Then coats went off, and all went in;
Shots and bad language swelled the din;
The short, sharp bark of Derringers,
Like bull-pups, cheered the furse.
They piled the stiffs outside the door,
They made, I reckon, a cord or more.
Girls went that winter, as a rule,
Alone to spellin’ school.
I’ve sarched in vain, from Dan to Beer-
Sheba, to make this mystery clear;