The Opelousas courier., 1883-01-06
WILLIAM BROWN, OF OREGON

WILLIAM BROWN, OF OREGON
They called him Bill, the hired man,
But she, her name was Mary Jane,
The sources daughter; and 10 reign
The belle from Bsr-she-be to Dan,
Her little game. How lovers rash
Got mittens at the spelling-school!
How many q mute, ingiorfous fool
Wrote rhymes and sighed and dyed-mustdches
the hired man had loved her long.
HAD loved her best and first and last;
Her very garments as she passed
For him had symphony and song.
She called him Bill" he raised his head,
He caught her eye and, faltering SAID:
/" love you; and my name is bfown.
She fairly waltzed with rage; she wept;
You would have thought the house On lire.
She told her sire, the portly SQUIRE y
Then snelt her smelling salts and slept.
Poor William did what could be one
He swung a pistol on each hip.
He gathered up a 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 pillows; saw the gold
OF awful sunsets; saw the birth
OF sudden dawn Upon the plain,
And every night would William Brown
Eat pork and beans, and then lie down
And dream sweet dreams of gentle Jane.
Her lovers passed. Wolves aunt 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 "
The sweetest face must learn to frown,
The biggest dog has been a pup.
O. maidens! pluck not at the air; =
The ayyaafnSt flowers IHAye found NJ
Grow rather close unto the ground, 81
And highest places are most bare. -
Why you had better win the grace
Of one poor cussed African, sA&
Than win the eyes of every man
In love alone with his own face.
Atlast she nursed q new desire,
She sighed, she wepf for William BROWN.
She watched the splendid sun go %
Like some great sailing ship on fire.
Then rose and checked her trunk right on;
And in the cars she lunched and luncbed.
And had her ticket punched and punched,
Until she came TO Oregon.
She reached the limit of the lines, y
She wore blue specks upon her nose, q
Wore rather short and manly clothes, E
And SO set out to reach the mines. =
Her right hand held q Testament,
Her pocket held a parasol,
And thus equipped right on she went,
Went waterproof and waterfall.
She met q miner gazing GOWN,
Slow stirring something with a Spoons
40 tell me true and tell me soon,
What has become of William Brown"
Flo looked askance beneath her specs,
Then stirred his cocktail round and round,
Then raised his head and sighed profound,
And said: Hes handed in his checks
Then care fed on her damaged cheek,
And she grew faint, did gallus Jane,
And smelt her smelling salts in vain.
She wandered, weary, worn and weak.
At last upon a hill alone
She came, and there she sat her down;
For ON that hill there stood a stone,
And, 10! that stone read: William Brown"
30, William Brown! o, William Brown!
And here you rest at last" she said,
with this lone stone above your head,
And forty miles from any town!
j will plant cypress trees, I will,
And / will build a fence around,
And / will fertiliZe the ground
With tears enough to turn q MILL"
She went and got a hired man,
She brought him forty miles from town,
And in the tall grass squatted down
And babe him build as she should plan.
But savage cowboys with their bands ~
They saw and hurriedly they ran g.
And told d bearded cattle man
Somebody bnilded on his lands. b..
He took his rifle from the rack,
He grit himself in battle peIt.
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 hal, and he likewise
Pulled at his beard and chewed and ehewed.
AT last he gat him down and spake:
40, lady dear, what do you hereT'
81 build a tomb unto my dear,
i plant sweet flowers for his AXE"
The bearded man threw his two hands
Above his head, then brought them down
And cried: "Oh, I am William Brown,
And this the cornerstone of my landsi!"
Her specs fell off, her head fell back,
Just like some lifted teapot lid
She screamed, this ancient maiden did.
And fainting, split herself, in fact,
Right in the beard of William Brown;
Then all the Indians were amazed,
They thought this gentle maiden crazed,
And circling round they squatted down.
But William was q gentle nan II
He babe two Indians call the priest.
He babe two more prepare q feast,
Then led her, blushing, by the hand,
Like some sweet maiden in sweet May.
He was SO good, he was so true,
He did not know what else to do, "a
But led her round and round all day. Es#
At last the priest, ON spotted mare,
Who galloped forty miles or more
He Found them in the grasses sore.
And married them right and there.
Then all the cowboys they came down
And Toasted as the night advaced,
III all the diggers drank and danced,
And. cried: Big Injin, William Browntn
joaquin Miller. in N. Y. Home Journal
4 $3.50 -.##& III