She was dressed so neatly. And she smiled so sweetly, And her manners were so pleasing to me, That I felt enraptured, And was fairly captured, And I wondered what the result would be. My plans were helped along, By some who did belong, By friendship and relation to her side; They called me a good catch, And sought to make a match, And see their friend become a happy bride. Then I aimed to acquire, The one I did admire, And to make her my partner for life; I did not have a doubt, That she would carry out, Ev’ry duty that belongs to a wife. I told her my intent, And asked her to consent, And promised I would love her evermore; And then she did reply, She was pleased to comply, And love me as she never loved before. Now we are man and wife, Have entered married life, And are settled in a sweet little home; I always do my best, My wife does all the rest, And neither one has any wish to roam. We have a little boy, Our greatest source of joy, Of sweet disposition like his mother; He is a darling pet, And we will not forget, Is a tie that binds us to each other. We work well together, Serve and please each other, And do not know of any better plan; Our home is one of peace, And we will never cease, To make it as attractive as we can. My wife is always kind, She has a noble mind, And is as good as I thought she would be; I’ve reason to rejoice, I made a happy choice, And that my darling wife is pleased with me. BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS. The beautiful flowers turned their faces to me, And the sweet little flowers threw kisses at me. The larger flowers gently beckoned to me, And all the pretty flowers talked love to me. I turned toward the river, it was grand to see, Its banks were as pretty as river banks can be, The trees dressed in gay colors were smiling at me, ’Twas a world filled with beauty, with beauty for me. THE VALUE OF A FRIEND. How few there are who appreciate The value of a friend, Whose love is so deep, sincere and true, You can on it depend. How often amid the storms of life, A little help you need, How cheering then to have a friend That is a friend indeed, And when those storms continue to rage, And friends to shelter go, The genuine friend stands by you then, And helps ward off the blow. God pity the man who would betray The Christ-like loving friend, Whose heart is with him everywhere And will be to the end. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Poems, by Crocket McElroy