An Obstacle Overcome.
Dat Tom, he allers want ter know
All ’bout de things he see;
I neber could remember ha’f
Ob what he done as’ me.
He see dem posts down by de road,
Wid wires stretch ercrost,
En ast me why dem wires wus
Hung dar from post ter post.
I tell him den, de bes’ I kin,
Dat dey wus made to sen’
De news ercrost, so men kin heah
Frum dey fur absent frien’.
He stan’ en gaze en gaze on dem
In his onquirin’ way;
Den: “How de news git roun dem posts?”
Dat stupid nigger say.
He sho ain’t got de sense ter know
(De good fo’ nothin’ scamp!)
Dat des ter meet dat obstickle
We got de postage stamp.
“How de News git roun’ dem posts?”
Two of a kind.
Sime say he don’t know what ter do wid dat mule
Dat he done gone en bought (he wus sholy a fool!)
At de sale in de town;
He say it so stubborn dat when he say “gee,”
It allers gwine “haw,” ez sho ez kin be,
En I’s glad, I am boun’.
He say when he want it ter stan’ it gwine walk;—
When he want it ter go, it am sholy gwine balk,
Lak a dunce all de time.
He say dey ain’t neber bin bo’n sich a fool,
But I know, I sho do, dat pesky ole mule
Ain’t ez stubborn ez Sime.
He neber gwine do what I tell him am right,
Do he know I wus bo’n wid a caul on my sight,
En kin see what am bes’;
I tol’ him ter stay frum dat sale in de town,
But somethin’ des draw him ez blood do de houn’,
Till he foller de res’.
I sho knew dat day what dat man wus erbout
When I seen him a-takin’ de las’ money out
Ob de cup on de she’f;
En I glad he done spent ebry cent on dat mule,
En’s got ter work now wid dat pesky ole fool,
Kaze he’s stubborn hisse’f.