reason, beyond doubt,
A chase breaks DOZEN but doesn't icedr ont.
But the Deacon swore (as Deacons do,
With an " dew YUM" or an" tell yeOa,O
He would build one shay to beat the taown
m the keounty m all the kentry ruouu':
1t should be so built that it cOaiin' break daown
Fur" said the deacon, CTS mighty plain
That the weakes' place muststan' the strain;
m the way t fix it. NJ maintain,
Is only Jest
To make the place W strong w the rest
SO the deacon irqui.cl Of the village folk
Where he could find the strongest oak,
That couldn't be spit, uo+ bent nor broke
That was for spoKes and floor, and stills
He sent for lancewoo. TO make the thill.;
The crossbars ash, from the strLghtest trees;
The panels of white wood, that cuts like cheese,
But last like iron tor things like these;
The hubs of logs from tie " Settler clium -
Last of its timber they couldn't sell Elm
Never an axe tad seen their chips,
And the wedges flew irom between their lips,
Their blunt ends frizzed like celery tips;
Step and prop-irun, bolt and -crow,
Spring, tire, axle and lnchpn too,
Steel of the finest bright ANA blue;
Thorough brace bison skin, thick and wide;
Boot, top, dasher, from tough old hide
Found in the pit whu the tanner died.
That was the way he " put her through -
" There :" said the Deacon, " naow she II dew J!
Do tell YOU, rather guess
She was wonder, and nothing less
Colts grew horses, boards turned gray,
Deacon and De0coness dropped away.
Children and grand childi en-where we've obey
But there stood the stout old one-hosssHay
As fire as on Lisbon earthquake-daY
EIGHTEEN HUNDRED-it came and found
The Deacon's Masterpiece strong and sound.
Eighteen hundred increased by ten
" Hahnsum kenidge" they called il then.
Eighteen hundred and twenty came;
Running usual much the
Thirty and forty ut last arrive,
Ana then come thy, and FIFTY FIVE.
Little of all value here
Wakes on the morn of its hundredth wear
Without both feeling and looking queer.
In fact, there's nothing that keeps ITS youth
So far as know, but a tree and truth.
This is II mo nj that runs at large;
Take it. " our welcome.-No extra chargc.D
FIRST OF NovRMnER--the Earthquake day,
There are traces of age in the one hoss shay,
A general flavor of mild decay,
But nothing local, as one may say
There couldn't be-for the Deacon's art
Had made it like in every part
That there wasn't chance for To- start.
For the wheels were just as strong as the thills
And the floor was ust strong as she sll-
And the panels ust as strong as the floor
And the whiftletree neither less nor more
And the back-crossbar as strong the fore,
And spring and axle and hub encore
And yet, as a lchole, it is past doubt
In another hour it will be out
First of November, Fifty FIVE
This morning the parson takes a drive
Now, small boys get OUT of the way
Here comes the wonde .fu one -hoss-shay.
Drawn by rat-tailed, eve. necked bay
"Huddupn said the parson.-Of went they
The parson working his Sundays text
Had lot to tfhly ana stopped perplexed
At what the-Moses-was coming next
All at once the horse stood still
Close by the meet'n' house on the hill.
First Il SILVER, and then thrill,
Then something decidedly like spill
And the parson was sitting upon a rock
At hali-past nine by the Ineetn' house clock -
Just the hour of the Earthquake shock
What do you think the parson found
When he got up and stared around
The poor, old chaise in heap or mound
As if it had been to the mill and ground
You see, of course if you're not a Ounce
How it went to pieces all at once
All at once, and nothing first
Just as bubbles do when they burst
End of the wonderful one-hoSs-shav
oic 10 lnrin 1batfC oil