Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-01-10
WILLIAM Brown. OF OREGON
JOAQUIN MILLER

They call him Bill. the hired man,
And she they call her Mary Jane,
And lovers often drew rein
To chat and sigh as lovers can
Across the gate in snatch and catch;
And women Winked across their tea,
And said, and truly 80 thought he,
That she would make a splendid match.
This hired man had loved her long,
Had loved her best and first and last;
Her very garments - she passed
For him hal symphony and song.
So when one day with brow a-frOwn
She called him Bill, he raised his head,
be caught her eye, then falterng said,
81 love you, and my name is Brown"
She fairly Waltzed with rage. she wept,
You would have thought the house a-fire,
She told her sire, the pOrtly squire,
Then smslt her smelling salts and slept.
Poor William did what could be done,
He swung pistol on each hip,
He gathered up great OK whip,
And drove toward the setting sun.
He crossed the great backbone OF earth,
he saw the snowy mountains rolled
Like mighty pillows, saw the gold
OF awful sunsets, saw the birth
OF sudden dawn upon the plain,
And every eve would William Brown
Eat pork and beans and then lie down
And dream swest dreams Of Mary Jane.
II.
The teter board Of life goes up,
TIE teter board Of life goes down,
The sweetest face must learn 70 fruWn;
The biggest dog has been pup.
Her lovers passed Wolves hunt in packs.
They sought for bigger game; somehow
They seemed TO see about her brow
The fOTky sign Of turkey tracks.
. maidens, pluck not at the air!
The sweetest flowers have found
Grow rather close unto the ground,
Aud highest places are most bare.
Why YOU had better win the grace
Of one poor cUssed African
Than win the ewes OF every man
In love alone with his own face.
At last she nursed a new desire:
She sighed, she wept for William Brown.
She watched the splendid sun 90 down
Like sOme great sailing ship a-fre;
Then rose and checked her trunks right on
And in the cars she lunched and lunched,
And had her ticket punched and punched,
Until she came 70 Oregon.
She wore blue specs upon her nose,
She reached the limit Of the lines,
And then set out 10 reach the mines,
In rather short and manly clothes.
Her right hand held parasOl,
Her pocket held a testament,
And thus equipped right on she went,
Went waterproof and waterfall.
She asked a miner gazing down,
Slow stirring something with q spoon,
To tell her true and tell her soon
What had become Of William Brown.
He looked aszance beneath her specs,
Then stirred his cocktail round and round,
Then raised his head and sighed profound,
And said, "He's handed in his checks"
Then care fed on her damaged cheek,
And she grew faint did Mary Jane.
And smelt her smelling salts in vain,
Yet wandered on wayWOrn and weak
Until at last she sat her down
Upon a slOping hill alone;
And, there, good gracious! stood a stone,
And 10! that stone read William Brown.
go William Brown! o William Brown"
And, here you rest at last, she said,
with this lone stone above your head,
And forty miles from any town.
/ will plant cypress trees, I wilt,
And / VIII build fence around,
And viii fertilize the ground
With tears enough TO turn a mill.
She weIa and got a hired man,
She brought him forty miles from town;
Then in the tall grass she sat down,
And babe him build g. she should PLAZA;
But digger herders with their bands
They saw and hUrriedly they ran
And told a bearded cattle-man
That some one builded on his lands.
He took q rife from the rack,
He giTt him in his battle pelt,
He thrust two pistols in his belt,
Then mounted on his chargers back,
And plunged ahead. But when they showed
A woman Chere, about his ewes
He pulled his hat, and he likewise
Pulled az his beard and cheWed and cheWed
At last he got him down and spake,
80 lady, dear, what do Won here?n
81 build a.tOmb unto my dear;
j plant some flowers for his sake"
The bearded man threw his two hands
Above his head, then brought them down,
And cried, go, I am William Brown,
And this the corner Of my lands"
Her specs fell OF, her head feIl back
some like a lifted teapot lid:
She screamed-tliiS ancient maiden did
Then, faiuting, split herself, slackl
Right "A the beard OF William Brown.
Then ali the diggers IRE amazed,
They thought the lonely maiden crazed,
And, circling there, they squatted down.
III.
The preacher rode a spotted mare,
He gallOped forty miles or more;
he swOre he never had before
Seen bride or bridegroom half 80 faJr.
And all the miners, they came down,
And Toasted As the night advanced;
And all the diggers drank and danced,
And cried, big Iniin, William Brown"