Law! the fun o' practisun!—
Was a week er two
Me and Claircy didn't have
Nothin' else to do!—
Kep' us jes a-meetin' round,
Kindo' here and there,
Ever' night rehearsin'-like,
And gaddin' ever'where!
Game was wo'th the candle, though!—
Christmas Eve at last
Rolled around.—And 'tendance jes
Couldn't been surpassed!—
Neighbors from the country
Come from Clay and Rush—
Yes, and 'crost the county-line
Clean from Puckerbrush!
Meetin'-house jes trimbled
As "Old Santy" went
Round amongst the childern,
With their pepperment
And sassafrac and wintergreen
Candy, and "a ball
O' popcorn," the preacher 'nounced,
"Free fer each and all!"
Schoolteacher suddently
Whispered in my ear,—
"Guess I got you:—Christmas-gift!—
Christmas is here!"
I give him a gold pen,
And case to hold the thing,—
And Claircy whispered "Christmas-gift!"
And I give her a ring.
"And now," says I, "jes watch me—
Christmas-gift," says I,
"I'm a-goin' to git one—
'Santy's' comin' by!"—
Then I rech and grabbed him:
And, as you'll infer,
'Course I got the old man's,
And he gimme her!
REACH YOUR HAND TO ME.
Reach your hand to me, my friend,
With its heartiest caress—
Sometime there will come an end
To its present faithfulness—
Sometime I may ask in vain
For the touch of it again,
When between us land or sea
Holds it ever back from me.
Sometime I may need it so,
Groping somewhere in the night,
It will seem to me as though
Just a touch, however light,
Would make all the darkness day,
And along some sunny way
Lead me through an April-shower
Of my tears to this fair hour.
O the present is too sweet
To go on forever thus!
Round the corner of the street
Who can say what waits for us?—
Meeting—greeting, night and day,
Faring each the self-same way—
Still somewhere the path must end.—
Reach your hand to me, my friend!