Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1890-01-03
LITTLE JOINTS CHRIsnUs.
By JAMES wHITcoaIB RnEY.

By JAMES wHITcOarB RILEY.
We got It up a purpose, jes' Ter little yohnts,
His mother was so pore and al, and had to man
Jes' bel6n' a Tar-widder and her pension mighty
Shed take in weavin' er work out. er anything
fer him.
And little Joints was puny-lfke-but 1awl the
You'd want to Kind o pity him, but couldn't.
His pants o arny-blanizet and his coat o. faded
Keep hintin' Of his father like and pity wouldn't
dol
So we coIogued together, onc't, one winter
Jes' me and mother and the girls, and Wise,
John, Jack and Free
Would jtne and git up little Joints, by time at
Some sorto' doin's, don't you know, at would
So prise him sOmel
And so, all on the quiet, mother she turns in
Some bIus-janes-cuts and makes a suit and
then sits down and knits
A pair o. little ganuses to go long with the
And puts in red-aannen back, and buckle on
the vest
The little feuer'd ben so much around our
And Der sic6 hep to her and all and handy as
,AtmotboF coaldn't do too much fer little Joints
She use to je5' declare at 4he was meat-and-
drink to herl"
And Piney Lide, and AIada1tne they watched
their chance and rid
To FOuntaintOWu with Lijey's folks and bought
a book they did,
o. fairy-taIes, with pictur' in and got a little
o. red-top boots at John-Jack said he'd ben
a-pricen there.
And Lide got him u little sword, and MadaIine
And shootin crackers Iawzy-dayl and they're
And Piney, ever time the rest would buy some
Shed take and turn in them and buy more can
dy fer the boy!
Well. thingg-says-I, when they got back, your
But little Joints was there hissef that after
Well, al Of us KEEP mighty mum, tel we got
him away
Chrismus day
And fetch his mother long with himl And
The felds-his tow-head, in the dusk, jes' like
His comfert futtern as he run-and old Tige
A jumpin' high fer rabbits and a-plowin' up the
snOwi
1t must a-ben most ten that night afOre we got
With Wise and John-Jaok he'ppin' us; and
Freeman in the shed,
AndLdde out with the lantern while he trimmed
q Chrismus tree
Out OF a little scrub-Oak top at suited to I'll
All night dreamp o. hearin' things a-skuIkin'
round the place
And .Old KriSsll' with his whiskers of and
heckles on his face
And RENDERS, shaped like Shawn bosses at the
cOOper-shOp
A-sIckin' down the ohimbly, with their heels
out at the top
By time at mother got me up twas plum day
light and more
The front yard full of neighbors all a-crowdin'
rOun the door,
With Joints mother leadin' yes-and little
Joints hisseT,
Set up on Freeman's shoulder like q jug up on
the she'll
OF course can't describe it when they all got
in to where
Wed conferred up the Chrismus- treean' all the
hXin s there
Fer all the shouts o. laughter-clappin hans
and crackin' Jokes,
Was heap of kissin goin' on among the women
folks
For. lo-behold-yel there they had that young
un-And his chin
A-wabblin like; and shore enough, at last he
started in
And-sich another beIIerin', in all my mortal
DAYS
never heerd, er 'spect ter hear, in woes ap-
pinted ways
And mother grabs him up and says ITS more'n
he can bear
It's all too suddent fer the child, and too SUI
prism There :"
@Oh, no, it ain t7-sObDed little JOhnts-aI ain It
su 'prised-but L IN
A-cryin' cause L watched you all and knowed
it all the ume|