The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1903-05-08
better poetry'n you kin write anyhow"
"Oh, Lordy, sich stuff! Jest a-listen
here:
"Honey's sweet,
Hog meats greasy,
1 love you,
An I'd like to Sn11aaza Won

"Honey's sweet,
Hog meats greasy,
1 love you,
An I'd like to squeeze you.
"Lord, do you call that shore 'nough
poetry?
"Co'se do. Guess you would, too, eft
you want too jealous"
"Humph! You must be pow'ful easy
pleased. Eff l couldn't write nothin'
better'n that fer the gal 1 love, ]
wouldn't write nothin' er tall. Hits
scan'lous stuff, shore"
ooh, do you think so, Jim Tom2 Meb-
by eff hits so musuhble po' you kin tell
me what's the matter O. hit, you so
pow'ful smart"
Land! Looks lack you could see
that much. Does he say any single
word in there bout how sweet you air
an how putty?"
"No-o," she admitted hesitatingly;
don't b'lieve he does"
"Co'se he don't. An he don't say
nothin bout wantin' to bite pieces out
O. you an eat you all up nuther. You
shorely moughty easy pleased eff that
sort O truck satisfies YOU"
She hung her head and was silent and
thoughtful. Now that her attention had
been called to it, Bob's poetry did seem
very fiat and inSipid. 1t did not swell
and pulsate with the warmth of love as
she felt it should. OF course it said he
loved her and would like to squeeze
her, but that was not much, Any one
almost might say that much about any
girl. 1t was very mild.
"Now, thar's little thing / writ
bout you last week." Jim Tom went
on, that's rale shore 'nough poetry.
writ hit fore you went an fell in love
with Bob Hanks, but didn't have no
chanst to give hit to you: so now
reckon I'll have to give hit to somebody
else. Hits a right putty little thing,
though, an hits jest oozin' with love
an sweetness"
Susan Ann perked up and manifested
great interest. After little hesitation
she said with an air of affected indif-
ference:
Dunno nothin' you could say bout
me that 'u'd ooze with love an sweet
ness"
Don't you9" he replied. "Then
s'pose read hit to you.'
"Jest as you lack"
He took a scrap of paper from his
pocket and Strengthening it out, read
as follows;
II know putty little gal,
Sweetest gal ever wuz writ about,
An ever time 1 look at her
see the sweetness oozin' OUT
He paused, and she looked up at him
with glad light in her eyes.
Did you fix that up bout me2" she
asked.
He nodded his head.
"You shore hit wuz bout me?"
"Co'se hit wuz''
She drew satisfied sigh and gave
him look of admiration.
My" she said softly, obut you shore
is good hand at writin' poetry!"
"Oh, kin do hit putty well, guess"
he replied little proudly. but let me
read you some more"
SIS there some more bout meY'
"Uh. huh. Listen here!
II know putty little gal
Whose lip I'd like to sup,
An ever time look at her
1 want to eat her up"
She drew a deep breath and turned
up her face, all radiant and glorious.
Her feelings We're too great for utter
ance: He read on:
II know putty little gal,
All so bright an sunny;
II she loved me as love her,
Id be happy as a fly in honey"
She closed her eyes and leaned back
until her head rested against his shoul-
der.
Jim Tom," she said in low tones,
you shorely is pow'ful smart, an l
don't reckon nobody could ever beat
you fixin' up poetry. You must "a loved
me some to write bout me that
Away"
His arm stole around her waist.
'Spect mebby l did, Susan Ann" he
replied. "'Spec' mebby 1 loved you a
heap when 1 writ them verses"
MY! Wish'd somebody loved me that
away now; somebody that kin write
putty things like them"
"Mebby somebody does"
"Uh, uh. Not now they don't"
"Mebby Bob Hanks kin learn to
write lack that"
"Uh, uh. Bob Hanks can't write
nothin' that's no count Guess you'll
write them sort o. things bout Mary
Jane now, won't you:"
"ph, uh."
"Why?"
Case they don't fit her. She hain't
putty an sweet an all that"
"Who you goin to write 'em bout
then, wonder?"
Dunno. Mought write 'em bout you
eff 'twan't fer you lovin' Bob"
"An' eff 'twan't fer you lovin, Mary
Jane" " ''
"Mebby hain't lovin' Mary Jane"
"Mebbe l hain't lovin' Bob."
There was long silence. Then she
said:
EFF wuz a man an had my arm
roun' gal l loved an who loved me
an her head wuz layin' on my shouI-
der, know somethin' I'd do,"
A light flashed over his face.
"Rlieve | know somethin' I'd do un-
der them circumstances, too," he said.
Fact is, jest b'lieve I'll do it."
And, bending his head, their lips met
IN lrxwN Il