Everard Jack Appleton

“ You go your way, seeking for good, not ill,
Remembering life's joy and not its gall;
Clasping the hand that trembles, when you may,
Spending your love whole-heartedly the while
For those who need it now, nor wait that day
When they no longer care for word or smile. ”

“ Till the baby laughed—and its laugh was sweet.
His eyes were dim as his hand he kissed
To the child, and he whispered, "And that I have missed!"
To the end of the day that was full of care
The song in his heart was strong and new,
And the woman who loved him heard it too:
"Now that his soul is awake, I dare
Hope that he understands me," she said;
But I fear he didn't—until he was dead!
THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
"A Merry Christmas!" You who make each day
A little less unhappy for some soul
Weighted with sorrow ”

“ The natural and the ordinary way.
Men may have bodies made of metals cold
To match the hearts and brains those bodies hold!
A thousand years from now—why should we care
What Science then brings forth—we won't be here
To worry over things or to compare
The present with our past—won't that be queer?
But men, as now, will hope (as we have done)
That each new year will be a better one! ”

“ But all she said was "hu-u-m!"
THE DOG CONFESSES
I am a lucky dog, I know, and all my friends agree
The people that I live with now are good as gold to me
Because three times I saved a life—and that is why they give
Me everything a dog could want—and will, while I shall live.
But I've a conscience, and I must
Confess the truth—or else I'll bust!
One day the cart that Bobbie drives ran up on pony's heels,
And off he bolted! I went, too, and mixed up with the wheels,
Until the cart came to a stop, and Bobbie-boy was saved—
Then folks wept o'er the noble way that I, a dog, behaved. ”

“ A Corporal's soul beside him nodded and mustered a smile:
"You handled a dozen at once," he said; "they didn't come single file.
If you wasn't 'much of a soldier,' or shirked in your duty—well, say,
What sort of a chance have other men got when tested on Judgment Day? ”

“ Of things to bear that he don't like, as through this life he goes;
And though of happy days we're apt to lose the rightful count,
Things even up before we die, as every old man knows.
There ain't no great monopoly
On sickness ner bad luck, I gee!
We've got to stand our share of pain and meet a heap of sorrow;
We've got to shoulder burdens that no one likes to tote;
But worryin' about the load, and thinkin' of th' morrow
Don't make it one mite easier, er cheerfuller, I note!
Th' way to do is jest t' grin
And hope for better times ag'in ”

“ You mustn't hate the enemy—that wastes a lot of "pep"—
The Colonel passed the word around the training camp to-day.
The Captain says with modern war we gotta all catch step;
"Cut out the rough-necked rage and talk, and don't you think or say:
"'Pirates, rapists, murderers; poisoners and lying thieves;
Super-vandals, run amuck—black devils quoting sermons;
This world was mostly Heaven-made, our Chaplain, he believes;
But Hell itself conceived and spawned the Military Germans!
"The enemy is good at killing kids, and old folks, too ”

“ Grim and ugly war-paint dress, we're a gloomy lot,
Slidin' in and out, never in the way.
Gosh! It's wearin' on the nerves, waitin' round—for what?
Some boats are bum boats,
Layin' for the Hun—
But ev'ry boat that flies our Flag
Mounts a wicked gun!
Stickin' for the Big Show! Will it ever start?
When it does, Good night, Irene! We won't make a squeak.
"Boy Scouts of the Sea," watch us do our part
If a raider or a sub. gives us just a peek! ”

“ Before they left to go ashore
(A crowd had gathered on the quay) ,
"When can you start to work?" they asked.
"How many hours will it be
Before you're ready?" With a smile
Our fighting Admiral replied
(And there was joy in what he said,
Mingled with pardonable pride) :
"Soon as the enemy we meet!...
We're ready now—men, guns, and Fleet." ”

“ Whether he's workin' or not;
Serious-faced an' pitiful sad—
(Think he was goin' t' be shot!)
Whenever he bugles, some of us cry—
Reveille, taps, or mess—
With musical sob-stuff Bill gets by,
Plaintive and full of distress!
Bugler Bill is never real gay,
But built on a sour-face plan;
Bill wouldn't laugh, whatever you'd say;
Looks like a love-poisoned man.
"Grin, ye hyenas," he'll say as he smokes;
"I ain't a frivolous guy—"
"Thinkin' of all of the pain you caused folks
While learnin' to play?" ”

“ We're all of us willin', but why keep us drillin'
Forever?... Just waitin' for somethin' to do!
At home they are readin' th' outlandish name
Of a battle that's won or a hero that's dead
Of a stunt that had won him a place in this Game—
But all that I've won is a cold in my head!
While others are fightin' we're readin' or writin'—
An' the censors will see that it don't get to you!
We long for a scrap that will sizzle the blood;
We hone for a chance to bust in a head;
This marchin' an' diggin' in acres of mud
Ain't as excitin' as bein' plain dead. ”

“ Torpedoing hospital ships and blowin' up our plants;
But cogitatin' on their line of wicked things won't do;
We'll never hate 'em off the map—just give the guns a chance!"
So we don't go in for loathin', and with anger we don't burn;
We're drillin', and we're diggin', and we're workin' all the while;
To put 'er in the target is the trick we hafter learn—
And ev'ry man's a better shot when he can shoot—and smile!
The folks at home will spend their time a-broodin' over all
The nasty devils do and on the details they can dwell ”

“ But Jimmy got another think, fer quite eventually
They had him workin' like a Turk, th' pore, astonished worm.
The rest of us, we gotta eat, and Jimmy—he can cook!
(He makes a stew that tastes as good as mother used to make.)
An' when he starts to flappin' cakes, why, every hungry rook
Is droolin' at the mouth for them, a-waitin' fer his take.
He's ranked a sergeant, but he don't mix up with no recruits;
He rides a horse when we parade (which ain't so often now) ;
But where he shines is when we eat; the grub that Jimmy shoots
At hungry troopers every day is certainly "some chow." ”

“ We're only folks—th' reg'lar kind—that answered to th' call;
We may be dumb and also blind—but still we'll see it through!
Just wearin' khaki doesn't change our insides—not a'tall!
We're human (Does that seem so strange?) waitin' to fight—for you! ”

“ I kinder feel that very way—
But ma says baby's come to stay.
Frank Brown has got a billygoat that pulls him on his sled,
And Kenneth's got a ponycart; but pa looked cross and said
I mustn't talk so foolish when I asked him if I might
Go trade our baby for a pony or a goat, last night.
I s'pose he knew nobody'd trade
A goat for any baby made!
I wouldn't mind it, I believe, if any boy I knew
Would envy me for what we've got, but that's what they won't do!
THE LONELY CHILD
It takes so long to grow up big and get to be a man,
I wisht sometimes that I'd been born as old as Mary Ann ”

“ To call th' man who works a farm a "hick."
THE LADIES' MAN
Billy is a ladies' man; Billy dances fine
(Always was a bear-cat at the game) ;
Billy pulls the social stuff all along the line—
But he knows this business, just the same.
He can march; he can drill
As hard as any rook ”

“ He gwine t' shoot when youah red haid he see!"
"I got a better house dan dis," seys Br'er Fox; "come on
And live wid me—I treat you well—de man and dog is gone!"
"An' s'ply you wid fresh meat? Oh, no, I hasn't jest bin bawn,"
Seys Br'er Rab; "you make me laff," seys he.
Den Br'er Fox, he slink away, and bahk like he was sad,
An' Br'er Rab, he shake he sides wid laffin'—ain't he bad? ”

“ De lettuce days is done gone by—an' all de leaves is friz;
You'll hafter try anudder way—mah name is Leery Liz!"
(Ol' Br'er Rabbit slangy, widdout doubt!)
"Dar comes a man!" seys Br'er Fox; "he gotter dog an' gun! ”

“ Th' little feller's gone.
He won't be standin' by the gate to holler to me, "Hi!
Wait fer me, Santy!" like he done when I went stumpin' by
T' fetch the cows back home.
We'll never sit agin an' argue which way we should go ”