Beside the Platte the gleeful stripling sat, But when approaching Beauty he espied, He rose to fly--she snatched his hat; Then little Love fell down and cried. Bold Beauty plucked him from the grass And held him in her tender arms. His pouting lips she tried to kiss; This “added much” to his alarms. Ah, would I were that fisher-lad! Then Beauty gay, might have her way. What tears of joy would not I shed, Would she but snatch “my old white hat!” Would she come kindly, sweetly, kiss my fears away. _AT MANITOU_ At Manitou--at delectable Manitou! Oh, oh, if I only just had a million or two I would build a cottage--a cottage at Manitou. Now in the sunshine, now in the shade, Smoothly the train slides down the grade. Plunging into tunnels as black as night, Out again into the clear sunlight! Curving around grassy hillsides warm and bright; High above, a torrent as white as snow, Dashing and splashing in the gorge below; Nearing now a ruined fortress old and brown, A Titian fortress by the demi-gods pulled down. Passing by gay companies at wayside places, Maidens and men, and youths’ and children’s faces,-- And oh, oh, everything is bright, everything is new! In the beautiful village we are swiftly passing through! Castles and cottages crowning the cliffs; Castles and cottages nestling away down in the boulder drifts; Castles and cottages perched on crags and peeping from splintered rifts. Castles and cottages beneath and above,-- Cosy abodes,--bright as the bowers of love! Oh, oh, if I only just had a million or two I surely would build a cottage--a cottage at Manitou. _AT DENVER_ At Denver, at sunny Denver town; At Denver, where the snowy hills look down; At Denver, where the ladies never frown; At Denver,--at classic Denver town. At Denver, at jolly Denver town. At Denver,--in the autumn of the year,-- At Denver, when the merry crowds assemble, and King Carnival draws near. At Denver,--at festive Denver town. At Denver,---at social Denver town,-- At Denver, there “the portly parson” smiles and winks, At Denver,--there the naughty boys take their drinks And the lithesome lassies dance “high jinks,” At Denver--at gay, athletic, youthful Denver town. At Denver--if you ever go to Denver town You will surely see the circus and the clown. You will hear them sweetly rhyme Of the pleasures of their clime And they’ll, pretty tolerably nearly, “show you a jolly good time” At Denver--if you only go to Denver town. _TO OUR LADY OF WOE_ Dolores, dear, cease, kindly cease thy moaning; Thy cares, thy troubles, are thy own. None, none, will heed thy hollow groaning-- “Weep, and you weep alone!”