Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-10-10
CORPORAI JOE.
fBY Frank J. McDoraidO

CORPORAL jOp.
;By Frank J. McDoraid)
Joe want whut you'd call for ard at all;
He wuz back ard somehow but still,
lie wuz determined, an with all
His shyness had a mighty Will.
The folks all liked Joe; an they so thar.
Down In the medder every day;
An mother-she goes, too, r. glar.
Down whar the boys laid Joe away.
oh forgot what YOU asked, / swow'
Well you see, whn the war begun.
The mother sickened er pinned somehow
jest from thinkin' thev'd want our SON.
Her youngest. ! guess she liked Joe best
Ef mother kin partial be.
Married an gone wuz all was the rest,
Ieayin jest Joe with mothern me.
1t turned ont Jest as the mother guessed.
When the troops marched away. so gay,
Yes, they brought MIN back dead, b "a
They told how he fit before he fell
When they wuz all but overthrun:
How he brought from the pit in the ragin'
nell
His wounded cumrayds one by one.
They said how he led the waverin' band
Led them up whar the cannon spit
Powder an flame. an the crimson sand
Dashed In their faces. how he NJ
TIL the enemy scattered ar run,
Then fell with his gun p'inted trae.
our bashful boy who had skercely thrun
Away his kits fur army blue.
An when he wuz dyin he smiled ag'en.
An spoke about mother and mo.
They said, jest the same ca m way ez
when
The boys an him used to ta<in he
About the folks to hum An he smoke
w the colt an NV rciFhbor Gray.
An Wished tibet the news wuz gently
broke
To mother n me so fur away.
Win his comrayds cum. bringin him
hum,
With their caps off an marchin' slow:
Wei. stranger | WIZ the one undone
Mother gazed down the bluc-cut row
Like 2 Of she wuz goin to see
our Joe an ask him Nv the war
Take him ag'in upon her knee
Hecuz she knowed he'd Travelled far.
Rut IL that 81 how he had braved
The shot an shell, an never left
Tho boys, an stuck right b. an saved
The wounded chaps, an done the hoft
Ia. ards gainin' uv the day. Ef you pass
The medder, stranger. YOU will know
The headstun p'ints up ards in the grass
With letters readn' Corporal Joe"
SWahton junction, September %
----------------
WHEN TIE WOODS TURN BROWN.
How will it be when the r. ses fade
out Of the garden and out Of the glade?
When the fresh pink bloom OF the swce ct
brier wild,
That leans from the dell like the cheek Of
A child,
Is changed for dry lips on a thorny bush.
Then scarlet and carnline the groves viii
flush.
How will it be when the autumn flowers
WithHr away from their leaf SIS bowers
When the suuhower and starilowcr ard
golden-rod
Glimmer no more from he frosted sod
And the hillside hooks are empty and
cold?
Then the forest tops will be gay with gold.
How will it be when the woods turn
brown.
Their gold and their crimson all dropped
And crumhled to dust? o. then. as We las.
Our ear to earth's lips W. shall hear her
say,
I'm the dark l am 50 king new gems TO
my crOWn'-
We will dream of green leaves when the
woods turn brown.
Lucy Lercom.
THE GIRL FIRST MADE LOVE TO.
The girl first made love to was a dainty
little miss.
Whose face was fair to dream Of and
whose lips were sweet to kiss
Who Wore a pink sunlonnct and a check-
cred bingham gown.
And trudged to school beside me with her
ankles bare and brown,
Her braided hair WAS golden and ter
plump checks somewhat ran
Towards heavy crops OF frcck.es and an
opulence Of tan
But, blind to imperfeotions. I was proud
to he the beau
OF the Gir first made love to in the days
of long ago.
The years passed, she grew taller as 20
rnaidsnhood she neared.
Against the tan she battled and her freck-
les disappeared,
She drew on shoes and stor kings Ger her
feet and ankles brown
And saw each year much low rthey V ere
letting out her gown,
Her waistlire grew moro slondcr-yet
there ism any harm
l guess In my admitting | could span L
with my arm
While every year moro horcycd did tho
crop Of kisses grow
Ot the girl I first made love to in the DAYS
Of Iorg ago.
Tho girl ! first made love to rules little
homo to-day.
Her .r'ofr have lost their color and Yer
hoir is turning gray,
She tow Cd Wife and mother and She has
mo- time to spend
IN fighting tan, with half-a-dozen little
frocks To mend
But her heart is Just as tender and her
Cyos are just as blue
Although she's not as graceful, since her
NHf.f. In. 5~ft