Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-05-10
Miscellaneous Selections.
BLOWN UP.
BY THOMAS DUNN ENGLISH.

BY THOMAS DUNN ENGLISH.
Take care and move me easy, boys, and let tn
doctor see
IF there's any use to try and patch what little
There-that'I do. It's all no use-I see it ii
your eye.
You needn't purse your mouth that way-va
And if there really be no chance to save a fel
lows life
Well, well! the blast was quite enough, and wei
excuse the knife.
Just loose my collar gently, boys,-it hurts m,
as lie;
Put something underneath my head-don,t rails,
me quite so high;
And let me have some water-Ah-hl tell you
that's the stun;
beats s,nd old rys ought to know-Ive surely
You'll say whatever were my fqults, to say the
thing that's right,
That Jim Van Valen never shirked hi. liquor or
afght.
The circut-rider9 What's the use? I hardly
think one prayer,
However long, has power enough my whole ac-
And at the day Of judgment, when the world its
work is through,
And all the miners round about account for what
they do,
The Lord above, who knows all things, will be as
just TO me
And merciful-at all events, with Him I'll let
il be.
Somehow my mind goes backward, boys, to many
To the valley of the Overprock, and the farm
house long and low,
When wandered on the Palisades to gather PINK
And, mixed with lilacs, mother placed them in
our sittng-room.
see them in the fireplace, in that pitcher white
What queer things come across the mind, when
ones about to die!
Why, can see the orchard, boys upon the side
ling hill;
The place flshed for killies in the crooked Pei
lum Kill;
The deep hole where the pickerel lay-the rascal
caught him with moose of wire, and snaked
him on the bank;
The places in the meadow where / went to trap
the mink;
The mill-pond by the roadside where drove the
cows to drink.
And there was little Kitty, boys, her. house was
The gardens almost Joined, but she was prettier
than the flowers.
We went to school in winter-time upon the Tin
eek road,
And when put her books with mine it seemed
to ease the load;
But when we both grew up, somehow I wasn't
She married Peter BrinkerhoG-and that is why
I'm here. n
There was my good old father bows, with stern
and rugged brow
used to think him hard on mel know him bet
ter now;
And, then my dear old mother, with that pleas
ant smile of hers
o what gush of tenderness the thought within
me stirsl
Come father, raise me in your arms; and, moth
er, stroke my brow
Your hand is cool-what odd conceiti they're
neither living now.
They're gone, the old Van valens, boys-there's
no one left but me,
And am going too-and so send no word you
see.
The boys used to play with, and the girls used
to know,
Grown up to men and women, have forgot me
long agol
pve not been to Bergen County now for many and
many day,
And no one there would care to hear what I1night
have to say.
find Pm getting weaker, boys, nv eyes are
growing diml
There's something dancing in the air; nv head
begins to swim,
Water!-That's goodi that stirs me upl that gives
me life againl
You talk about your dead men-why Pm inst as
good as ten.
There's something heavy on my breast-you take
the thing away
Mother there's Kitty Demarest-may 20 out
to'-play?--Scrfbner's for May.