THOUGH the winds be dank, And the sky be sober, And the grieving Day In a mantle gray Hath let her waiting maiden robe h…

ALONG by the river of ruin They dally —the thoughtless ones, They dance and they dream By the side of the stream, As long as the river runs.

YOU kin talk about yer anthems An’ yer arias an’ sich, An’ yer modern choir—singin’ That you think so awful rich; But you orter heerd us youngsters

LOVE used to carry a bow, you kn… But now he carries a taper; It is either a length of wax aglow… Or a twist of lighted paper. I pondered a little about the scam…

WHAT if the wind do howl without… And turn the creaking weather—vane… What if the arrows of the rain Do beat against the window—pane? Art thou not armored strong and fa…

Thou arrant robber, Death! Couldst thou not find Some lesser one than he To rob of breath,— Some poorer mind

OUT in de night a sad bird moans, An’, oh, but hit’s moughty lonely; Times I kin sing, but mos’ I groa… Fu’ oh, but hit’s moughty lonely! Is you sleepin’ well dis evenin’,…

Belated wanderer of the ways of sp… Lost in the chill of grim Novembe… Would I could read the message th… And find in it the antidote for pa… Does some sad spirit out beyond th…

THE river sleeps beneath the sky, And clasps the shadows to its brea… The crescent moon shines dim on hi… And in the lately radiant west The gold is fading into gray.

ON THE RECEIPT OF A F… To me, like hauntings of a vagrant… From some far forest which I once… The perfume of this flower of vers… Tho’ seemingly soul—blossoms faint…

De way t’ings come, hit seems to m… Is des’ one monst’ous mystery; De way hit seem to strike a man, Dey ain’t no sense, dey ain’t no p… Ef trouble sta’ts a pilin’ down,

BREEZES blowin’ middlin’ brisk, Snow-flakes thro’ the air a-whisk, Fallin’ kind o’ soft an’ light, Not enough to make things white, But jest sorter siftin’ down

The word is writ that he who runs… What is the passing breath of eart… But to snatch glory from the hands… That is to be, to live, to strive… A poor Virginia cabin gave the se…

SWING yo’ lady roun’ an’ roun’, Do de bes’ you know; Mek yo’ bow an’ p’omenade Up an’ down de flo’; Mek dat banjo hump huhse’f,

DOLLY sits a—quilting by her mot… Gracious, how my pulses throb, how… While I note her dainty waist and… As she matches this and that, she… And I long to tell her Life’s a q…