The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-08-22

But despite the fact you are Of much your
ancient pOmp bereft.
You are just as dear as ever for your
many good things left,
For your flowers are just a. lovely ano
sunshine just as bright,
And your roads are just IA muddy ana
your labors just a. light,
And your women just az lovely and your
men are just az shy,
And your dogs are just as numerous ana
your taxes just AZ high,
And your court-days come as often az
they ever used to come,
And the sovereign seems as anxious To
keep things on the hum,
And they gather from the hillside and
gather from the plain
TO meet upon the court-green anu mn'
tually complain
OF the wetness of the weather and the
lightness of the oats
And how the Wall-street Shylocks have
the farmers by the throats,
And tits here TO best advantage that
their genius will show
For achieving Of tobacco while their hair
and whiskers grow.
on our patriotic citizen, with Cincln-
natus' zeal,
Leaves his plow and yoke Of oxen stand
ing idly in the field
While he travels to the Courthouse with
accelerated pace
TO be useful as a Juror in a misdemeanor
case
To sit there on the jury in its TERED row
of chairs
And listen to the lawyers with delibera-
tive airs,
While the most astute attorney, with
his sophistry and guile,
Seeks TO prove that Brother Johnson
smote the head of Mr.. Pile
And the gleeful, spreeiul ulcitizen remalneth
with us, too,
And with much yociferation he exalteth
his bazoo,
But the people look upon him as essential
to the show,
And they chew their own tobacco and let
other people go.
| have been to see the circus and the Fred
ericksburg Fair
And the minstrels and the theatre. but
friends, | declare
That of all the funny things I've heard
and funnier things I've seen
The best have been at court-day on the
old courtgreen.
1t is here on rare occasions that the or
ators crate
On matters appertaining to the welfare
of the State.
And tbs here the genial, patient man ol
politics doth stand
| A-thinking that the office might be look
ing for the man,
And he'd hate to disappoint 1t, 50 he tries
to be on hand.
Now court-day is but one delight among
a thousand more,
But really friends, haven't time to tell
them all, you know,
| But your picnics in the daytime, your
dances in the night,
Your church fairs and your festivals are
ali a rare delight;
And think with mixed emotion oi the
days that are no more,
And the Joys of 'pOssum hunting that
ne'er again shall know
True nv boyhood days are over, but III
always feel a thrill.
| At the thoughts of 'possum fleeing over
swamp and brisry hill
Obi so many things come crowding from
the golden retrospect,
That hardly know. in telling oi your
charms, what to select,
But want you, ip low citizens, to iully
understand
The thousand things that bind me to
this Gods most favored land,
And to know why feel honored, proud
and happy, sir, to say
81 was born in old King George, - |r
ginia, Z. $. A.,
Rounded on the North by Stafford, and
the South by Westmoreland,
And composed inside of mostly mud anc
pines and barren sand.
But happy from the Eastward, where tn'
broad Potomac flows,
To where the Rappahannock keeps for'
Royal off our shores
But full of people sitting down ana res'
ing, satisfied
With the kind of satisfaction reassurinp
to their pride"
And whenever | remember, sir, the county
of my birth,
feel that am just as good as any MAJ
on earth,
And proudly dofi my hat, sir, and max
a bow profound,
To that land that's standing stil'' 81
while the vulgar world goes round
1
STATE OF OHIO. CITY or TOLEDO "a
LUCAS COUNTY,
| FpANK i CHENEY makes oath that ne
1 - tho n I'm az i CHENEY