Fair Phyllis is another's bride:
Therefore I like to sit beside
Her at a very smart set dinner,
And whisper love, and try to win her.
The little-necks,—in number six,—
That from their pearly shells she picks
And swallows whole,—ah, is it selfish
To wish my heart among those shell-fish?
“But Phyllis is another's wife;
And if she should absorb thy life
'Twould leave thy bosom vacant.”—Well,
I'd keep at least the empty shell!
V
THE RECREANT CLAM
For the Outlook
Low dost thou lie amid the languid ooze,
Because thy slothful spirit doth refuse
The bliss of battle and the strain of strife.
Rise, craven clam, and lead the strenuous life!
A FAIRY TALE
For the Mark Twain Dinner, December 5, 1905
Some three-score years and ten ago
A prince was born at Florida, Mo.;
And though he came incognito,
With just the usual yells of woe,
The watchful fairies seemed to know
Precisely what the row meant;
For when he was but five days old,
(December fifth as I've been told,)
They pattered through the midnight cold,
And came around his crib, to hold
A “Council of Endowment.”