Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1889-12-19
LITTLE JOINTS cHBIsmuA
BY JAMES wHIrcoMB nILEY.

We got itup purpose. JOS ief little Joints.
His mother was so pore and all. and had to man.
Jos beln' war-widder. and her pension mighty
SLIM
She'd take in weav.n' er work out or anything
fer him.
And little Joints was puny-lIke-but law the
nerve ha had -
You'd want to kind O. pity him. but couidnt +,
His pants O army blanket aud his coat O. faded
Keep hintin of his father like. and pity wOuldn' I
dol
30 we collogued together, onc't, one winter
time, at we
Jes me aud mother aud the girls, and wilso,
john Jack aud FREQ
Would iine and git up little Joints, by time at
Chrismus come,
Some sorto doins, don't you know, at would
surprise him some,
And so, all on the quiet. mother sho turns I'm
some uo-janez-cuts and makes SUR and
then sits down and knits
A pair O. little galluses 10 go long with the
And puts in a red-nAnnen back. and buckle on
tho vest
The little fellerd ben so much around our
And be N sich hep to her and all and handy as
could be,
AT mother couldn't do too much fer little Joints
She use to jes' declare at che was meat-and-
drink to her I"
And Piney Lide, and Ma1aline they watched
their chance and rid
To Fouutaintown With Lijey's folks and bought
book they did,
o. fairy-tales with picturs In and got little
pair
o. red-top boots at John-Jack said hed ben
a-prtcen there.
And Lide got him q little sword, and MadaIine
drum;
And shootln -erackers-lAwzy-day and they're
And Piney, ever time the rest would buy some
other toy.
Shed take and turn in them and buy more cam
dy fer the boyi
Well things-sAys-I, when they got back your
pocketbooks is dryl
But little Joints was rsre hissef that after
Well, all Of us kOp' mighty mum. tel we got
By tellin, him be shore and come tomorry-
Chrismus day
And fetch his mother long with him And
how he scud acrost
The helds-his head, in the dusk, ies' like a
His comfert fiuttern as he run-and old Tige,
don't You know,
A jumpin' high fer rabbits and a-plowin' up the
snow
1t must a-be'n most ten that night aiore we got
to bed
With Wise and John-Jack he'ppin' us; aud
Freeman in the shed
And Lide out with the lantern while he trimmed
Chrismus treo
Out of a little scrub-oak top at suited to n Il
All night dreamp' o. hearin things a-skulkin'
round the place
And "Old Kriss," with his whiskers off and
freckles on his face
And reindeers, shaped like Shawn hosses ut the
cooper shop
A-stickin down the chimbly, with their heels
out at tho topl
BY time a. mother got me up twas plum day
light aud moro
Tho front yard full of neghbors All A-crowdin'
roam th9 door,
With Johnts' mother leadin'; yes-and little
Joints his5of,
Sot up on Freemans shoulder like jug up on
the shelf
OF course 1 can't describe it whom they oil got
in to whtre
We'd conferred up tho Chr smus-t -treean' all the
fixins there
Fer all tho shouts o. laughter clappin' han s
and era ckin jokes,
Was heap ef kissin' goin' on among the women.
folks
For, lo-behold;;yel there they had thnt young
un-And his chin
A-wabblin' like and, shore enough, at last he
started in
And-sich another bell erin, in all my morta
DAYS
mover heord, or 'spect tor hear, in woes ap-
p'inted ways
And mother grabs him up and SAYS ats more'n
he can bear
It's all too suddent fer the child, and too su ;.
prism There"
@Oh, no, it ain t"sobbed little Johnts--%I ain I
u'prised-but I'm
A-cryin' cause l waiched you all and knowed
Il all the time I"