The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-06-29
THE pERILs OF HASTE.


Once on o time a young man
Whose name, and where heis
Whose occupation and station
Are none of your blest biz
Once on time d young man
At Saratoga Springs
Did, with an unknown lady,
All sorts of spooncy things.
There men wage love with women,
And women there with men,
Then one goes Off to Newport
And one to Watkins Glen;
The summer passions over,
And they meyer meet again.
Small harm in these tlirtations
Where those who first begin them
Do so with the full consciousness
That there is nothing in them.
Just as his bow the archer
Has lcyellcd at your heart
You're off and the swift Day Express
Outspeeds his harmless dart.
III.
Nevertheless, this young man
And woman whom sing
For a summer-resort Irritation,
Rather overdid the thing.
Nothing wrong, let me assure you;
But when ii comes to signs,
To answering unhcard questions,
AVtftllIg meeting eyes.
To saving ''If only
And All" and likewise "Would-"
There may De nothing wrong in it,
But there is nothing good.
".
So in due course they parted,
And went their several ways,
And when again the lovers met
Twas after many days.
That young woman saw her sweetheart
And that youpg man his belle.
Beside her was an old man,
Bearded and stout and grim,
With the knucklcs of Titan's fist,
The theWs Of Analim.
She recognized her lover
And seemed to point him out
while she fixed ON him appealing eyes
To her companion stout.
The old man on the lover
He bent 30 keen gaze
That the Young man cut his dinner short,
just after the entrees.
Ae went out 10 the Office,
His brain all in whirl,
And said to himself with ashy lips,
"treat Caesar, that's the girl.
She knows me; I'll, the author
OF her being, that old man Stout
HI, there, yc stalWart porters,
Ny trunk soon as We can;
For must take the SO train
This evening for Japan"
VI
They hurried, that csscnced bookkeepcr
And those brawny porters stout;
Already they are bringing down
His trunks, his bills made out.
When from behind he felt "A hand
That pIucked him by the sleeve,
And mans voice said in low deep tones,
mir. Smithers, believe"
And turning round, this young man,
With eyes dilated, saw
That the man who sought an interview
Was that Young womans Pa.
Then ashy pale grew that young mans lips
And ashy pale his cheek,
And thrice he swallowed nothing down,
And thrice he strove to speak
And inwardly he told himself
That the game it was L. p;
And he thought "My sin has found me out
What shall the harvest hey
A suit for heavy damages,
Or shooting tragedy"
And then he said unto himself
'I'll have to wed that girl,
Perchance he hath got store of wealth
And heart disease, this churl."
And he was about to gasp aloud
"Fm willing, upon my life,
To make the only rcpara--
When that old man said my wife
VIII.
MY wife at able knew your face"
That stern old man went on,
''She said that you had met before
In the summer that is gone,
And that at Saratoga Springs
To Danish her eaR,G
You gave yourself world of pains
thank YOU heartily.
Pray let us meet you often, sir,
To know you am proud"
And that old man grim salutcd him
And vanished in the crowd
The young man said unto the clerk;
"Send my trunks up again,
For here on urgent business !
Perpctually remain"
He walked up to the bar-room bar
And smiled liquid smile,
And half perpleXod expression dwclt
Upon his face the while.
Here's 10 myself" that young man said,
As gay 40 garden bird;
"But what fat had in the fire been
III could have gasped Il word"
Y.
So, my son, wherc'er thou gocst
Wherc'cr thy lot is cast
Oh, take the poets warning,
And do not speak TOO fast
&c. T, L., ia v. Y. World.
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