, 1873-03-30
BABY AND MUSTARD PLAYING 6ALL.

In tho reddcncd graas Of the Eyergladc,
And the Colouel-Gove1uor going to cine,
With bis own blood red in the cups Of vine.
The potIiccana's paniclcs,
with -of-paradise plume sud bells,
Are stcered in Bun, till petals art rolled
In ting edging Of sca1oped gold:
And tho Cape jessamine's scented sno:e
Brrathes in the fragrance and In the GLOW :
And the apice Of the o1eanier flies
Under the uda Of his sleepy eyest
Aud cvpress-rino hath blown score
OF scarlet blooms on the pulLacon noor-
Over the floor and rustic hall
Where baby and Mustard are playing OIL.
Baby round lttlc one-sumncr nan,
And Mustard pickle Ut btack-a1ld-san.
And sweet little rustic scene it is
or tropical splcudor aud homely Bliss.
Tic sunbur1ed baby, as brown as nut,
Tosaes the ball in the broad log-hu',
Till Mustard catches 1t, hand over Land,
And rolls outside, with ! bump, on rue sana
Aad grandpa dozes and i1lly Rz7crea.
AZ he dreams OF the a1roWs parting tho leaves
While baby backs on his inber Whit.
Holding the tone-1attle fast in his fist,
And over the Btoop, with stumble and tau,
For Mustard and baby are playing oaA~
Chubby and ss,,cy, my brnve little nnn,
Collar aud tousle the black-and-taE,
For ne can bound and bounce with the pou,
Willis You, my little one, have to crawl,
And hovttr and foliage fence you IN
The por:hes Of yellow 1essa1nine.
But outside meadows have dHffauo*no1l1esr
And all the lake margin ts white WITH lines.
Where tho shadows of flying paroquets,
Green and gold III the qutretlng heats,
Seem to plunge III the wafer, and skim
In cool refreshing untler-swtm;
Far under the nosing alligator,
Whose bubbling spine clong the water
St4r:les the shadowy-white egtet
Out Of the border Of emerald wet;
While grandpa dozes and dreams again
II 4Sr5fF fra4
And knows not baby has On Ill fours
Crept and tumbletf quite Uut-cf-doorf,
Nor hears the mocking- birds mimic call
OF baby a.ld.Austard playing ball
Spirp japontcas, princc's-feather,
Dablias and asters cgammed togsthers
L;lacs, laburnuus, virgin f-Erace,
And pasaion-fower In blue aud lace
CatcL-tly aud cockscomb, crimson ruded,
Portulaccas mud candy-tufs:
Orchids piDks, and auemones,
The myriad phlo1 and argemones;
Marig3ld, .scart'e-ease, violet,
Veraruas and panstes, mlBuouette;
Sensitive plant and the rose Of Sharon,
Adams needle and the rod OF Aarcn--
Growing together, the wild and tame,
And more that the florist cali not na1n'b
For every spear-grass shows COMB,
And weeds in flower arc quito at home
A io1y playground this for the man,
piaying At bali with the biack-and-tan,
And 1naulma away st her spinning-Wnee,
u
Tho Indian arrowhead scrare the bone,
And uvakes with a sudden sigh or gEoan-
Awakes for hasty glancs and call
To baby and Mustard playing ball.
Grand ia the golden Florida Juno
In the sweet OF the fragrant afternoon,
In vital being 30 rich and rife;
The lake'a white pebbles arc sparkle of A1c1
And the fountain, bubbling hour by Ac1r,
Blooms In beautiful foany flower,
With stamen and pisti1s Of prismy spray,
And pollen Of sunshine blowing away,
But baby. with crab-like lurch and crawl
And frisky Mustard had lost the ball,
When ont Of the portulacca bed,
There shoots = couo-shaped, scaly head.
The rel blood curdles anl hard bones quake
At the whir of the deadly ratt1eanake
Not q foot from tho baby's chubby fist,
His cliuched coraIs aud lifted wrist
Too late for help: no bullet could dy
Before the little ONO has to die.
Oh! God OF mercy how dread screen
TO draw before the beautiful scene!
ALL life and loveliness at breath
The horror and shudder Of sudden death!
A little white dove, whose tender plumee
Scarce heat the air with their feathery dumes,
rlucked by cruel hand, and the spst
scnt quiyering, bleeding, quite through it.;
4 little white bud that's pulled apart
To the pink Of its innocent little heart,
That might have given Hone Joy, we know,
Had it been left alone to blow:
All cruel things that we do each tlaJ
The cruel snake, with it's cusped fang,
Out Of the portulaceas sprang.
Careless, unconscious, brave little one,
Tawny and ripe in the Florida sun,
Chubby and naked, with nut-likc fist,
i.c strikes with 8 l1ll; u random wrist.
THE coileu Auako struck, tn co1lisire battle,
His lc:.cc fangs-ln the baby's ratle.
re Dtum h,udamssl 4 baser cause,
Has stirred and waEcned j peoples arplauEe,
When shouting army, in rank on raak,
H.ye crowded the churches Just to thank
Their God, with vocal and brazen din,
That He has permitted them so to sin.
But here-s.ay, tarry your glad surprise
A Florisla EatIesnake ncver lilies.
The beauty Of swifuy-recoyered col,
Sudden aud smooth as the glide OF oil,
And the .hudde-ing beat Of Lis deadly hum
Is the rattlesnako's rally ing tenor drum.
Courage! little one, chubby and tough.
But surely now you have done euuugh*
Not, with your baby and naked hands,
70 craplle the pretty thing in the sauds7
Yet erlndpa's ehout and mammals scream
BurEt Like life in . startled dream.
Too late: but Mustard has heard the call,
And goes for the snake iustead OF tho hall.
Tug and twist, and 3 sudden jerk
Br1yoi Mustard has done ths work!
Limp, with the life beginning to fail,
Down to the tip Of bis ra:tle-tall,
While grandpa powders a!ay i: his head,
Aud-ruins the portulAcca bed.
And this, gather, will do for ali
OF baby and Mustard playing bau
In the fragrant Florida afternoon
And Juicy beauty o: spicy Juro,
Aud, like the snake, to end viii tafe-
One dog in the world there is, "not for sale."
Jesus, who loyeth and chastent:h
> Some to mercy and come to desths
Bleased are such as receive Hix;g-ace,
And in their Htt!e ones ace His fac=.
.NW Wallace Harsaey IN HdrFer's MaJaz!ne
dpril.