And my school days were so happy;
All my tasks seemed light as air,
My companions kind and joyous,
And the world was bright and fair.
How we tripped along the hilltops,
Played beside the quiet stream,
Frolicked in the leafy woodlands,
Where the lights and shadows dream.
There we planted in the springtime,
Tilled in sultry summer weather;
And the days went by so merry
As we sung and wrought together.
And we reaped the harvest gaily,
Sending many golden wains
From the wheatlands and the cornlands,
Rich with summer’s welcome gains.
And we stored in golden autumn
’Gainst the white-robed winter time,
Food in plenty for the household,
And the fowls and many kine.
And we laid away the apples,
Hoards of russets, red and gold;
Put the cider in the cellar,
And defied the winter’s cold.
Then when the gold leaves were falling
In the mellow light and shade,
How we fought the frisky squirrels
For the chestnuts in the glade.
We had many nooks and crannies
In the old house by the stream,
Up among the dusty rafters,
Where none but gay boys would dream.
And when winter’s storm-king covered
All the hills in white array,
And the legions of the northland
Were assembled for the fray—
All the fierce and white-robed legions,
Sweeping down from Arctic seas,
Flinging out their frosted banners
In defiance to the breeze—
And when day was darkly closing
In fierce storm, and sleet, and cold,
We secured the fowls in safety,
Put the kine within the fold.
Then with evening’s gathering darkness
The warm lights were all agleam—
The bright, ruddy, dancing firelights
In the old house by the stream.
And we boys went in a-romping
With no ceremonial fear;
All aglow with health and gladness
To dear mother’s welcome cheer.
Then we sought the nooks and crannies,
Where the chestnuts could be found;
Brought the cider from the cellar,
Passed the ripened fruit around.
While with many a quaint old story
Of weird legion, love and war,
We whiled away the hours so happy,
Scarcely ever knew a jar.
And we joined with hearts o’erflowing
In glad music and in song;
Scarce dreaming of the world beyond us,
With its mighty restless throng.
When the moon was brightly beaming,
Silvering the icebound rill,
We skated on the frozen streamlet,
Or toboggan’d down the hill.
Our light hearts were glad within us,
And our blood was pure and warm,
As we fought the white-robed legions,
And defied the fiercest storm.
There was brother Jack and Molly Dean,
Sister Nell and Lawrence Dare;
And I and blue-eyed Minnie Lee,
And scores of youths and maidens fair.
How we made the hillside echo
With song, and jest, and laughter gay;
Frolicked to our hearts’ contentment,
Then homeward wound our merry way.