Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1921-04-29
THE WOODS
By DOUGLAS MALLOCH
RAIN.

IN An KNEW II NOLlus
When a man has rheumatic
In this old left stem Of his
He can tell as good
When it's go'n to leak
AS your fancy weatherman
Down here in Chicago can.
II he thinks 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 we'll
Where 1t ought to lay.
An I'll tell you why:
This old stem an me has tramped,
Naded. swurl an drove an camped.
Never gittin' dry,
Forty Winters, forty Springs;
Do you wonder tibet she sings
When she smells the water?
II you felahs 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 Chippewdy
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'
II this stem Of mine finds out
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
'Ceptn' this old stem of mine
Tibet is just as plain.
There Is buniOns yet
Fer corn er bunion is
Most as good as rheumatic
Prophesyin' wet
When you see a cat eat grass,
When you see small-mouth bass
Sendin up bubble
when you hear a rain-crow cav
II is simply Natures law
Indicatin' trouble.
Ranin', is It? So it seems
It's nasty night.
Yonder 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 halfhitch slip,
When you kind of lose your grip
on the things thet be.
An I sometimes think the shore
Thet we all are headin' for
Looks so far an ghostly
Cause we're lookn 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 line
Nike the shadow of a pine
AQn a snowy scene.
the gutter nigh
Nile ripples curl an comb,
T.iEle dirty rivers foam.
An an hour to die
They SSe like the stream of life,
Fun CN>Jfk an play an strife.
Prou. with splash an splutter
Each believes himself flood
Most of us is only mud
Runnin' down a gutter.
Rainin'Y Sure enough 1t is,
But 1t amt the goods
Doesn't git right down TO biz
Like the whirllng ralndrops whiz
Up there in the woods.
It's a city shower.
Like the other kinds of stuff
In the city, mostly bluff,
Lastin' fer an hour.
Up there, when 1t rains. 1t rains
Film rivers, floodin' plains
Down the mountains washin'.
Up there when rain we git,
when we're really through with II.
Things are Jest a-sloshln'
Fer ralnstorm in the brush
Is the wettest thing,
Ground beneath you SOFT as mush
An around you all hush,
Not bird to sing
Jest the droppln' slow
OF the raindrops on the leaves,
splllin' from billion caves.
On the earth below;
Jest blanket In the mire,
Jest a smudgy kind Of fire.
Weak an slow an smoky;
Breakfast-pancakes simply lead
Dinner-wet an soggy bread;
Supper biscuits soaky.
RaInln', is It? SO 1t is.
Glad I'm high and dry.
When a man has rheumatic
In this old left stem Of his
Keep inside, say |.
Now, this city stuff
Amt like woods rain near as wet,
Amt like woods rain is, an yet
II Is wet enough.
Course the woods rain is the best
It is dampest, healthiest,
Better altogether;
But I guess I'll stay inside
Tryin TO be satisfied
With this city weather.
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