The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1921-05-06
THE WOODS
BY DOUGLAS MALiCCH
RAIN.

1O"h hSlc III 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 thu 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 II 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?
If you fellahs really knew
All thai 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 zone of you
Ever drove the Chippeway
In the early days OF May
When a norther blew,
When the river water froze
In your boots an In your clo'es-
Freezin', thawin'. freezin'.
If this stem Of mine finds put
When there's water round about,
Surely there's a reason.
An, besides, there's quite a line
or such signs of rain:
There Is many another sign
'Ceptin' this old stem of mine
Thet is just a plain.
There is bunions yet
Fer a corn er bunion is
Most as good as rheumatic
Prophesyin' wet.
When you see a cat eat grass,
When you see a small-mouth bass
Sendin' up a bubble,
When you hear a rain-crow aw-
1t is simply Natures law
Indicatin' trouble.
Rainin'. is 1t? So 1t seems:
It's a nasty night.
Yonder how the street lamp gleams!-
Like the light you see In dreams,
Soft IN 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 ! sometimes think the shore
Tibet we all are headin' for
Looks so far an ghostly
Cause we're lookin' dixie tonight
We are lookin' at the light
Through a fog-bank mostly.
How the asphalt pavements shine.
Almost lookin' clean.
Ev'ry lamp post makes a line
Like the shadow Of a pine
On a snowy scene.
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 splutter.
Each believes himself a flood
Most OF us Is only mud
Runnin' down a gutter.
Rainin'? Sure enough 1t is.
But 1t amt the goods;
Doesn't git right down to biz
Like the whirling raindrops whiz
Up there In the woods.
It's n city shower.
Like the other kinds of stun
In the city, mostly blufr,
Lastin' fer an hour.
Up there, when II rains. it rains,
Film rivers, floodin' plains
Down the mountains washin'.
Up there when a 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 a hush.
Not a bird to sing
Jest the droppin' slow
or the raindrops on the leaves.
Spillin' from a billion caves,
On the earth below;
Jest, a blanket in the mire,
Jest a smudgy kind OF Are.
Weak an slow an smoky:
Breakfast-pancakes simply lead;
Dinner-wet an soggy bread;
Supper-oiscuits soaky.
Rainin'. IL II? So 1t Is.
Glad I'm high and dry.
When q man has rheumatix
In this old left stem Of his
Keep inside. say 1.
Now, this city stun
Amt like woods rain near as wet.
Amt like woods rain Is. an yet
IT II wet enough.
Course the woods rain II the best
IT Ia dampeGt, healthiest.
Better altogether:
But I guess I'll stay inside
Tryin' TO be satisfied
With this city weather.
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