IV. She dropt the goose, and caught the pelf, And ran to tell her neighbors; And blessed herself, and cursed herself, And rested from her labors. And feeding high, and living soft, VI. So sitting, served by man and maid, VII. It cluttered here, it chuckled there; And hurled the pan and kettle. VIII. 'A quinsy choke thy cursed note! Then waxed her anger stronger. "Go, take the goose, and wring her throat, I will not bear it longer." IX. Then yelped the cur, and yawled the cat; The goose flew this way and flew that, X. As head and heels upon the floor XI. He took the goose upon his arm, XII. The wild wind rang from park and plain, And round the attics rumbled, Till all the tables danced again, And half the chimneys tumbled. XIII. The glass blew in, the fire blew out, Her cap blew off, her gown blew up, And a whirlwind cleared the larder; XIV. And while on all sides breaking loose Her household fled the danger, Quoth she, "The Devil take the goose, And God forget the stranger!" THE EPIC. Ar Francis Allen's on the Christmas-eve, The game of forfeits done the girls all kissed Beneath the sacred bush and past away The parson taking wide and wider sweeps, Right through the world" at home was little left, "And I," quoth Everard, " by the wassail-bowl." "I 'Why yes," I said, "we knew your gift that way At college: but another which you had, I mean of verse, (for so we held it then,) What came of that?" "You know," said Frank, "he hung His epic of King Arthur in the fire!" And then to me demanding why? "O, sir, He thought that nothing new was said, or else God knows he has a mint of reasons: ask. It pleased me well enough." "Nay, nay," said Hall, Why take the style of those heroic times? For nature brings not back the Mastodon, " But I," Said Francis, "picked the eleventh from this hearth, And have it keep a thing, its use will come. I hoard it as a sugar-plum for Holmes." |