The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-01-26
THAT GENTLE BOSTON MAN
An Idyl OF Oregon.

Two webfoot brothers loved fair
Young lady, rich and good TO see;
And oh, her black abundant hair!
And Oh her wondroGs witcheryl
Her father kept cattle farm:
These brothers kept her safe from harm:
From harm OF cattle on the hill:
From thick necked bulls loud believing
The lvelong morning loud anu snrll,
And flashing side5 like any timing;
Prom roaring bulls that tossed the SAND
And paved the lilies from the land
There came a third young man. He came
From far and famous Boston town
He was not handsome, was not game,
But he could COOK "a goose as brown
As auv nan that set foot On
The .unIit shores OF Oregon.
This Boston man he taught the school,
TAUGHT gentleness and love Away;
Sad love and kindness, as rule,
Would ultimately make il pay.
FTe was so gentle, kind, that he
Could make = noun and verb agree.
So when ore dag the brothers grew
Al jealous and cid strip to fight,
He gently stood between the two
Ard meekly told them Twas not right.
q" have higher, better plan,
Outspake tbs gentle, Boston man
90 Ny plan IS this: Forget this fray
About that lily hand OF hers:
Go take your guns and huat al! day
High up yOn lofty hill OF frs;
And while you hunt ny loving GOvcs,
Why, Will learn which one she loves"
The brothers sat the windy hill
Their hair shonc yellow, like spun gold;
Their r fies crossed their laps, but still
They sat and sighed, and shook with cold.
Their hearts lay bleeding far below;
Above them cleaned white peaks OF snow.
Their hounds lay COUGHING. slim and neat;
A spotted circle in the grass.
Their valley lay beneath their feet;
They heard The wide winged eagles pass;
The eagle cleft The clouds above,
Yet what could they but sigh and love:
e" II could die" tho elder sighed,
My dear young brother here might wed. "
-"Oh, would TO Heaven had dicdr'
The younger sighed, with Blended head.
Then each looked each full in the face
And each sprang up and stood IN place.
"If could de" the elder spal;e,
"Die by your hand the world would say
Twas accident: and FOR her sake,
Dear brother be il so, pray"
'" Not that the younger nooly said;
Then tossed his gun and turned his head;
And fifty PAGES back ne paced
Aad as he paced he drew the ball;
Then sudden stopped and wheeled and faced
His brother 10 the death and fall.
Two shots ran wild upon thu =,
But, 10, the Two stood harmless there-
The eagle poised high in the air;
Far. far below tbs believing
or bullocks ceased, and everywhere
Vast silence sat all questioning.
The spotted hounds ran circling round,
Their rcd, wet noses 10 the ground
And now each brother came to know
That each had drawn tae deadly ball;
And !or that fair girl far below
Had sought in vain 10 silent fail.
And then the two did gladly shake,
And thus the elder hravely spaxo:
90 Now let US run right hastily
And tell the kind schoolmaster all;
Yea, yea, and IL Shs choose not me,
But all on you her favors fall,
This valiant scene, till all life ends.
Dear brother, binds US bost OF friends
The hounds sped down a spotted line,
The bulls in tall, abundant grass,
Shook back their horns from bloom and vino
And trumpeted to 500 them pass:
They were 20 fair, they loved so true,
These brothers scarce know what to do.
They sought the kind scnoolmasteT out
AS swift as swoeps tho light Of morn;
They could but love- they could not doubt
This man so gentle, III horn.
They cried: Now, whose the lily hand,
That l2dy's OF this webfoot lcnd"'
They bowed before that bg-nosed man,
That long-uOsed man from Boston town;
They talked rs only lover, can;
They talked, but he could only frown;
Ana still they talked, and still they plead;
1t was as pleading with the dead.
a. last this Boston man did speak:
Her father has a thousand ceowS,
An hundred bulls, all fat and sleek:
u" also had this ample heouse"
The brothers eyes stuck out thereat
So far you N ght have hung your hat.
- 1 liked the looks OF III big heouse-
My lovely boys won't you come in?
Her father has "a thousand ceows.
he also has heap OF tin
The guirl! On yes, the Sgirl, Won soc,
The guirl just meow she married me-
-J0dgaia Mailer, IN Pacific Rural Press.