The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-02-02
THE DOCTOR AND THE POET.

A DOCTOR and a poet met
To wrestle DER a friendly bet;
The question being which could tell
The longest story, quick and well.
The doctor having fairly done,
His story timed tone hour and one),
In reckless verse the bard begun
THE FOREST, LAKE AND HILL.
Some ninety years or SO ago,
Three brothers, John, Edwin and Joe,
By virtue of father s will
Were left forest, lake and hill.
Man ,JOhn-the senior some SIX years -
!EFsd hardly dried his eyes of tears,
IRE pointing with his finger slim
Coward the forest, black and grim,
Said: "That. of course, is all my share,
/ being papa's eldest heir
Quoth Neddy then, nowise perplexed:
THAT hill is mine, l coming next.
Which left the lake. as well you see,
For Joe. the Youngest of the three,
Who. having naught of spleen to, rlle,
Just took his portion with a smile,
Nor said word to show the pair
He thought the lake 1Cdtere0 share,
But blandly wished the stlngy two
What pleasure terra trina knew.
Two years the trio worked the shares,
Each minding well his own affairs;
Jack cut and sawed the forest down,
And carted what he hewed to town,
While Ned the hill intently titled
And with the crops the market hlled.
Joe thought the portion thrown to him,
For money ends, was rather sllm
But still resolved to work his best;
And, when his brothers went to rest,
Stole out and, 'twixt the eve and dawn,
Well stocked the lake with fishes spawn.
Two years so spent. IN crept the thlru,
And with it came alarming word,
Passed quickly round from mouth to mouth
How grasses, dried by lengthy drought,
Had caught a spark, and that flame
Miles wide and high in fury came.
Dame Gossip this one time was right.
Down came the flame the second night,
And, black destruction IN ITS wake,
Swept clean the country to the lake.
Next day the brothers one by one
Went out to view the damage done.
Ned's hill of grain lay burnt and bare,
Johns forest was-no, wasn't there;
For all the three together found
Was JOsie's lake and smoking ground.
Now, here the rub-a-dub begins,
Snail races with the hare and wins
Thieves, taking all. are forced to lose
Their plumber to escape the moose;
Thus John and Ned. in haste for gold,
Soon found it much too warm to hold;
And, though the lesson seemed severe,
Yet imam is just so set and queer
They both refused the hint to take.
And now demanded part the lake.
This Joe refused, as well he might,
And then began a wordy fight.
Ned swore he'd drain the lakelet dry"
Joe said he = thought the hill too high
To make a very fluent drain"
And, bowling. babe him try again.
John said: I'm not so great a fool;
FL have a good surveyors rule
Foot out the heritage to each.
I'll have the law
Stayr' said the leech.
" And did he really take to law
- Ay, that he did"
""Ils we'll. no more;
Here, take the stakes; | lose the bet.
OF course the brothers squabble vet.
Well say the wagers fairly won,
Your stOry's sure the longer one
For who e'er heard. or who e'er saw.
Tail end of shortest tale at law"
Quite true the jolly bard replied,
lis like case of yours who died,
Worn out in stomach, taking pills,
Worn out in pocket, paying bills"
= Your pulse, o bard is surely wrong,
Else you'd be singing sweeter song;
lis quite shame in one SO young;
Pray take pill, and clear the tongue"
" Nay, doctor mine, truce / crave;
L deal III matters gay-you Craze"
" Now, faith l should have thought bit
Ere thus | reused poets wit"
J. CoRdat Foster, in ". Y. Commercial Adyer
USer.