Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-07-21
selctt poetrp.
Old and the Black Gentleman.

TWAS at tho silent midnight hour,
Old Nick walked into Old Abe's room
Ana stood close at his feet.
He shook his horns and wnggcd his tail,
As other beasts oft do,
Aud cried aloud, Awake. Old Abe!
For am come for you.'
Old Abe trombingly awol<e,--
-. FIRST gapcd, then rubbed his eyes,
To see the gentleman in black
quite filled him with surprise.
He muttfrcd something indstinct
About Fort Lafayette,
Although his blood was running cold,
He broke out in u sweat.
The Devil cried, "CivC cnr Old Ahe,
And do no courage lack,
TOO well know for years you have
Loved everything that's black.
Therefore, prepare to 20 with me,
(Oid Abe, he groancd with icar),
may as well Just take you now
As wait another year"
Poor Abe cried out, "What have done,
and gave another grOanj,
OH, dear, oh, dear! like Jctf, / want
But TO be let alone"
Old n Nicll, he laughed and shook his head,
Ana unto Abe aid say,
"Ihcrc is no habeaS corpus now,
Come get up right away"
Then Abe rose slowly from his bed;
But what seems strange to tell,
From sulphur or from something else,
There came n nOiSOmc smell.
Then Nick took Abe upon his back,
And solcmnly he swOrc,
lie never carried down below
so bad a man before.
When TO the river StyX they came,
Old Charon with his boat
Refused to ferry old Abe o'Cr,
urchangc grccnbuck note.
Old Charon said, "My charge is small
one penny in hard cash.
SllnplaStcrS don't pass current here,
Nor no such worthless trash.
'Rcmcmbcr, Abe, you don't on me,
Play any little joke,
GrCenbaclis now worth thirtythrcc,
The bank Will soon be broke.
"nesdes, you might rcpudiate,
As has been done before;
But us you once were splitting rails,
perhaps may row you DER.
"Just to obllge my friend, old Nick,
For take you DER he must,
And Us YOU have no cOppcrhcad,
III rowNuu DER on trust
"Aithough so bad Il man before
Nc'cr DER this ferry wont
\ glorious Yankee President,
And cannot r1isCa cent
Then Nick and Abe got in boat
And Charon rowcd them O'er
Right glad wtls he to land them both
Upon the neither shore.
Then Nick took Abraham by the arm,
And said, Come on with me,
My little iiups will be rcjoiccd
SO great Il man to sce."
They entered now within place
Ol sulphur, fire, and smoke,
Said Nick to Abe, "Don't this remind
You Ola little joke?
"This is the tyrant's last abCdn,
When he from earth has past,
All! ha! he! he! give us n joke,
Let's have Old AbC'S last
Poor Abe he could not say word,
He trcmbled SO with fear,
But into n warm corner reeled,
And sank down on ~ chair.
Come out of that" old Nick cried out,
keep that seat secured,
And that arm chair is ready there,
Awaiting Billcy Seward.
And here is Horace Grceley's next;
The next one is for Chase.
But Forncy and Ben Butler,
Must have bettar place.
Hallccks seat is furheron,
with Popc'S close by the fires:
give the rOgucS the warmest place,
But always roast the liars.
Here's Curtains with a shoddy pad,
And there is one for Banks
Shcrman's is not finished yet,
I've just completed SchenckS.
And here is one for Everett.
With Davis close by;
With Colonel Fish upon my fork,
I'll have a General Fry.
And as for Brownlow, that old knave,
He knows this place so well,
Therefore the foul-mouthed parson shall
BE scavenger OF hell.
Again he led poor Abe on,
Though but alittlc space,
Stopped by an iron door and said,
This is my hottest place.
And here keep my Purtans,
A class both mean and sly.
Whose object is, and ever was,
To rule or else destroy.
Here keep them by themselves,
Confined within this cell,
For if were to let them loose,
There'd be no peace in hell.
Just take peep in through the bars,
You need not mind the heat"
Poor old Abe looked, and said with sigh
] see some empty seats"
"Yes," said old Nick, "the top ones for
An abolition preacher,
Good service he has done for me,
His name is Harry Bcecher.
The right hand seat is Garrisons,
The left hand is for Jay.
The one for Wendell Phillips
Wes placed there yesterday.
] have place for Sumnerin
one OF my hottest hooks,
He's been Il athcrSkite since he
Was whipped by Bully Brooks.
So many come have not time,
To fix up seats for all,
Therefore hang the lesser knaNes
On hooks around the wall.
Now see, give each one their place,
According to their due,
And in the very hottest pit
/ have place for you.
Now go thy way to earth again,
And live life OF pain,
/ for the present say farewell,
We soon shall meet again"
Old Nick then started old Abe back,
As humble as n mouse.
None can describe the JOY he felt
When he saw the White House.
But ere old Nick had set him down,
He unto Abe did say,
Although left YOU OF this time,
We llmeet another day."
Where TO plant Apple Trees
They grow best in low, rich soil, as '
anything else. But yet, this is not the s
Tor apple trees nor fruit trees in genel
The frost takes them when in blossom M
readily they have less air, (which p