The Boy of the By-Way 



And I vowed to myself I had never seen 

 The sky so blue or the grass so green; 

 Nor everywhere the earth so fair 

 And utterly free from pain and care! 



And, feeling thus, when we came to part, 



I thought, "Here's a youngster I've liked from the 



start. 

 And henceforth — egad! — when I'm sour and sad 

 'Twill be well to remember this same lad." 



So I called, as he vanished from sight, "Old man, 

 Let us meet some day again, if you can!" 

 "Sure! count on me" — with a laugh said he, 

 "For I'm simply the boy you used to be!" 



[71] 



