 | The Collected Poems of T. E. Brown |  |
So that evening she wouldn' let Tommy go home
By himself at all; but collared to 'm,
And wouldn' leave him; but, step for step,
The quick or the slow, till they came to the Clip,
Where the roads divide. Then Nelly spoke—
And Tommy fit enough to choke—
And, “I'll give you a kiss,” she says, “Tommy, for that”—
And she wiped her little mouth with her brat.
“Here now, Tommy!” and made a lip to 'm;
But Tommy ran; but Nelly gript him;
And Tommy turned this way, and Tommy turned that way;—
And poor little Nelly couldn' tell what way—
And first cockin' one ear, and then the other,
Till at last says Nelly, “Dear heart! the bother
There's with you, too!” And, “Turn, for all!
Turn, ye donkey!” But he stood like a wall;
And whatever she did, and whatever she said,
She was forced to kiss him on the back of his head.
And then if Tommy didn' cut!
But Nelly stamped the little foot—
And, “Well, I never!”—and, “Fiddlededee!”—
And, “After all, he's a fool!” says she.
By himself at all; but collared to 'm,
And wouldn' leave him; but, step for step,
The quick or the slow, till they came to the Clip,
Where the roads divide. Then Nelly spoke—
And Tommy fit enough to choke—
And, “I'll give you a kiss,” she says, “Tommy, for that”—
And she wiped her little mouth with her brat.
“Here now, Tommy!” and made a lip to 'm;
251
And Tommy turned this way, and Tommy turned that way;—
And poor little Nelly couldn' tell what way—
And first cockin' one ear, and then the other,
Till at last says Nelly, “Dear heart! the bother
There's with you, too!” And, “Turn, for all!
Turn, ye donkey!” But he stood like a wall;
And whatever she did, and whatever she said,
She was forced to kiss him on the back of his head.
And then if Tommy didn' cut!
But Nelly stamped the little foot—
And, “Well, I never!”—and, “Fiddlededee!”—
And, “After all, he's a fool!” says she.
| The Collected Poems of T. E. Brown | |