The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1880-01-24

right along just the same, "clack-claek-
claek, blue trip slip, clack-clack- -clack,
for an eight-ceut fare; claek. .clack -clack,
buff trip slip, clack-clack- -claek, for six
cent fare and so on and 80 on and 50 on
punch 10 the presence Of the passeujare r.
Sleep2 Not a single wink / was al
most luuatic when | got to Boston.
Don't ask Inc about the funeral | did
the best | could, but every sole an indi-
vidual sentence was meshed and tangled
and woven in aud out with Punch, broth
ers, punch with care, punch 10 the pres
enee Of the passenjare.p Aud the most
distressing thing was that my delipery
dropped into the undulating rhythm OF
those pulsing rhymes, and could actually
catch absent-minded people nodding time
to the swing Of it with their stupid heads.
And, Mark, you may believe il or not, but
before got through the entire assemblagc
were placidly bobbing their heads in sol.
emn unison, mourners, undertaken, and
all. The moment / had finished | fed to
the anteroom 10 a state bordering on fren-
zy. Of course it would be my luck to find
sorrowing and aged maiden aunt Of the
deceased there, who had arrived from
Springfield too late to get into the church.
She began to sob, and said
"Oh, oh he is gone, he is gone, and /
didn't see him before he died p
"Yes /" said, she is gone, he is gone,
he is gone-oh, ioM this suffering never
cease |"
"You loved him, then Oh, you too
loved him r.
Loved him! Loved ,oho 2"
why, my poor George my poor ne.
phew !"
"Oh-him! Yes,-oh, yes, yes. Ger.
tainly-certainly. Punch---puuch--oh,
this misery will kill me r.
BLESS you bless you, sir, for these
sweet words 1, too, suffer in this dear
loss. Were you present during his last
moments 2"
"Yesl I-,chose last moments 2"
"Hs The dear departed's."
"Yesl Oh, yes-yes--yes! Isuppos,
so, | think so, / don't know Oh, Ger
tainly-I was there-I was there r.
| "0h, what privilege what precious
privilege And his last words-oh, tel
me, tell me his last words What did he
say?"
HE said-hc said--oh, my head, m,
head, my head He said--he said---h,
never said anything but Punch, punch
punch, 10 the presence Of the passenjarc
Oh, leave me, madam! In the name o
all that is generous, leave me to my mad
ness, my madness, my misery, my despair
"A buff trip slip for a six.cent far, pin
trip slip for a three-ce fare-endu-
eau no further go PUNCH in the pres
ence Of the passenjare !"
My friends hopeless eyes rested upol
mine for minute, and then he faid i'm
pressively
"Mark; you do not say anything. Yol
do not offer me any hope. But, ali me,
it is just as well--it is just as well. Yo
could not do me any good. The time ha
long gone by when words could comfol
me. Something tells me that my tongu
is doomed to wag forever to the jigger q
that remorseless jingle. There--there
is coming on me agaiu; a blue trip slip f
an cight-cent fare, buff trip slip for a.
Thus murmuring faint and fainter, m
friend sank into peaceful trance and 70
got his suffering 10 blessed respite.
How did finally save him from Ii
, asylum | took him to a neighboriD
university aud made him discharge III
burden of his prosecuting rhymes into tn
eager ears of the poor, unthiuking stt
dents. How is 1t with them now I'll
result is too sad to tell. Why did wri,
this article? 1t was for a worthy, eve
T a noble, purpose. 1t was to warn 70,
reader, if you should come across thos
merciless rhymes, to avoid them-avoi
them as you would pestilence