St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-09-08
GRET GRAN'F'ThER.

What! take Gret Gran'fther's musket
Thet he kerried At Bunker Hill
An 90 a-gunnin' for sparrers
With Solomon Judd and Billf
You let that musket alone, Dan'li
An git down from tibet air stool.
You've Jest time enough to hold this yarn
Afore ye 20 on to school
Thar! don't ye wrggle and twist Sonnyl
The yarns for yer own new socks.
IT'S safer to hold than muskets,
With their triggers snd riggers and locks.
a musket to shoot 1t sparrcrs!
Well, boys is up to sech tricks!
And that old one. too. that amt been touched
Sence Seventeen Seventy-six!
But set more store by its rusty stock
Than the finest money can buy;
And II you'll stand Study. DAM
I'll tell ye the reason why.
re never see Gret Gran'f ther,
But you've seed his pictur, boy.
With the smilin' mouth, an the big brown
eyes.
Z Jes' brimmin' with life an Joy.
Well. he warn't like that when seed him.
But his sperrit were lively stiil
For all his white hair an empty sleeve
As IL war 1t Bunker Hun.
An many's the time he told mo.
Settin' here In this very cheer.
OF the fust time he shouldered that muskeA
In the Continental Year.
bow out in the field amowin:,
He seed the bay'nets glance.
An ran for his gun with . lighter heart
Than ever he went to . dance.
Jest as he war-in his shirt sleevea
For the weather war warm an bright
An no hat-but should'rin' his muskel
Gret Granrther went to the fight
An thar ON Bunker hillside
Whar the smoke hung thick an gray.
He went a-gunnin' fer redcoats.
As you'd 90 for sparrcrs to-day.
Hey! but the balls were whistlin'
An the flashes KEN thick an fast.
But whos'ever musket had fust word,
Gret Gran'fther's had the last.
Then gunner war shot beside him.
That handled six pound gun:
An they called for man to tend her.
An Granrther said he war ono.
81 amt never fred . gum" says he,
But I'll do my proudful best.
An II al you want is = man, Colonel
m me0Oc rs good Is the rest
An reckon he war. for he stood thar,
An fired that six -pound gun,
Until every redcoat within his range
Had either dropped or run.
Then. all Of . Student there came fash.
crack an . twinge, an thrill
An Gran'fthers right arm dropped by his
side,
An hung thar limp an still.
Jes' for minute, i've heerd him say,
The hull world seemed 20 reel,
An hummin' sound war in his ears
Like Gran'm'ther's spinnin' wheel
But he hadn't no time fer faintin',
Nor he hadn't no time fer pain.
ais well I'm eft-handed" says Gran'rther;
An he fired the gun again.
Bimeby. when the Colonel found him
AFTER the fight war done.
He war lyin' all black like . Niger.
An senseless, along by the gun.
Then the boys made kind O. stretcher:
An jest as they laid him atop
He whispered: Thar warn't NO balls, Colonel,
So was obleeged ter stop"
Yes. that war the way Grct Gran'rther dt,
An the way he lost his arm:
But he shot with his left till the land war
free,
An then he come back to the farm.
An he laid his musket acrost them hooks,
An thar it's laid to this day.
An spite o you an the sparrers, Dan'l
Thar's whar it's goin' to stay.
The school bell. run now. Sonny boy!
An thank We fer standin' still
What's that. ay! "Hurrah for Gret Gram
fther''
An .Hurrah fer Bunker Hiu!'
Mrs.. Laura T.. Richdrds, il Yomhs' Com
p0ssiOA.