THE BRIDGE Wal, neighbor, tell us wut 's turned up thet's new? No England she would hev 'em, (Ez though she hed n't fools enough You're younger 'n I be, -nigher So they've returned 'em — Boston, tu: With law an' gospel, when their Wal, wal, two wrongs don't never Hez ollers ben, 'I 've gut the For gracious' sake, ha'n't we enough to du Take nary man? Fine preachin' 'thout gettin' up a fight with Eng. heaviest hand.' Why, she hez taken hunderds She thinks we 're rabble-rid — from our ships, An' would agin, an' swear she had THE BRIDGE An' so we can't Ef we warn't strong enough to be Distinguish 'twixt You ought n't a right to, perlite to. an' You sha'n't! 140 Of all the sarse thet I can call to She jedges by herself; she's no mind, England doos make the most onpleasant kind: It's you're the sinner ollers, she's idear How 't stiddies folks to give 'em their fair sheer: The odds 'twixt her an' us is plain 's a steeple, Wut's good 's all English, all thet Her People 's turned to Mob, our the saint; is n't ain't; 120 Mob's turned People. Ez though she done it all, an' ten She 's run her head into a swarm An' nothin' never hed gut done I ain't so prejudiced ez wut you afore, spose: hev thought England was the best thet goes; On to one eend an' gin th' old airth Remember (no, you can't), when An' though they can't conceit how But, neighbor, ef they prove their 't should be so, 160 I guess the Lord druv down Creation's spiles 'thout no gret helpin' from the British Isles, claim at law, The best way is to settle, an' not jaw. An' don't le' 's mutter 'bout the awfle bricks An' could contrive to keep things We 'll give 'em, ef we ketch 'em in pooty stiff a fix : Ef they withdrawed from business That 'ere 's most frequently the in a miff; kin' o' talk I ha'n't no patience with sech Of critters can't be kicked to toe You're ollers quick to set your 'T wun't pay to scringe to Eng. back aridge, Though 't suits a tom-cat more 'n a sober bridge: land will it pay 190 To fear thet meaner bully, old 'They'll say '? Yard locked in yard, hot gun-lip kissin' gun: Why, afore thet, John Bull sot up thet he Hed gut a kind o' mortgage on the sea; We've gut pride, tu, an' gut it by You 'd thought he held by Gran'. 210 ther Adam's will, good rights, An' ketch me stoopin' to pick up An' ef you knuckle down, he'll the mites think so still. O' condescension she 'll be lettin' Better thet all our ships an' all their crews fall When she finds out we ain't dead Should sink to rot in ocean's Thet havin' things onsettled kills the cow: We've gut to fix this thing for good an' all; It's no use buildin' wut's a-goin' to fall. I'm older'n you, an' I've seen things an' men, An' my experunce,- tell ye wut it's ben: Folks thet worked thorough was the ones thet thriv, But bad work follers ye ez long's ye live ; You can't git red on 't; jest ez sure ez sin, 270 It's ollers askin' to be done agin: Ef we should part, it would n't be a week 'Fore your soft-soddered peace We've turned our cuffs up, but, to would spring aleak. put her thru, We must git mad an' off with T wun't du to think thet killin' jackets, tu; ain't perlite, You've gut to be in airnest, ef you fight; Why, two thirds o' the Rebbles 'ould cut dirt, Ef they once thought thet Guv'ment meant to hurt; An' I du wish our Gin'rals hed in mind 280 The folks in front more than the folks behind; You wun't do much ontil you think it's God, An' not constitoounts, thet holds the rod; We want some more o' Gideon's sword, I jedge, For proclamations ha'n't no gret of edge; There's nothin' for a cancer but the knife, An' I tell you it wun't be money Onless you set by 't more than by Taxes milks dry, but, neighbor, I've seen hard times; I see a war you'll allow begun |