Speak yentle everyvere yu go, And people skol forget That yu ban vatching for gude chance Tu vinning every bet! THE BAREFOOT BOY Blessings on yu, little man! Barefoot boy, ay tenk yu can Getting all yu lak, by yee! Yu ban gude enuff for me. Yu ant got so many clo'es, Dar ban freckles on yure nose, And ay guess yu're purty tuff, 'Cause yu ask for chew of snuff. But, by yinks, ay lak yure face, Yu can passing any place. Barefoot boy, ef ay could du Yenuine po'try lak the kind Maester Vittier wrote for yu, Ay vould write; but never mind, Ay can tal yu vat ay know, Even ef dese vords ant flow Half so slick sum poet's song. Anyhow, ay don't mean wrong. Ven ay see yu, little kid, Ay skol taking off my lid. Oder little boys ay see Ant look half so gude to me. Some of dem ban rich men's boys, Who ban having planty toys, Vearing nicest clo'es in town, Lak dis little Buster Brown. Don't yu care! Ven dey grow up, And ban shining at pink tea, Drenking tea from china cup, Yu skol give dem loud tee-hee. Yu skol laugh at dis har mob Ven dey come to yu for yob. Barefoot boy, yu ant got cent; But ay tal yu dis, some day Yu got chance for president Ef dese woters com yure vay. Yust keep vistling all day long, Yust keep senging little song, And ef yu skol alvays love Some one who ban op above, Who ban making day and night, He skol fix yu out all right. FATHER WILLIAM "Yu ban old, Fader Olaf," a young geezer say, "yure hair it ban whiter sum snow; Ay lak yu to tal me how yu keep so young. By Yudas! Ay ant hardly know." "Ven ay ban a young kid," Fader Olaf he say, "ay never hang out in saloon; Ay never ban smoking dese har cigarettes, or sitting on sofa and spoon!" "Yu ban slim, Fader Olaf," the young faller say: "old fallers ban mostly dam fat. Yu measure 'bout tventy-sax inches reund vaist, vat for ban the reason of dat?" "In the days of my youth," Fader Olaf reply, "ay ant drenk no lager from cup; Ay let all my frends fight dis bourbon and rye, and alvays pass breakfast fude up!" "Fader Olaf, yure eyes ban so bright sum a star, yu ant vear no glasses at all; Ay lak yu to tal me gude reason for dis; ay hope yu don't give me no stall." "All the days of my life," Fader Olaf den say, "ay never ban going to shows, And straining my eyes vatching dese chorus girls vich ant veering wery much clo'es!" Den young faller say, "Fader Olaf, ay tenk yu ban full of yinger, old pal; But yu had to be missing gude times all yure life, so ay skol keep on raising hal!" ABOU SWEN ANSON