The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1886-04-11
HucKsTER JOE.

L HOOu NJ eVes h1 tue sun went uOWn, Oy grave
where woman lies
who lured mems feet to the candy store by the side
long glance Of her eyes;
Who sang the song that the siren sang on the
treachorous Lurlsl height,
Whose face was as fair a. q summer day, but who
had phenomenal bite
Yet blossom fain would pluck to-day from the
grave where no doubt she dreams.
Not Of languorous lilies or caramels, Jack roses nor
chocolate creams,
But OF red and white sticks OF peppermint and slabs
ofspruce chewlng-gum
From the upper shelf Of the country store at the
X.roads "deaown ter hum"
In the summer, when the meadows were aRlow with
blue and red,
Joe, the huckster from the Xroads. and fair Annie
Smith twas said
Would sit out by the plgsty and cat candy by the
stick,
Dversi1ed with chewing gum, till one or both were
Swift the happy days went over, days OF blue and
cloudless sky,
Love was lord down by that pIg-pen, and the
tempests passed them by
Passed them by for months, then swiftly burst In
fury DER that home
When the festive summer boarder by the pig-sty
chanced to roam.
For he told her tales OF Huyers fresh CONNECTIONS
every hour,
Tales Of Arnaud, Brummel, Maillar, and his candled
words had power
To move that sweet-toothed damsel to straightway
sit her down
And write criss.crossed letter to her maiden aunt
In town.
| Twas the same old wretched story that for ages
| bards have sung,
Twas girl too fond OF candy and dudelet fresh
and young;
Twas picture dettly painted (aud which one of us
| that can't?)
OF the Babylonlan wonders-so she visited her
aunt.
But she left silly letter, telling Joe she'd gone her
| ways
To the fary-and OF germans. balls poudres, and
matinees,
OF Kaye K,atsch and Ke,pness and other queerlsh
| 1igs-
81 can't tell the Lord about it," said Joe; am tell
the pigs"
SO he sat down by the pig -sy, saying "Twarnt her
| fault, I'm baOnnd,
But that dudes what Civ her tafy at shillin' by
the paound;
| git the best,
Thet she'd banker arter chewln -gum from Joseph's
ragged vest."
Far away in mighty Gotham rose the country girl to
fame,
For her clever ways with caramels and stowage for
| Ice cream,
Plstache, and tuui ,rruui, conserves, ma,ro,,s
gidces,
Marsh mallows, even taGy, anything that came her
way
So from store to store she ntted, every time she
caught dude,
Till the shop-glrls got the glggles In fashion
| really rude,
To see her work the sodi-fount, ice cream, and
bon-bons too,
All from the same forlorn young dude especially
| new.
Next the Broadway stage she tackled, and, from
carly morn till dark,
She'd ride and MUNICH her candy from the Battery
to the Park.
Except that on occasions when she passed candy
| store
Shed pull the strap and d,nty skip out to gel
some more.
Went the days with nylng footsteps while her stal
WAS at its height,
Then the darkness came on swiftly and the gloani.
| Ing turned to night.
She began to get dyspepsia and still worse. twas sad
vow,
or the dudelets who had worshlped never one came
| near her now.
Broken up In purse and pocket they all shuddered al
her name,
TIL the news that she was dying reached them at
baseball game;
She had pushed the pace on candy to eleven pounds
per day;
Then her iron constitution, so the doctors sald gave
way.
One there was who heard the story In far-oR coun
try place,
And that night the dying girl awoke and looked upor
his face.
In one hand stick of pepperment the other-surely
"Yes! Yes! wad of chewing gum, You dear, old
| Huckster JOe."
That's the blossom faIn wOud pluck to-day from
the grave where no doubt she dreams
Not OF anguor0us lilies or caramss, Jack roses or
chocolate creams,
Not OF rod and white sticks Of peppermint, nor slab
| OF spruce chewng-gum,
But OF how decoiiete rhyme like this could MAKE
all society hum.
| a. V CoPPIN