twilight stories-第6部分
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Masinderan。
A。 MARY F。 ROBINSON。
Handy Spandy; Jack…a…Dandy;
Loved plum cake and sugar candy;
He bought some at a grocer's shop
And out he come with a hop。
hop;
hop。
Jocko is a monkey;
Dressed just like a clown;
With the grinding…organ man
He travels round the town。
Jocko; Jocko; climb a pole;
Jocko climb a tree;
Jocko; Jocko; tip your cap;
And make a bow to me。
KENTUCKY BELLE。
Summer of 'sixty…three; sir; and Conrad was gone away
Gone to the county…town; sir; to sell our first load of hay
We lived in the log…house yonder; poor as ever you've seen;
Roschen there was a baby; and I was only nineteen。
Conrad; he took the oxen; but he left Kentucky Belle;
How much we thought of Kentucky; I couldn't begin to tell
Came from the Blue…Grass country; my father gave her to me
When I rode north with Conrad; away from Tennessee。
Conrad lived in Ohioa German he is; you know
The house stood in broad corn…fields; stretching on; row after
row;
The old folks made me welcome; they were kind as kind could be
But I kept longing; longing; for the hills of Tennessee。
O; for a sight of water; the shadowed slope of a hill!
Clouds that hang on the summit; a wind that is never still
But the level land went stretching away to meet the sky
Never a rise; from north to south; to rest the weary eye!
From east to west; no river to shine out under the moon;
Nothing to make a shadow in the yellow afternoon;
Only the breathless sunshine; as I looked out; all forlorn;
Only the 〃rustle; rustle;〃 as I walked among the corn。
When I fell sick with pining; we didn't wait any more;
But moved away from the corn…lands out to this river shore
The Tuscarawas it's called; siroff there's a hill; you see
And now I've grown to like it next best to the Tennessee。
I was at work that morning。 Some one came riding like mad
Over the bridge and up the roadFarmer Rouf's little lad;
Bareback he rode; he had no hat; he hardly stopped to say;
〃Morgan's men are coming; Frau; they're galloping on this way;
〃I'm sent to warn the neighbors。 He isn't a mile behind;
He sweeps up all the horsesevery horse that he can find;
Morgan; Morgan; the raider; and Morgan's terrible men;
With bowie…knives and pistols; are galloping up the glen。〃
The lad rode down the valley; and I stood still at the door;
The baby laughed and prattled; playing with spools on the floor;
Kentuck was out in the pasture; Conrad; my man; was gone;
Nearer; nearer; Morgan's men were galloping; galloping on!
Sudden I picked up the baby; and ran to the pasture…bar;
〃Kentuck!〃 I called; 〃Kentucky!〃 She knew me ever so far!
I led her down the gully that turns off there to the right;
And tied her to the bushes; her head was just out of sight。
As I ran back to the log…house; at once there came a sound
The ring of hoofs; galloping hoofs; trembling over the ground
Coming into the turnpike out from the White Woman Glen
Morgan; Morgan the raider; and Morgan's terrible men。
As near they drew and nearer; my heart beat fast in alarm!
But still I stood in the doorway; with baby on my arm。
They came; they passed; with spur and whip in haste they sped
along
Morgan; Morgan the raider; and his band six hundred strong。
Weary they looked and jaded; riding through night and through
day;
Pushing on east to the river; many long miles away;
To the border…strip where Virginia runs up into the West;
To ford the Upper Ohio before they could stop to rest。
On like the wind they hurried; and Morgan rode in advance;
Bright were his eyes like live coals; as he gave me a sideways
glance;
And I was just breathing freely; after my choking pain;
When the last one of the troopers suddenly drew his rein。
Frightened I was to death; sir; I scarce dared look in his face;
As he asked for a drink of water; and glanced around the place:
I gave him a cup; and he smiled'twas only a boy; you see;
Faint and worn; with dim blue eyes; and he'd sailed on the
Tennessee。
Only sixteen he was; sira fond mother's only son
Off and away with Morgan before his life had begun!
The damp drops stood on his temples; drawn was the boyish
mouth;
And I thought me of the mother waiting down in the South!
O; pluck was he to the backbone; and clear grit through and
through;
Boasted and bragged like a trooper; but the big words wouldn't
do;
The boy was dying sir; dying; as plain as plain could be;
Worn out by his ride with Morgan up from the Tennessee。
But; when I told the laddie that I too was from the South;
Water came into his dim eyes; and quivers around his mouth;
〃Do you know the Blue…Grass country?〃 he wistfully began to say;
Then swayed like a willow sapling; and fainted dead away。
I had him into the log…house; and worked and brought him to;
I fed him; and I coaxed him; as I thought his mother'd do;
And; when the lad got better; and the noise in his head was gone;
Morgan's men were miles away; galloping; galloping on。
〃O; I must go;〃 he muttered; 〃I must be up and away!
Morgan; Morgan is waiting for me! O; what will Morgan say?〃
But I heard the sound of tramping; and kept him back from the
door
The ringing sound of horses' hoofs that I had heard before。
And on; on came the soldiersthe Michigan cavalry
And fast they rode; and back they looked; galloping rapidly;
They had followed hard on Morgan's track; they had followed day
and night;
But of Morgan and Morgan's raiders they had never caught a sight。
And rich Ohio sat startled through all these summer days;
For strange; wild men were galloping over her broad highways;
Now here; now there; now seen; now gone; now north; now east;
now west;
Through river…valleys and corn…land farms; sweeping away her
best。
A bold ride and a long ride! But they were taken at last;
They had almost reached the river by galloping hard and fast;
But the boys in blue were upon them ere ever they gained the
ford;
And Morgan; Morgan the raider; laid down his terrible sword。
Well; I kept the boy till eveningkept him against his will
But he was too weak to follow; and sat there pale and still;
When it was cool and duskyyou'll wonder to hear me tell
But I stole down to the gully; and brought up Kentucky Belle。
I kissed the star on her foreheadmy pretty; gentle lass
But I knew that she'd be happy; back in the old Blue…Grass:
A suit of clothes of Conrad's; with all the money I had;
And Kentucky; pretty Kentucky; I gave to the worn…out lad。
I guided him to the southward; as well as I knew how:
The boy rode off with many thanks; and many a backward bow;
And then the glow it faded; and my heart began to swell;
And down the glen away she went; my lost Kentucky Belle!
When Conrad came in the evening; the moon was shining high;
Baby and I were both cryingI couldn't tell him why
But a battered suit of rebel gray was hanging on the wall;
And a thin old horse with drooping head stood in Kentucky's
stall。
Well; he was kind; and never once said a hard word to me;
He knew I couldn't help it'twas all for the Tennessee;
But; after the war was over; just think what came to pass
A letter; sir; and the two were safe back in the old Blue…Grass。
The lad got across the border; riding Kentucky Belle;
And Kentuck she was thriving; and fat; and hearty; and well;
He cared for her; and kept her; nor touched her with whip or
spur;
Ah! we've had many horses; but never a horse like her!
CONSTANCE FENIMORE WOOLSON。
Moses was a camel that traveled o'er the sand。
Of the desert; fiercely hot; way down in Egypt…land;
But they brought him to the Fair;
Now upon his hump;
Every child can take a ride;
Who can stand the bumpity…bump。
PROPHECIES。
Little blue egg; in the nest snug and warm;
Covered so close from the wind and the storm;
Guarded so carefully day after day;
What is your use in this world now; pray?
〃Bend your head closer; my secret I'll tell:
There's a baby…bird hid in my tiny blue shell。〃
Little green bud; all covered with dew;
Answer my question and answer it true;
What were you made for; and why do you stay
Clinging so close to the twig all the day?
〃Hid in my green sheath; some day to unclose;
Nestles the warm; glowing heart of a rose。〃
Dear; little baby…girl; dainty and fair;
Sweetest of flowers; of jewels most rare;
Surely there's no other use for you here
Than just to be petted and played with; you dear!
〃Oh; a wonderful secret I'm coming to know;
Just a baby like me; to a woman shall grow。〃
Ah; swiftly the bird from the nest flies away;
And the bud to a blossom unfolds day by day;
While the woman looks forth in my baby…girl's eyes;
Through her joys and her sorrows; her tears and surprise
Too soon shall the years bring this gift to her cup;
God keep her; my woman who's now growing up!
BY KATHRINE LENTE STEVENSON。
Who said that I was a naughty dog;
And could not behave if I tried?
I only chewed up Katrina's French doll;
And shook her rag one until it cried。
WHY HE WAS WHIPPED。
He was seven years old; lived in Cheyenne; and his name was
Tommy。 Moreover he was going to school for the first time in his
life。 Out here little people are not allowed to attend school
when they