Poke

“ To tell the truth, Poke liked the comfortable things of life, and turned regretfully from the warm kitchens of the farmhouses at which he halted to ask the question, to which there was regularly the same answer. Nobody had seen a smallish boy in glasses and a larger boy who didn’t wear glasses. ”

“ And because blushes—I speak on the most reliable authority—are more difficult to simulate than tears. Also because, looking down the pink silk-lined tunnel of the poke-bonnet of 1855–66, it was impossible for you, as an ordinary male creature, to decide whether the rosy glow invading the features of the woman you adored—we adored women, dear fellows, at that period—was genuine or the reverse. There you have in a nutshell the reason why the poke-bonnet was not welcomed at the dawn of the twentieth century. Modesty and blushes, dear fellers, are out of date. ”

“ Arrest!" shouted all the other Pokes so loud that the Cowardly Lion roused himself with a start, and the pet snails stuck out their heads. "A rest? A rest is not what we want! We want breakfast!" growled the lion irritably and started to roar, but a yawn spoiled it. (One simply cannot look fierce by yawning.)
"You—" began the Poke. But Dorothy could not stand hearing the same slow speech again. Putting her fingers in her ears, she shouted back:
"What for?"
The Pokes regarded her sternly. Some even opened both eyes. ”

“ Poke, I entreat of you. We call these animals monkeys, it is true; but we do not know what they call themselves. Man is merely an animal, and you must very well know—”
“Harkee, Sir John,” interrupted the Captain, “I’m no botanist, and do not pretend to more schooling than a sealer has need of for finding his way about the ’arth; but as for a man’s being an animal, I just wish to ask you, now, if in your judgment a hog is also an animal?” ”

“ Let’s get to the feed.”
“Hope it isn’t far to camp,” said the Trojan.
“Huh! No need to hope!” snapped the Shark.
“Meaning we’ve lost our way?”
“Meaning camp’s just ahead of us. Where are your eyes, anyway?”
“Cheer up, Shark! Don’t be a grouch,” counseled Poke.
The Shark gave a characteristic shrug. “It ought to grouch anybody to see how you fellows don’t figure out things. Not that you ever will, though! But if only you’d kept your wits working, you’d know the tent can’t be an eighth of a mile from here.”
“Confound it! can’t you be exact?” Poke [254] teased, with a wink at the others. ”

“ I’ll never tell ’em if I can possibly help it.”
“Sure you won’t,” quoth the sympathetic Step. “No fellow likes to ’fess up when the joke’s on him.”
“The joke!” roared Poke. “Great Scott, but you’ve got a mighty queer notion of what’s funny! You’d like to see a house fall on a fellow.”
“Oh, come now! I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” pleaded Step.
“You can’t hurt ’em worse than they’re already hurt,” groaned Poke, of a sudden dreary again. ”

“ Poke was slumped on a lounge in an attitude of utter dejection, but Step might have posed for a picture of absolute woe.
At that moment even a stranger would have understood how Clarence Jones came by his nickname; for beyond denial he strongly [157] suggested a step-ladder, and a step-ladder folded hastily. As he had picked out the lowest chair in the room, his knees seemed to rise to a level with his ears, while his long arms dangled till his hands rested limply on the floor. His head sagged upon his breast. ”

“ Eng. as poket, and is taken from a Norman diminutive of O. Fr. poke, pouque, mod. poche, cf. “pouch.” The form “poke” is now only used dialectically, or in such proverbial sayings as a “pig in a poke,” and possibly in the “poke-bonnet,” the coal-scuttle bonnet fashionable during the first part of the 19th century, and now worn by the female members of the Salvation Army; more probably the name of the bonnet is connected with “poke,” to thrust forward, dig. The origin of this is obscure. Dutch has poken, pook, a dagger ”

“ All hands were early afoot. It had been arranged that Captain Poke and myself, attended by Bob, as a domestic, were to land, in order to make a journey through the island, while the Walrus was to be left in charge of the mates and the crew; the latter having permission to go ashore, from time to time, as is the practice with all seamen in port. There was a great deal of preliminary scrubbing and shaving, before the whole party could appear on deck, properly attired for the occasion. Mr. Poke wore a thin dress of linen, admirably designed to make him look like a sea-lion ”

“ I can’t bear the sight of the thing out of school hours!”
“Never mind about the pretty picture, Shark!” chimed in the Trojan.
“No; if we follow the tune, it’ll have to be by ear,” chuckled Poke.
The Shark shrugged his shoulders. “Well, I didn’t believe you fellows had the sense to understand the process,” he said frankly. “Still, I thought I’d give you a chance. But if I’ve got to jump to the result, I’ll tell you that, having secured my data, I proved conclusively that the stone was thrown by [192] somebody with a lot more muscle than Tom Orkney has. ”

“ Poke rubbed his chin uncertainly; at that moment he was conscious of a peculiarly vigorous appetite.
Varley seemed to know how to meet the objections of the others.
“Oh, come now!” said he persuasively. “You fellows have been doing things for me, and helping me out with these contraptions——” he glanced at his snow-shoes. “You’ve given me a lot of pointers. Give me a show to even up part of it. Parker tells me the hotel is open. We’ll go there and get a little lunch, and loaf around for a while, and start for town when we feel like it. It’s the one sensible thing to do. Why not?” ”

“ Talk about a Scary Hen! A million old biddies cacklin’ and runnin’ from a hen hawk wouldn’t be a marker to that there crazy road rioter! But what’s Poke thinkin’ he’s tryin’ to do? [217] And where’s he supposed to be headin’ for? Way he’s takin’ up the whole road and then a leetle more he’s bound to have trouble and a heap of it mighty quick and enthusiastic! Guess I’d better be follerin’ along, so’s to be able to help pick up the pieces.”
And with that Lon threw on his power, turned the big car about, and hurried in the hazy wake of the Saracen. ”

“ On the other hand, Captain Poke held this latter improvement very cheap. He affirmed it was no sign of civilization at all, for, as a man became civilized, he had less need of primers and finger-boards; and, as for Leaphigh, any tolerable navigator could see it bore S. by W. half W. allowing for variation, distant 135 English miles. To these objections I was silent, for I had frequent occasion to observe that men very often underrate any advantage of which they have come into the enjoyment by a providential interposition. ”

“ The Pokes had returned to the hall and Dorothy felt herself falling asleep again.
Up, up, my lieges and away!
We take the field again—
For Ladies fair we fight to-day
And KING! Up, up, my merry men!
shrilled the Knight as if he were leading an army to battle. The Pokes opened both eyes but did not immediately retire. Sir Hokus bravely swallowed a yawn and hastily clearing his throat shouted another song, which he evidently made up on the spur of the moment:
Avaunt! ”

“ when I felt a sudden sharp poke in my rear, and turning round, was horrified at the apparition of Captain Peleg in the act of withdrawing his leg from my immediate vicinity. That was my first kick. ”

“ Here it was that the expedient of Captain Poke made manifest its merits. Protected by the massive timbers and false ribs, the bilge of the ship resisted the pressure; and as, under such circumstances, something must yield, luckily nothing but the attraction of gravitation was overcome. The skids, through their inclination, acted as wedges, the links pressing against the keel; and in the course of an hour the Walrus was gradually lifted out of the water, maintaining her upright position, in consequence of the powerful nip of the floes. No sooner was this experiment handsomely effected, than Mr. ”

“ When he came near enough, Hokey Pokey dropped the umbrella, and raising his wooden mallet hit the bull such a blow on the muzzle that he fell down dead, and never bellowed again.
The people all flung up their hats, and cheered, and ran up and down all the more, to express their gratification. As for the china-shop man, he threw his arms round Hokey Pokey’s neck, called him his cherished preserver, and bade him choose anything that was left in his shop in payment for his services.
“Can you match these?” asked Hokey Pokey, holding up the loaf of bread and the ball of sweetmeats. ”

“ From a strange freak of nature, not unusual in these Virginian mountains, his knotty wool was of a pale tan-color. It is a mistake to think that the little negro perpetually grins. Nothing absolutely could have been more full of woe and resignation than the expression of the young Popo as he watched with Pokeberry the ceaseless flood that swept over hill and valley. ”

“ Your Dragon have I slain, and now I am your king; and if you will always do exactly what I tell you to do, you will have no further trouble.’
“So the people threw up their caps and cried, ‘Long live Hokey Pokey!’ and they always did exactly as he told them, and had no further trouble.
“And Hokey Pokey sent for his three brothers, and made them Chief Butcher, Chief Baker, and Chief Candlestick-maker of his kingdom. ”

“ Then Hokey Pokey lifted his mallet and struck one tremendous blow upon [118] the ball, driving it far down the throat of the monster, and killing him most fatally dead. He rolled off the throne like a scaly log, and his crown fell off and rolled to Hokey Pokey’s feet. The youth picked it up and put it on his own head, and then called the people about him and addressed them.
“‘People,’ he said, ‘I am Hokey Pokey, and I have come from a far land to rule over you. Your Dragon have I slain, and now I am your king ”

“ Marvin Petrie was talking there was little other conversation at the sewing circle. Her comments upon people she had met and things she had seen, were in the line of a monologue.
"I do sartainly grow tired of Poketown when it comes fall, and things is dead, and the wind gets cold, and all. I'm sartain sure glad to git shet of it!" she pursued on this particular afternoon. "And then the first sight of Boston—and the mud—and the Common and Public Library,—and the shops, and all, make me feel like I was livin' again.
"Mabel says to me: 'How kin you live, Maw, most all the year in Poketown! ”

“ Never had the boys tasted anything half so nice as that supper; they ate till they could eat no more. Lil scrambled eggs, and fried fish, and made tea, till Ollie insisted upon it that she should sit down and be served like a princess. Then they sang, and danced, and played games till Mrs. Pokeby and Miss Sinclair came after them, and carried them all home in Mr. Pokeby's big wagon.
"Really I never had more fun in my life," said Lil to Mrs. Pokeby, as they bade her good-by at the farm gate ”

“ Lots of people look at the sign in a hurry, and think it says Pokeville.”
“I should think they’d make the letters big enough so people could read them easily,” remarked Dan.
“That’s what they ought to.”
“What’s the matter? Is the house afire?” demanded a woman sticking her head out beside that of the man.
[66] “No, no, Mandy. Every time there’s any excitement at night you think there’s a fire.”
“Well, the chimbley was on fire onct!”
“Yes, but it isn’t now. This is a boy inquiring his way to Pokeville. Some one is sick and he’s taking her some medicine.” ”

“ Walky Dexter hit it off characteristically when he said:
"Hi tunket! does seem as though that air reading-room's startin' up has put the sperit of unrest in ter this here village. People never took much int'rest in books and noospapers before in Poketown. Look at 'em, now. I snum! they buzz around that readin'-room for chances to read the papers like bees around a honey-pot.
"An' that ain't all—no, sir! 'Most ev'rybody seems ter be discontented—that's right! Even folks that git their 'three squares' a day and what they want to wear, ain't satisfied with things as they is, no more. ”

“ As soon as Rain spoke, I was sick of Indians. Life was impossible outside the mounted police.
"I only try," she mimicked my voice when I talked to the Brat, "and take so plenty trouble to keep you out of meeschief!"
"And if I go for a soldier, what about you?" I asked.
"Me?" she sighed. "Oh, I go catch poor Tail-Feathers. He got no beef."
As a matter of fact, poor Tail-Feathers had come in the night, had loaded his horse with beef, and now, well hidden in the cliffs, was eating the same while he watched Buckie's futile attempts at tracking. ”

“ Quoth the raven, “Nevermore.” “Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!” I shrieked, upstarting— “Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore! Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door! Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!” Quoth the raven, “Nevermore.” And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; ”

“ And a gallant fleet was sailing there whose fighting days are done,
Sloop and galleon, brig and pinnace, all the rigs you never met,
Fighting frigate, grave three-decker with their snowy canvas set;
Dozed and dreamed, when, on a sudden, ev'ry sail began to swell,
For the breeze has spoken strangers, with a stirring tale to tell,
And a thousand eager voices flung the challenge out to sea:
"Come they hither in the old way, in the only way that's free?" ”