Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1921-05-05
THE WOODS
By DOUGLAS MALLocH
RAIN.

ne Cau Lell as SOOO
When it's go'n' to leak
As your fancy weatherman
Down here in Chicago can,
II he thinks a week.
An guess it's Jest because
Rheumatic an Natures laws
. Sort Of work together
Lots of moisture in the air,
Rheumatic a-plenty there,
Both mean stormy weather.
This left stem Of mine can smell
Water miles away;
This old stem of mine can tell
Fifty furlongs from a we'll
Where 1t ought to lay.
An I'll tell you why:
This old stem an me has tramped.
Waded, swum an drove an camped,
Never gittin' dry.
Forty Winters. forty Springs:
Do you wonder tibet she sings
When she smells the water?
II you fellahs really knew
All that laig an me went through
Guess you'd think she oughter.
You amt never had the luck
Swampin' in the snow: *,
None. of you amt never stuck
To your boot-tops in the muck
When it's ten below.
There. amt none Of you
Ever drove the Chippeway la
In the early days of May
When norther blew.
When the river water froze
In your boots an in your clo'es-
Freezin', thawin'. freexkh'. i
II this stem Of mine finds out
When there's water round about,
= Surely there's q reason.
An, besides, there's quite line
OF such signs of rain;
There is many another sign
'Ceptin' this old stem of mine
Thet Is just as plain.
There is bunions yet
Fer a corn er bunion Ii
Most as good as rheumatic
Prophesyin' wet.
When you see cat eat grass.
When you see small-mouth bass
Sendin' up bubble,
When you hear a rain-crow cav
1t Is simply Natures law
Indicatin' trouble.
Rainin'. is It? So it seems:
It's nasty night.
Wonder how the street lamp gleams!-
like the light you see In dreams.
Soft an far an white,
Like the light you see
When you let life's half-hitch slip.
When you kind of lose your grip
On the things tibet be.
An I sometimes think the shore
Thet we all are headin' for
Looks so far an ghostly
Cause we're lookin' dixie tonight
We are lookin' at the Light
Through fog-bank mostly.
How tho asphalt pavements shinei
Almost lookin' clean. J,
Ev'ry lamp post makes line
Like the shadow of a pine
On snowy scene. fl
In the gutter nigh
Little ripples curl an comb,
Little dirty rivers foam,
In an hour to die.
They are like the stream of life,
Full Of work an play an strife.
Proud with splash an splitter.
Each believes himself flood
Most of us is Uhly mud
Runnin' down gutter.
Rainin', Sure enough 1t is,
But it amt tho goods;
Doesn't git right down to biz
Like the whirling raindrops whis
Up there in the woods.
It's a city shower,
Like the other kinds Of stun
In the city1 mostly blur.
Lastin' fer an hour.
Up there, when 1t rains, It rains,
Film rivers. fioodin' plains
Down the mountains washin'.
Up there when rain we git.
When we're really through with Il,
Things are Jest a-sloshin'.
Fer a rainstorm in the brush
Is the wettest thing,
Ground beneath you soft as mush
An around you all hush.
Not a bird to sing
Jest the droppin' slow
OF the raindrops on the leaves,
0pillin' from a billion caves.
On the earth below:
Jest blanket in the miro.
Jest smudgy kind Of IRE,
Weak an slow an smoky:
~ BreAkfast-pancake simply lead; !,
Dinnor-wet an eoggy bread: 80
supper-biscuits soaky.
Rainin'. 10 It? 30 n 10.
Glad I'm high and dry.
When = man has rheumatiD
IN this old left stem OF his
Keep inside. say I.
Now. this city stun "a
Amt like woods rain near - wst,
Amt like woods rain 10. an pet
II 4 II wet enough.
Course the woods rain 10 the best
~ Il II dampest, healthiest,
Better Altogether:
Hnt I guess En- stay inside
# Efyin' to be satisned
K, WITH this city weather.
- .s4..,. tCa0yJ3gh1l .,,.,