The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley in ten volumes |
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 | The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley |  |
845
SUTTER'S CLAIM
Say! you feller! You—
With that spade and the pick!—
What do you 'pose to do
On this side o' the crick?
Goin' to tackle this claim? Well, I reckon
You'll let up ag'in, purty quick!
With that spade and the pick!—
What do you 'pose to do
On this side o' the crick?
Goin' to tackle this claim? Well, I reckon
You'll let up ag'in, purty quick!
No bluff, understand,—
But the same has been tried,
And the claim never panned—
Or the fellers has lied,—
For they tell of a dozen that tried it,
And quit it most onsatisfied.
But the same has been tried,
And the claim never panned—
Or the fellers has lied,—
For they tell of a dozen that tried it,
And quit it most onsatisfied.
The luck's dead ag'in' it!—
The first man I see
That stuck a pick in it
Proved that thing to me,—
For he sort o' took down, and got homesick,
And went back whar he'd orto be!
The first man I see
That stuck a pick in it
Proved that thing to me,—
For he sort o' took down, and got homesick,
And went back whar he'd orto be!
Then others they worked it
Some—more or less,
But finally shirked it,
In grades of distress,—
With an eye out—a jaw or skull busted,
Or some sort o' seriousness.
Some—more or less,
846
In grades of distress,—
With an eye out—a jaw or skull busted,
Or some sort o' seriousness.
The last one was plucky—
He wasn't afeerd,
And bragged he was “lucky,”
And said that “he'd heerd
A heap of bluff-talk,” and swore awkard
He'd work any claim that he keered!
He wasn't afeerd,
And bragged he was “lucky,”
And said that “he'd heerd
A heap of bluff-talk,” and swore awkard
He'd work any claim that he keered!
Don't you strike nary lick
With that pick till I'm through;
This-here feller talked slick
And as peart-like as you!
And he says: “I'll abide here
As long as I please!”
With that pick till I'm through;
This-here feller talked slick
And as peart-like as you!
And he says: “I'll abide here
As long as I please!”
But he didn't. ... He died here—
And I'm his disease!
And I'm his disease!
| The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley | |