Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1882-08-31
William Brown, of Oregon
BY JOAQUIN MILLER.

They called him Bill, the hired man,
But she, her name was Mary Jane.
The sQuirc's daughter: anlto reign
The belle from Bcr-SEc-be to Dan.
Her little game. How lovers rash
Got mittens at the speiing-schooll
How many mute, lnglOriOns fool!
Wrote rhymes and sighed and dyed-mustache
The hired man had loved her long,
Had loved her best and first and last;
Hcf very garments as she passed
FOR him, had symphony and song.
SO when one day with brow afrOwn
She called him "3ill,'' he raised his head,
He caught her eye and fatrring said,
II love you; and my name is Brown"
She fairly waltzed with rage; she wept;
You would have thought the house on fire
Shc told her sire the portiy squire,
Then Slnelt her sineilng-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 back bone of earth
He saw the snowy mountains rolled
Like mighty bi!lows: saw the gold
of awful sunsets; saw the birth
Of sudden dawn upon the plain,
And every night would William Brown
Eat pork and bcuns, and then lie down
And dream sweet dreams of gentle Jane
Her lovers passed Wolves hunt in packs.
They sought for bigger game; somehow
They seemed to see above her brow
The forky sign of turkey tracks.
The teter-board of life goes up
The teter-board of life goes down,
ne SWeGltSt lACG must learn 10 1fOWu,
The biggest dog has been pup.
o. maidcns. pluck not at the air;
The sweetest flowers | have found
Grow rather close unto the ground,
And highest places are most bare.
Why you had better win the grace
Of one poor cussed African,
Than win the eyes of every man
In love alone with his own face.
At last she nursed new desire,
She sighed, she wept for William Brown,
She watched the splendid sun go down
Like some great sailing ship on fire.
Then rose and checked her trunk right on;
And in the cars she lunched and lunched,
And had her ticket punched nd punched,
Until she came to Oregon.
She reached the limit of the lines,
She wore blue specks upon her nose,
Wore rather short and manly clothes,
And SO set ont to reach the mines.
Her right hand held i Testament,
Her pocket held Il parasol,
And thus equipped right on she went,
Went waterproof and waterfall.
She met a miner gazing down.,
Slow stirring something with a spoon;
40, tell Ile true and tell me soon,
What has become of William Brown?"
He looked askancc beneath her specs,
Then stirred his cocktail round and round,
Then raised his head and sighed profound,
And said, ''He's banded in his checks.
Then care fed Oh her damaged check
And she grew faint did gulfus Jane,
And smelt her smelling salts in vain.
She wandered on weary, worn and weak,
AT last upon II hill! alone
She came. and there she sat her down;
For on that hill there stood stone,
And, 10! that stone read, 'Wiilam Brown"
80, William Brown. o, William Brown.
And here you rest ut last" she said,
with this lone stone above your head,
And forty miles from any town
will plant cypress trees, ] will
And L will build fence around,
And l will fertiiize the ground
With tears enough to turn mill"
She went and got hired man.
She brought him forty miles from town,
And in the tall grass squatted down
And bade him build rs she should plan.
But savage cowboys with their bands
They saw, and hurriedly they ran
And told a bearded cattle man
Somebody bIilded on his lands.
He took his rifle from the rack,
He girt himself i'll battle pelt,
He stuck two pistols in his belt
And, mounting on his horses back,
He plunged ahead. But when they Showed
A woman fair, about his eyes
He pulled his hat. and he likewise
Pulled at his beard and chewed and chewed.
At last he gat him down and spake:
20, lady dear, what do You hereY'
~ build tomb unto my dear,
plant sweet flowers for his sake
The bearded man threw his two hands
Above his head, then brought them down
And cried ''Oh, am William Brown,
And this is the cornerstone Of my landau"
Her specs fell of. her head fell back,
just like some lifted teapot lid;
She screamed. this ancient maiden did,
And, fantin~, split herself, in fact.
Right in the beard nf Will. III Brown,
Then all the Indians were amazed;
They thought this gcntlc maiden crazed.
And circiing round they squatted down.
But William was gentle man;
He badc Two Indians call the priest,
He bade two more prepare feast,
Then led her. bushing. by the hand.
Like some sweet maiden i'll sweet May.
He was So good. he was SO true,
He did not know what else to do,
But led her round and round all day.
At last the priest, on spotted mare
Who gailorcd forty miles or more,
He found them in the grasses sore
And married them right then and there.
Then all the cOw-boys ilcy came dawn
And fea-tea AZ tIn night advanced.
And all the d yy..r- drank ana danced,
And cried, big lnjiu, W liam Brownv'