Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1859-12-22
4oeng.
THE BAREFOOT BOZ.
nY John 6. wHIrrIEE.

Blessings on thee. Little mani
Barefoot boy, with cheek Of tanl.
With thy turned up pantaloons,
And thy merry whistled times
With thy red lip redder still,
Kissed BY strawberries on the hill
With the sunshine on thy face
Through thy torn brim's jaunty grace;
From my heart i give thejoy-
Twas once barefoot boy.
Prince thou srt-the grown up man
Only is Republican.
Let the million dollar'd ride
Barefoot trudging at his side.
Thou hast more than be can buy,
In the reach of ear and eye
Outward sunshine inward Joy:
Blessings on the barefoot bay.
Obi for boyhood's painless play,
Sleep that wakes in laughing day;
Health that mocks the doctors rules;
Knowledge never learned at schools;
OF the wild bees morning chase.
OF the wild flowers time and place,
Flight Of fowl and habisude
Of the tenants of the wood,
How the tortoise bears his shell,
How the woodcbuek digs his cell.
And the ground-mole sinks his well;
How the robin feeds her young,
How the orioles nest is hung;
Where the whitest lilies blow,
Where the freshest berries grow,
Where the ground nut trails in vine,
Where the good grapes cluster shine,
Of the black wasps cunning way,
Mason of bis walls of clay,
And the agricultural plans
OF gray hornet artisansi
For escheving books and tasks,
Nature answers all he asks.
Haad in hand with her be walks,
Face to face with her he talks,
Part and parcel of her Joy.
Blessings on the barefoot boyi
Oil for boyhood's time of June.
Crowding years in one brief moon.
When all things l heard or saw,
Me, their master waited forl
i was rich in flowers and trees,
Humming birds and humming bees;
For my sport the squirrel played.
Piled the shouted mole his spade,
For my tastes the blackberry come,
Purpled over hedge and stone;
Laughed the brook for my delight
Through the day and through the night,
Whispered at the garden wall.
Talked with me from fall TO fall;
Mine the sand-rimmed pickeral pond,
Mine the walnut slopes beyond,
Mine the bending orchard trees,
Apples of Hesperidesi
Still on my horizon grew
Larger grew my riches, too;
All the world saw or knew,
Seemed complex Chinese 10y,
Fashioned for barefoot boyl
OH for festal dainties spread,
Like my bowl of milk aud bread
Pewter spoons and bowl of wood.
On the door stone gray and rude.
Der me like regal tent,
Cloudy ribbed the sunset bent,
Purple curtains. fringed with gold,
Looped In many a windswung fold;
While for music came the play
OF the pied frogs orchestra;
While to light the noisy choir,
Lit the fly his lamp of firel
I was monarch: pomp and joy,
Waited on the barefoot boy.
Cheeriy, then. my little man,
Live and laugh as boyhood cani
Though the fiinty slopes be hard,
Stubble speared the new mown sward,
Every morn shall lead the through
Fresh baptisms of the dew;
Every morning from thy feet
Shall the cool winds kiss the heat.
All too soon these feet must hide
In the prison cells of pride
Lost the freedom of the sod,
Like the colt for work beshod.
Made to tread the mills of toll,
Up and down the ceaseless moil-
Happy if the tracks be found
Never on forbidden ground
Happy if they sink not in
Quick and treacherous sands of sin.
Ali that thou couldst know the joy,
Ere itpasses, barefoot boyl