California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



19 



factvg. 



To IWly IVife, 



On tUe Annivttrsary of Our Boy'*8 

 Ueutli. 



BT SBTH HOLMES. 



f'HE following lines were written from the 

 depths of woe by a gentleman Reveuty 

 years of age, who has laid his boy, the 

 tT^y hope of hib life, in a druukard's grave, 

 J^ "murdered," as he expretised it. in a pri- 

 vate note to UB, "murdered by the rumsellers," 



Come eit thee down to-niyht, wife, 



And draw thy chair to mine; 

 My soul 80 sad to-night, wife, 



Needs now thnt love uf thine; 

 For thou iu all life's troubles, wife, 



To me hath been a guide,. 

 To cheer me when great sorrow came. 



My own sweet, darling wife. 



Then sit thee close beside me, wife, 



And tell of years gone by- 

 How in the rosy morn of life, 



Our hearts with hope beat high, 

 And children to our cottage came. 



Rich blessings to bestow; 

 But, darling wife, those happy days 



Were iu the long ago. 



Since then we've seen, my dear wife, 



Hope's brightest vi^'ions fade, 

 And one we loved so well, wife. 



In manhood's prime was laid 

 Where the weary rest in quiet, wife, 



Free from the tempter's snare; 

 But God will judge the wrong, wife. 



Let whisky men bewarel 



Our stftlf and stay has gone, wife, 



But still we'll hoi^e and try 

 Our duties to perform, wife, 



And in the by and by 

 We may together go, wife. 



And meet uur darling boy. 

 Where heart will throb to heart, wife. 



Where nothing can annoy. 



I see your tears are falling, wife. 



Your mother-heart has bled — 

 'Tifl better as it is, wife. 



That our dear boy is dead. 

 They can no lunger harm him, wife, 



His spirit now is free — 

 And in a few more years, wife. 



He'll welcome you and me. 

 Lower Lake. January, '77. 



Flow, Hammer and Fen, 



From the West leaps out a thunder shout 



That thrills the nation's ht-art — 

 The plodding chief and the It-gal thief 



Grow white iu the public mart; 

 And shaineU'ss fraud that walks abroad. 



And rules with an iron hand. 

 Whose ueiB are throwti from zone to zone 



Over all the toi tured land; — 

 All the legioury of Monopoly 



That gr;ipple the penpln's life. 

 Things foul that feed, with insatiate greed, 



And fatten >m peace or i-trife. 

 Now blanch and cower at this mighty power 



Which com- ti> judge and smite — 

 Hurrah for men of Plow, Hammer and Pen, 



Who lead iu the baitle for Right! 



When war's fierce fray had swept away 



Our sons at th<; cannon's umuth, 

 And their countless graves, like Ked Sea waves, 



Had billowed the fields of the^outh. 

 We fondly thought they had fnUen and fought. 



That tralhc. iu men should cease. 

 But we are sold and bartered for gold 



In the devil's marts of peace; 

 The slaves of slaves, of liuckstering knaves, 



WhoBe cunning dev<airs our toil I 

 Bv Heaven at length they shall feel the strength 



Of the tillers of the soil. 

 Hurrah for the Men of Plow, Hammer and Pen 



Whose limbs no gyves can bind — 

 Thnt. was a fight of Ihew and might, 



But this, in the fight of the mind. 



We've beaded the wood's grim solitudes. 

 We've buried the waste in tlowers, 



Woo'd the wild earth into fruitful birth. 

 And "couched her in fairy bowers, 



^ill the young wind rolled over seas of gold 



And died in the fragrant hay. 

 Till the wanton rills, by rlatt'ring mills, 



Han muhidal thnnigh the day. 

 The Bougs i>{ the birds, the rattle of words 



From our children romping about. 

 The women within, with their houwjhold din, 



<ind'8 beauty and bounty without! 

 Till the very air Keenied palpable prayer, 



And our sidritH rose refreshed: 

 Till, when the day hail died away 



T(t a gleam in tho lutdlow west. 

 We Baid, "No lord, nor rubber horde. 



Can desecrate our toll," 

 And we blessed the hind where the tolling hand 



Was master ot the soil. 



But all our dreams were mirage gleams. 



Bright phantoms of the sunl 

 We plowed and sowed, we reaped and mowed, 



But when our \v<irR was done, 

 Tho spoiler came, in freed<un'K name, 



And swept us of all but land. 

 Canre like a thief, with high belief 



And law in IiIk di.i.itv hand; 

 And he. whose brood never tilled a rood, 



RnliH by iu his vulgar pride. 

 While hin lordly train, bedizened and valu, 



Bidep by his pU thoric ^^ide; 

 Wliile we and »<ur»i, who've woven the hours 



Intu labor, and love and care. 

 Can only mopo while our Ktars of hope 



Are betting in black despair. 

 Plow and sowl harrow and luowl 



And gather! ye clods of the soil. 

 That running aad frau<l, may revel abroad 



And fatten upon your toll. 



What avails that he who assails 



Is <leiiif)crat. not lord? 

 Is't Kweeter to be in slavfry 



To cunidngihan the sword? 

 When every right is crushed by might. 



All manhood beaten down. 

 What victim cares if the despot wears 



A bonm:t or a crown? 

 Not all the speech the maetrrs teach 



Can save the hlave from shame. 

 Away with cant! we freed lUi want 



The substance, not the name. 

 Oh, liberty, thou soon t%hall be 



Redeemed from city marts, 

 And protily crowned, when girded round 



Wiih loyal granger hearts! 



And now, at length, our giant strength 



Shall smite the plotting knaves. 

 Our deep Reform, lashed by the etorra. 



Shall 'gult* them in its wuvck. 

 Can cent per tent brave our dibcontent, 



Or range his puny crew 

 To meet the shock, the wild Siroc, 



Of our men of mind and thew? 

 Hu rah for men of the I'low, Iliimmer and Pen, 



Strong hearts and bniin combined; 

 What foe can stay the headlong sway 



Of our miglity niarch of mind? 

 Hand claspeil iu han<l we firmly stand. 



Secure in our myriad might, 

 Our battle cry is " Victory, 



And God defend the rightl" 



— [Scanlan. 



A Song for the Greenback. 



BY MB3 8. M SMITH. 



Whpq the soldier starved in the trenches. 



And knew, while he waiting lay, 

 That his children plead, in vain for bread 



In his cotta^^e far away; 

 While up m the halls of Congress 



Stood men who; day by day. 

 Turn back bread from handi* that plead, 



Turned back ihe soldier's pay; 

 For the usurers' specious logic 



And sophistries false and old, 

 The army did wait, while th*- long debato 



Went on for the rights of gold. 

 Till the very Senate echoed 



The roar of the Southern gun. 

 And the ttern command, came up thro" the land, 



•■ Let the fEOPLK's will he doue." 

 Then, tlie gr. enback sped on its mission, 



Hurrah! lur the Greenback tru>'. 

 It saved the day. when hope gave way. 



It won for the boys in blue. 

 But. ah! when the war is over. 



And homeward the soldiers throng. 

 When at peace we thrive, and the land is alive, 



With the sound of the workman's song. 

 Once more in the halls of Congress, 



The usurer's voice is hold. 

 The strife returns, and the greenback bums 



At the shrine of the god of Gold. 

 The hope of the poor may perish, 



The workman's song be stilled. 

 And ruin wide, the land betide. 



Till the shylocks vaults are filled, 

 The busy places of labor 



Deserted and silent grow. 

 And up and down, thnugh country and town. 



The tramp and the beggar go. 

 And the soldier, living, envies 



The fate of his comrade, dead. 

 As weary he waits, at the rich man's gates. 



To beg for work or bread. 

 How long, ye toiling many. 



Will you bow to the cunning few? 

 Up! now, and strike, for a freeman's right. 



With a freeman s weapon, too. 



The ballot, not the b'ulletl 



'Tis the only power to save 

 From blotidy strife, or the slavish life 



That ends in the pauper's grave. 

 Then a cheer for the jwople's money! 



And its foes shall now give way. 

 It gave us power, in our darkeet hour, 



It gives us power, to-day. 



Men of America. 



Men of America, look where you stand r 



The cnrse of moDopoly coverw your land! 



In the north, in the south, the eas aud the west. 



Behold the <lread march of this terrible j>eat! 



From the jjreat vital centers of cummerce and 



tnide 

 Monopolies swarm of every grade; 

 With their network of iron aixl g(dd stcommand 

 They are crushing the life Irom your beautiful 



land; 

 Thi-y are last gaining power ne'er dream 't of 1k-- 



fore. 

 Transcending the proud feudal barons of yore. 

 And all their K^ent we.tlth— deny It who can! 

 Is wrung troiii tht; Unl of the poor wurkingman. 

 Men of Auk rica. look where you stand! 

 A darkness of Kgypt now covers ynir land; 

 A cormorant swarm, from all points they fly. 

 Like carrion crows they darken the sky. 

 Soon the soul ol your freedom and lawa will be 



fled 

 And vour children be crying and dying for br«ad. 

 Men of America, rise in your might, 

 ('ry out for justiire. and strke for the right. 

 By ballot— not bullet— the work may be done. 

 And shame on the slave who his duty would 



shun. 

 Lr t us all to our cause be honest and true. 

 And Hing to the breeze our Bed, White and Blae: 

 Bed fi)r the vultures that feed on the poor, 

 Blue for our faith in the fatliers of yore. 

 Aud white for the pure, the honest and good. 

 Emblem most fit for our great Brotherhood. 



'Business" in Mississippi. 



Why. howtVy. Moas'r Johnny! iB you gone to 



beepin' store? 

 Well, sah. I is surprised! I neber heard ob dat 



afore. 

 Say, ain't you gwine to gib mo piece o* good to- 

 bacco, p]eHH^ 1 



I'fl long wid you iu Georgia, lime we all was re- 

 fugees. 



X know'd you would; I alluz t-Us de people 



white an' black, 

 That you's a raal geu'l'man, an dat's dc llhin 



fac,— 

 Yes. sah. dat's what I tells 'em. an' its nuffin' 



else but true. 

 An" all de cullud people t'iukfl a mighty heap ob 



you. 



Look heah. sah: don't you want to buy some 



cotton? Yes. you do; 

 Derc's oder parties wants it, but I'd rather sell 



to you. 

 How much? Oh, jea' a bale- dat on de wagon In 



de str.-et — 

 Dls here's de sample— dls is cotton mighty hard 



to beatt 



You'll find it on de paper wliat de offers Is dat's 



made; 

 They'sallde same seditions; half in cash an' 



half in trade — 

 Dey's mighty low, sah— Come, now. can't you' 



pr-'Ve upon de nites 

 Dat Birrot Brudders offers; only twelbe an* 



seben eights? 



Lord: Mass'r Johnny, raise It! Don't you 



knows dat IVe a frieu' 

 An* wheu I has de money I is wiUtn' for to 



ppen"? 

 My customs wuf a heap, sah; jes; you buy de 



b:de an' se«» — 

 Dere didn't nebbcr nobody lose nuffln' oil o'me. 



Now, what's de good ob gwine dan an' azam- 



inin' de bale? 

 When people trades wid ma day alius gits a 



hones' sale; 

 I ain't no hand for cbeatln.' Ibelicbes in actin' 



far. 

 An' everylM^dy'U tell you dat dey alluz foun' me 



squar'. 



I isn't like some niggers; I deelar' it is a shame 

 De way some ob' em swin'les— what, de cotton 



ain*t de same 

 As din dats in de sample! Well I-m blest sir if 



it is] 

 Dia he.-ih must be my brudder's sample— 7es sah 



dis is his. 



If dat don't beat creation! Hero I've done been 



totin' Touiv 

 A sample different from de ^-otton! I— will— be 



— consound! 

 Mass'r Johnny, you mus' sense me. Take de 



cotton as it Stan's. 

 An' tell rae if your willin' for to take it off my 



ban's. 



Sho! nebber raind de auger! 'taint a bit o' use 

 to bure. 



De bale is all de same as dis heah piece de bag- 

 gin's tore; 



You oughtn't to go pullin' out de cotton dat a 

 wav. 



It spiles de beauty ob de— what, sah! rocks iu 

 dar you say? 



Rocks in daf 'ar cotton* How de debble kin 



ttiat be? 

 I packed dat bale mysel'— hoi' on a minnit, le' 



me we — 

 My stars! T mns' be crazy! Mass'r Johnny, dls 



is fine — 



I'se gone an' faiuled my btudder's cotton in- 

 stead of mine! 



The Canesteo XtTagoner. 



UY JEFFttET OIFFOnD. 



The forest paths were decked with flowers. 

 And dnnng the h>ng summer hours 



The Wagoner drove on; 

 His do<-ll<f t<.-ani, heavy of limb. 

 Were ktout aud true, aud 'twas his whim 



Their backs to ride upon. 



n. 



The wagon, very large and strong. 

 Was built gnat louils to move along; 



And, mid the gn-en-wood glades. 

 Slowly aud carefully, their way 

 They thrvaded each eventful day. 



With gooda uf various grades. 



m. 



Long ribbons, with their varied hue, 

 Of crimson, scarlet, brovrn. or blue. 



Suepi fri>m thehoFM-b' boftds; 

 And happily ihey trudg>-d away. 

 Servant •nd master, both felt gay; 



Pleasure unconscious spreads. 



IT. 



Small tinkling bells, with mosfc sweet, 

 Kept measun- with the hnrwfi' te*t, 



Aud Httunded low. but clear; 

 While all along the devious way 

 A wreath of sunbeams fell Id sjiray. 



Charms fur Ixjth eye and car. 



V. 

 Bright plumaged birds among the trees, 

 The murmur of the balmy breeze. 



And eeh-'lng wa^ rfalts, 

 Alt lent a pasKonaie deliu'lit 

 To these eompanioDs. U'TU or night, 



While on their varied calls. 



VI. 

 On each lapel, upon his brpast. 

 And buttoD-lndt of coat or rest. 



The wagoner won- flowers. 

 Aye! blythe as any lark was he. 

 A life of toil andjolity 



Eulibted ail his powers. 



VII. 

 The welcome inn was gained at last, 

 .Ml thoughts of trials in the past 



Kled frt>m the wagoner's mind; 

 He seemed the happiest of all 

 Who gathered in the tavrm hall 



Iu bear how fjired mankind. 



vin. 



For. with bis India silks, as well. 



He brought the news, and loved tn tell 



Of thinga tx>th (Strange and true; 

 Marvels of tlixxl, and fl-ld. and hkles. 

 The ruptlcs heard with keen surprise; 



Meanwhile amazement grew. 



IX. 



And, Interspersed with drink and song. 

 These tales went round the whole nightlong. 



And wonderful they wi*re. 

 The oftener told— for such is famfr— 

 They grew unlike in form and name; 



Such tidings gossips 1>car. 



X. 



Along the road were short relays. 



And thus, throughout the long, long days. 



The wagoner found rt-et; 

 Fresh teams, refref"hnient and repose, 

 A place ir> drink, or smoke, or doze. 



And aU the while feel blest. 



XI. 

 .\long the roads, too. rosy maids. 

 Buxom with bemlth. won fr(>m the glades. 



Did shyly look their love. 

 Handsome wsb he, erect and trim. 

 And Tig-.rous in everr limb. 



Hero beside the dove. 



XII. 



But timefi have greatly changed since then, 

 When, slowly through the woodland glen. 



The wagoner drove past . 

 Steam hurries by with lightning speed, 

 The telegraph proclaims each need; 



Tnose old days are the last. 



