The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-01-08
CARRIERS ADDRESS.
JAN. |, 1881

Sound the bugle, twang the hewgag.
Let pure happiness have sway.
Grown up people light and merry
All the children bright and gay
From life SO swiftly fleeing
Drive out sorrow for to-day;
Live a new life from this morning,
Free from every evil way.
It's not oft in rhymes spread me,
Like Milton Scott or Poe;
Or write plays like Billy Shakespeare,
Or any of that kind you know.
But now the fit is mighty on me,
And though my rhymes may strike you quee
You'll own It's fitting to the season,
TO wish you all "A Happy New Year
See Father Time--how old he's growing
All shriyeled up and bent and grey;
Yet never do we find him fretting,
As on he rolls the same old way.
Like us, Old Time once too was young,
AS when, in high primeval days,
lie gricvcd when our first parents fcl!
From innocence to evil ways.
No doubt old Satan was to blame,
As you, pcrchance, have heard before;
For he an apple gave to Eve,
And she to Adam gave the core.
spose it seemed small affair
To them, as there they munched the fruit
But every i'll the world has known
Has come because they dared to do it.
The proof is strong all down the line
OF hist'ry from that day to this;
But well the details We may skip
When ignorance thereof il bliss.
Rather of present times I'd write,
And tell, as nearly as know,
In CHEEKY rhymes, but true and straight,
Of haps and mishaps here below.
To Providence-or Sherman-thanks,
Our land abundantly is blest
With all that sun and rain can give
In North and South and East and West.
Though sore mishaps we too have had,
On land as well as on the sea;
And who can fill the vacant chair
That in so many homes there be"
Yet think-should old Ben Franklins spirit
A visit make from yond the Skies
Wouldn't it make the old gent wonder
Wouldn't he ope his 'stonished eyes
To hear of the electric light
And speaking wires from zone to zone,
And whisperings through the fretted air
From mouth to ear by telephone?
And now word bout politics:
With struggle fierce and racket
We beat them in the argument,
But lacked the wealth to back it,
Yet Barnum thinks he's spied fraud
Most diabolic in its kind,
And swears that Hancock yet shall be
The White House tenant in your mind"
Our circuit clerk Taylor is
| Whereby the trades gamer;
And if to fancy nags inclined,
He's not without TrainOr.
Our states attorney a Brewer is
| Though not of ale or beer;
And yet for rogues he Il brew storm
To make them quake with fear.
But won't the southern brigadiers
! In congress cape and wonder, 49,
when the whole capitol rocks and shakes
With our brave Cullen's thunder?
Has Ottawa prospered? I'd remark
J Just look vt Fiske & BEEN, sir!
| Home marble and plate glass 'front.'
! Don't it most gorgeous seem, sir?
Then see that goddess perched above,
\ In scorn of heat or blizzard,
Without clonk OF ulster on
Should think she'd freeze her gizzard!
j And there's the bottle factry too,
Deserves n mention here;
Twas planned and built and all put through
Within the current year.
But amt it hard to realize
That in just one short year hence
Those ancient relics shall be gone
The old Court House and Jail and fence:
Alas see you're tired already
With themes SO full Of glory
hl So-(thank you for the - | will here
= just end my little story.