Mighty powers of the state are asleep at the post of duty, when, lo! an issue arises,—the mice are in the government meal-bag,—the spirits of fire and distraction are abroad; wealth and power are being attacked from beneath! The great hand of the law reaches forth to seize upon the offender and to snuff out his little, palpitating human life, that, far from being the cause, is only a symptom of the real malady. The cause still exists, the cancer of the state still invites new vermin to feed upon its sore. The knight prophesies and expostulates in the public ear, but Uncle Sam still sleeps, though perchance with uneasy dreams. The great forces which evolve the tramp and the ignorant emigrant are still at work, while the devil holds the match to the combustible elements of soulless greed. Bye and bye there will be a great hue and cry of fire, with much ringing of bells.
"Observe," said the neighbor, "your gesticulations,
Your dearth of debate and gymnastic gyrations
Encroach, with a frequency highly alarming,
Upon my estate, which I value for farming;
If your two extremities keep on contending,
Bye and bye, we shall have nothing left worth defending."
The plan was considered by all the combatants,—
In silence the feet, by the head's usual blatance,
Which presently muttered, "I may yet surprise you!"
And mentally uttered, "I'll not recognize you!"
But agreed, after all, with becoming alacrity,
Despite the bald fact that both feet were still there, gritty
And soiled with innumerable days of hard working,
Transporting their load overland without shirking.
Then a toad, a sly fox, a snail, peacock and hatter,
Turned-to to investigate what was the matter;
Selecting a sand-pit within which to meet,
They invited the ostrich to come,—with his feet,
And tell how it happened the quarrel arose,
Which, they'd been informed, culminated in blows.
The peacock was asked to preside at the hearing,
Decide the disputes, in despite of the jeering
That, betimes, with his rulings, increased to a gale,
When he, perchance, winked with the eyes of his tail.
The ostrich appeared and made the assertion,
In voluble language of animadversion,
That, while he'd been, quietly, minding his business,
His damp, dirty feet had occasioned him dizziness,
Obtruding each, vulgarly, on his attention,
Thereby, in so doing, creating contention—
"I' faith, 'pon my word," the ostrich said, squawking,
"I fear me, each wants a kid shoe and silk stocking."
At this point, the peacock his tail feathers flaunted;
The ostrich, however, continued undaunted,—
"I know of no reason for this state of things,
Nor why my two feet should expect, by their flings,