OUR HIRED GIRL
by: James Whitcomb Riley
(1849-1916)
- UR hired girl, she's 'Lizabuth
Ann;
- An' she can cook best things to eat!
- She ist puts dough in our pie-pan,
- An' pours in somepin' 'at's good an' sweet;
- An' nen she salts it all on top
- With cinnamon; an' nen she'll stop
- An' stoop an' slide it, ist as slow,
- In th' old cook-stove, so's 'twon't slop
- An' git all spilled; nen bakes it, so
- It's custard-pie, first thing you know!
- An' nen she'll say,
- "Clear out o' my way!
- They's time fer work, an' time fer play!
- Take yer dough, an' run, child, run!
- Er I cain't git no cookin' done!"
-
- When our hired girl 'tends like she's mad,
- An' says folks got to walk the chalk
- When she's around, er wisht they had!
- I play out on our porch an' talk
- To Th' Raggedy Man 'at mows our lawn;
- An' he says, "Whew!" an' nen leans on
- His old crook-scythe, and blinks his eyes,
- An' sniffs all 'round an' says, "I swawn!
- Ef my old nose don't tell me lies,
- It 'pears like I smell custard-pies!"
- An' nen he'll say,
- "Clear out o' my way!
- They's time fer work, an' time fer play!
- Take yer dough, an' run, child, run!
- Er she cain't git no cookin' done!"
-
- Wunst our hired girl, when she
- Got the supper, an' we all et,
- An' it wuz night, an' Ma an' me
- An' Pa went wher' the "Social" met,--
- An' nen when we come home, an' see
- A light in the kitchen door, an' we
- Heerd a maccordeun, Pa says, "Lan'--
- O'-Gracious! who can her beau be?"
- An' I marched in, an' 'Lizabuth Ann
- Wuz parchin' corn fer The Raggedy Man!
- Better say,
- "Clear out o' the way!
- They's time fer work, an' time fer play!
- Take the hint, an' run, child, run!
- Er we cain't git no courtin' done!"
"Our Hired Girl" is reprinted
from Complete Works. James Whitcomb Riley. Indianapolis:
Bobbs-Merrill, 1916. |
MORE POEMS BY JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY |
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