FullReads

DEDICATION

To
HEWITT HANSON HOWLAND

WITH HALEST CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
AND FRATERNAL

Little Boy! Halloo!–halloo!

Can’t you hear me calling you?–

Little Boy that used to be,

Come in here and play with me.

A Defective Santa Claus

Allus when our Pa he’s away
Nen Uncle Sidney comes to stay
At our house here–so Ma an’ me
An’ Etty an’ Lee-Bob won’t be
Afeard ef anything at night
Might happen–like Ma says it might.

(Ef Trip wuz big, I bet you he
‘Uz best watch-dog you ever see!)
An’ so last winter–ist before
It’s go’ be Chris’mus-Day,–w’y, shore
Enough, Pa had to haf to go
To ‘tend a lawsuit–“An’ the snow
Ist right fer Santy Claus!” Pa said,
As he clumb in old Ayersuz’ sled,
An’ said he’s sorry he can’t be
With us that night–“‘Cause,” he-says-ee,
“Old Santy might be comin’ here–
This very night of all the year

I’ got to be away!–so all
You kids must tell him–ef he call–
He’s mighty welcome, an’ yer Pa
He left his love with you an’ Ma

An’ Uncle Sid!” An’ clucked, an’ leant
Back, laughin’–an’ away they went!
An’ Uncle wave’ his hands an’ yells
“Yer old horse ort to have on bells!”
But Pa yell back an’ laugh an’ say
“I ‘spect when Santy come this way
It’s time enough fer sleighbells nen!”
An’ holler back “Good-by!” again,
An’ reach out with the driver’s whip
An’ cut behind an’ drive back Trip.

An’ so all day it snowed an’ snowed!
An’ Lee-Bob he ist watched the road,

In his high-chair; an’ Etty she
U’d play with Uncle Sid an’ me–
Like she wuz he’ppin’ fetch in wood
An’ keepin’ old fire goin’ good,

Where Ma she wuz a-cookin’ there
An’ kitchen, too, an’ ever’where!
An’ Uncle say, “‘At’s ist the way
Yer Ma’s b’en workin’, night an’ day,
Sence she hain’t big as Etty is
Er Lee-Bob in that chair o’ his!”
Nen Ma she’d laugh ‘t what Uncle said,
An’ smack an’ smoove his old bald head
An’ say “Clear out the way till I
Can keep that pot from b’ilin’ dry!”
Nen Uncle, when she’s gone back to
The kitchen, says, “We ust to do

Some cookin’ in the ashes.–Say,
S’posin’ we try some, thataway!”
An’ nen he send us to tell Ma
Send two big ‘taters in he saw

Pa’s b’en a-keepin’ ’cause they got
The premiun at the Fair. An’ what
You think?–He rake a grea’-big hole
In the hot ashes, an’ he roll
Them old big ‘taters in the place
An’ rake the coals back–an’ his face
Ist swettin’ so’s he purt’-nigh swear
‘Cause it’s so hot! An’ when they’re there
‘Bout time ‘at we fergit ’em, he
Ist rake ’em out again–an’ gee!–
He bu’st ’em with his fist wite on
A’ old stove-led, while Etty’s gone

To git the salt, an’ butter, too–
Ist like he said she haf to do,
No matter what Ma say! An’ so
He salt an’ butter ’em, an’ blow

‘Em cool enough fer us to eat–
An’ me-o-my! they’re hard to beat!
An’ Trip ‘ud ist lay there an’ pant
Like he’d laugh out loud, but he can’t.
Nen Uncle fill his pipe–an’ we
‘Ud he’p him light it–Sis an’ me,–
But mostly little Lee-Bob, ’cause
“He’s the best Lighter ever wuz!”
Like Uncle telled him wunst when Lee-
Bob cried an’ jerked the light from me,
He wuz so mad! So Uncle pat
An’ pet him. (Lee-Bob’s ust to that–