The Washington herald., 1915-04-11
HONEST ABE, u. S. M.
He Encounters Demands for Spring Poetry.

The widow Thrift. on my route. is
| fifty years old. and yet I have noticed
for some months past that she was act
ing girly, and that the parcels post was
bringing her hair dye and complexion
helpers. Once when I made ocular re-
mark about it she fired up and replied
Abe. have | ever meddled with gov
Not to my knowledge. wilder. ..
Then YOU take lesson and don't
| NEEDLE with mine!'
| That strained the relations between US.
| No more CHEEKY blasts Of the horn to
| call her to the gate-no more fried cakes
and hunks of pie for me.
| The other morning. however. found
her at the gate with a smile on her face.
| Of the day she said:
ABE. viii you do me favor7"
"'Tis done, widow"
II know a gentleman who loves
.And know one who loves mince pie"
You are a poet
"And you are pie-maker.'
"TIl do 1t. What subject shall 1t be
:.spring. Abe-spring. and as am go
never give me away. want to pass for
| a poetess with this man."
You shall. widow-you shall. He shall
think you are the widow Of the immortal
And she cleared of tho kitchen table
for me. brought me an empty flour sack.
and I wrote:
"Old winters vamoosed-and spring 1t is
smiling,
The onion is srowing-the cowslip is
The frog in the pond mate is beguiling.
The pollywog calls to his own loving
dear.
The dandelion cometh-his face it is yal-
The buds are a-startins on bush and
on tree:
And Cupid is hunting around for some
taller
To grease up his boots as he strolls
over the lea.
The turtle-dove cooeth. and so does the
The crow he is singing to bring him
The owl he doth boot from way over
yander.
And the coon and the possum purr
early and late.
Am forgotten in all the glad hustle?
Is there no one to love. and no one to
cheer?
To find a warm heart awaiting him
here?'
Ruben and Sarah Jane.
was passing farmer Drew's. having
no mail for the house. when Mrs. Drew
called to me to halt, and came out with
a shawl over her head to ask:
Abe: don't you want to hear the
''of course. Is the old white horse
mot haIf-dead yet"
One OF the ewes had a fve-lessed
Nonsense! You never could guess in
this living world. Sarah Jane Is to be
married to Rube Scott in June!
, Fact Fact Al Abe; and she wants you to write
Where is the blushins maiden?"
over to Johnson's: She was afraid you'd
poke fun at her.
Mrs. Drew. do you know what the
United States would do to a postal en-
looking and innocent-hearted girl that
was about to marry and help set up a !
hearthstOne and send at least five stall !
wart sons to the next great war;
Would 1t be something awful?" she
asked.
"It makes me SILVER to think Of it.
Give my blessing to Sarah Jane. and I'll
And 1 wrote:
"when winter was here, and the wild
wind was wailing.
And the snow it lay deep all over the |
lea:
4,
and hailnE. |
Or a blizzard was holding a glad |
jubilee.
1t was then Ruben Scott did 60 him |
accounting,
And the gal that he courted was Sarah
Jane Drew:
And Cupid was there. and their love was |
supporting
And grinning some grins and smiling |
few.
4 blizzard was raging-the night was !,
hummer.
The cold was intense-some 30 below;
But Ruben was there. as bold as a drum
mer,
And he sat him right down in the fire.
side glow.
Popcorn they did eat and drank Of the
cider
A pan of red apples did vanish from
view;
When Rube hitched along and got up
beside her,
And said few words to the gal Sarah |
Drew,