The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley in ten volumes |
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 | The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley |  |
1610
TO—“THE J. W. R. LITERARY CLUB”
Well, it's enough to turn his head to have a feller's nameSwiped with a Literary Club!—But you're the ones to blame!—
I call the World to witness that I never agged ye to it
By ever writin' Classic-like—because I couldn't do it:
I never run to “Hellicon,” ner writ about “Per-nassus,”
Ner ever tried to rack er ride around on old “P-gassus”!
When “Tuneful Nines” has cross'd my lines, the ink 'ud blot and blur it,
And pen 'ud jest putt back fer home, and take the short-way fer it!
And so, as I'm a-sayin',—when you name your Literary
In honor o' this name o' mine, it's railly nessessary—
Whilse I'm a-thankin' you and all—to warn you, ef you do it,
I'll haf to jine the thing myse'f 'fore I can live up to it!
| The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley | |