IN HMEMCHN rfOHN V. a. WEHVEfe IRLF IN AMERICAN POEMS NEW BORZOI POETRY SPRING IQ21 UNACCUSTOMED AS I AM By Morrie Ryskind MEDALLIONS IN CLAY By Richard Aldington THE MYSTIC WARRIOR By James Oppenheim RESURRECTING LIFE By Michael Strange THE SACRED WOOD Essays on Poetry and Criticism By T. S. Eliot In American Poems By John V. A. Weaver New York ~^^^^ Mcmxxi Alfred A Knopf COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY ALFRED A. KNOPF, INC. Published, January, 1921 Second Printing, February, 1921 Third Printing, March, 1921 Fourth Printing, May, 1921 Fifth Printing, August. 1921 FEINTED IN THB UNITED STATES OT AMEBIOA TO CECIL Grateful acknowledgment is made to Poetry: a Magazine of Verse, Smart Set, and Adventure for per mission to reprint such of these poems as have appeared in the pages of those magazines. CONTENTS NOCTURNE, n LEGIE AMERICAINE, 12 DRUG STORE, 15 ^ " OL MAMMY DON T," 18 Au REVOIR, 20 PRAYER, 21 FAIR EXCHANGE, 23 DENOUEMENT, 24 " IN LOVE," 27 ^ CATS, 28 FINIS, 36 CONCERNING PIKERS, 37 CARPE DIEM, 42 MOONLIGHT, 44 -""DRY!, 45 PETS, 48 " DIED OF INFLUENZA," 49 RIOT, 51 MAME, 53 OCTOBER, 59 f^SNOOZER, 60 HEADLINES, 67 WHITE COLLARS, 70 " CATFISH " GREEN, 76 L ENvoi, 79 IN AMERICAN POEMS " Nothin or everythin , it s got to be," Nocturne You says, and hides your face down on my arm. " If it meant nothin , twouldn t do no harm, Or either everythin but this way see? . . ." I feel your tremblin heart against my coat, And the big arc-light moon grins down so cool, " Go on!" I think it says, u you softie fool!" . . . I love you so it hurts me in my throat. . . . "Don t make me kiss you; sure, I know you could," You re pleadin , " And we gone too far for play; I care a lot ... but yet not so s to say I love you yet. . . . Aw, help me to be good!" . . . Oh, darlin , darlin , can t you let it be Nothin to you, and everythin to me? U filegie I wished I d took the ring, not the Victrola. Americaine You get so tired of records, hearin an hearin em, And when a person don t have much to spend They feel they shouldn t ought to be so wasteful. And then these warm nights makes it slow inside, And sittin s lovely down there by the lake Where him and me would always use ta go. He thought the Vic d make it easier Without him; and it did at first. I d play Some jazz-band music and I d almost feel His arms around me, dancin ; after that I d turn out all the lights, and set there quiet Whiles Alma Gluck was singin , " Home, Sweet Home," And almost know his hand was strokin my hand. " If I was you, I d take the Vic," he says. " It s somethin you can use; you can t a ring. Wisht I had ways ta make a record for you, 12 So s I could be right with you, even though legie Uncle Sam had me. 1 . . . Now I m glad he Americainc didn t; It would be lots too much like seein ghosts Now that I m sure he never won t come back. . . . Oh, God ! I don t .see how I ever stand it ! He was so big and strong! He was a darb ! The swellest dresser, with them nifty shirts That fold down, and them lovely nobby shoes, And always all his clothes would be one color, Like green socks with green ties, and a green hat, And everything. . . . We never had no words Or hardly none. . . . And now to think that mouth I useta kiss is bitin into dirt, And through them curls I useta smooth, a bullet Has went. . . . I wisht it would of killed me, too. . . . Oh, well . . . about the Vic. ... I guess Til sell it And get a small ring anyways. (I won t Get but a half as good a one as if He spent it all on that when he first ast me.) It don t seem right to play jazz tunes no more With him gone. And it ain t a likely chanst 13 filegie I d find nobody ever else again Americaine Would suit me, or I d suit. And so a little Quarter of a karat, maybe, but a real one That I could sparkle, sometimes, and remember The home I should of had. . . . And still, you know, The Vic was his idea, and so. ... I wonder. Pardon me, lady, but I wanta ast you Drug For God s sake, stop that tappin . I ll go nuts, Store Plain bug-house if I hear that " Tap-tap-tap " Much longer ! . . . Now I went and used such langwidge I got to tell you why. . . . Well, in the first place My business is all shot. Now drugs theirselves Don t pay much, and the extry stuff, like candy, Cigars and stationery and et cetery Don t make their keep. And that damn soda- fountain Excuse me, lady, but I just can t help it ! ... Some day I m gointa catch the guy I bought it off. I m losin money every day it s here. And soda-jerkers now I can t get none For love or money, so myself I got to Mess with them malted milks, banana splits And slop like that. And just as doggone sure 15 Drug As I start workin on some fine prescription, Store The kind I love to mix, got to be careful, The weights is hittin on that perfect balance Why then some fool wants a marshmallow sun dae, And, " Tap-tap-tap " he starts in on the show case, And taps and taps til I come runnin out, Leavin the drugs half-done. . . . And that ain t all; Here s the big trouble: I can t talk good gram mar. People don t think a man that mixes drugs Can do it right, and talk the way I do. It makes me sick. Why have I got to sound Like a school teacher? Why, I know my stuff. " Registered Pharmacist," see? I taught myself Workin at night whiles I was four years clerkin . And then I took three months down at the U, And passed a fine exam. But here s the thing: I quit the public school in seventh grade, And never paid no attention to my talk. So it s the way I tell you : they re suspicious Because I use such slang. I try to stop But it s too late now. I found out too late. . . . I got a dream of what I ll do some day : I want to quit this drug stuff altogether, 16 Have a nice office, with a big oak desk, Drug And sell just real estate. I d like to bet Store I d make a clean-up at it. It d be swell, That office. . . . But this life is killin me, It s the fool questions they keeps askin me. You see that clock there? Well, just on a guess Three times an hour some silly fish comes in here And calls me out, and asts me, " Is that right? Is your clock right? " Honest to Heaven, lady, One day I got so sore I took a hammer And smashed the face in. And it cost twelve dol lars To fix it. But I had peace for a week. . . . Oh, gosh, my nerves! . . . But that s the way it is. I m sorry I spoke so rough about that tappin , But when I get to sellin real estate They ll be no place where folks can take a coin And tap, and tap til I come runnin out. That s a man s business ! . . . If I ever get it. ... " Ol I useta think the reason why some folks Mammy Just couldn t seem to get nowheres was Luck. Don t " But Luck ain t such a much, I come to think. It s somethin queer about theirself that does it. Now, what I mean, you take this here Miss Ames. Ten year ago she run the Fish Department, And everybody said that for a woman She had a business chanst was wonderful. But all she does now is to set out there And pass on letters, and that sort of stuff, To see that nothin ain t again the rules. Oh, yeh, she keeps her job. They got to have her. You can be sure that what she says is truth. Even Miss Cole, the manager, has got To ast for her O. K. But just the same, Miss Cole she gets a salary that s easy. Ten times what this Miss Ames drags down per week. 18 You see, Miss Ames, she thinks things out all back- " OP wards. Mammy The Boss oncet said the whole thing in a mouth- Don t " ful: " She can t start nothin , ain t got no idears On how to get things goin . She don t know A single way to do a thing but say, She ll tell you fifty ways how to not do it." The girls around here calls her " Mammy Don t" . . . One day I hands her quite a piece o work, To give it the once-over. In a hour I come back, and I says, " Well, how s it goin ? " She gives a frown, and looks at me, and says, " I m tryin hard to find out somethin wrong." . . . Don t kiss me! Not no more! . . . Oh, can t you see? Everything perfect now, the way it is. Why do I hafta fight and beg like this? It s been so sweet oh, can t you leave things be? Oh, now I hurt you! Dear, don t look so sad. . . . Ah, gee, I guess men ain t got ways to know How a girl feels, and when it s time to go, And how too much of even kisses is bad. But it s the things you didn t just quite do, And what s left over for some other day That makes her wonder and hope and cry and pray, And tell herself, "Next time!" and dream of you. Good night, dear . . . you must go ... it s for your sake. . . . I ll dream about that kiss you didn t take. . . . 2O Oh, God, that dwellest way up there, Prayer I want to pray a bran-new prayer. It ain t the kind I useta say To make me be good every day; It ain t the kind my mother taught, It s somethin that I shouldn t ought It s selfish - maybe bad but oh, Listen God I love him so ! I guess Thou knows it any way, But this is what I want ta say: Make me so wonderful that he Can t think of nothin else but me! Make my lips red just like wine, Gi my hair a golden shine, Gi my eyes a lovely light, Make my body round and white. . . . God, it can t be wicked of me Beggin Thee to make him love me, Is it, God? I know I never 21 Prayer Felt this way before, or ever Dreamt no man would come along Makin my heart beat like a song God, this love that come to me Is just like when I think of Thee! . Let him love just me alone, jp Make him be my very own! I guess that s lots to ast, but oh, God, dear God I love him so ! . Amen. . . 22 When I was a kid, on a fresh Spring day Fair I useta go at sun-up to get the smell o May; Exchange And say! The waves o perfumes that they would always be ! All the flowers in the world, so it looked to me, Was mixed with the good oF fresh-dug ground A kind of smell that God his self would like to have around. I couldn t find the smell o the Spring today. Somethin is happened took it clean away. The same kinda apple-blooms was shinin on the tree I guess it ain t the Spring changed it must be me. Take my money take my house every single thing Oh, Mr. Yesterday ! Let me smell the Spring ! Denouement So now I get the dirty throwdown, huh? What do I mean? Yeh, that s a good one, ain t it? How do you get that way? You think I m blind? I seen you with that girl the other night ! Aw, Frank, how could ya ever come to do it? I ain t changed, am I? Ain t I just as swell? Don t my eyes shine the same way, just for you ? Don t you remember out to old San Soozy We win long-distance prizes, dancin together? You says, "You keep the prize; what s mine is yourn, And vicey versy." Yes, and don t you remember When you when you first kissed me in Jim s Ford, And all them lovely things you says to me, And me believin em, because I loved you? . . . I should of knew, I should of knew, I should of ! Men is the same, kiddin a girl along, 24 Makin her love em, till she lost her brains Denouement And done what never can t be undid now ! But still. . . . That night the stars was winkin down, And looked so bright and happy, just like me. The little waves was chucklin round the boat, You and the wind took turns, kissin my forrid. Down underneath I felt the engines pumpin Just like your heart, pressin against my cheeks. The lights was out, it was so dark and haunted, I felt so safe with them big arms around me, And dreamy, with the niggers singin soft, Playin their yukalalies. And I says, Don t you remember what I says? I says, " See them two rows o lights along the shore? Them is the city s teeth, shinin so white; The city s laughin , just like you and me; Laughin and laughin . Everybody s glad." . . . The fool I was! The stupid, crazy fool! I listened to your talk, give in to you, Lovin you heart and soul, never went home Till noon, lied to em all and now and now * I m finished ! Thrun aw ay ! . . . Them lights was teeth, 25 Denouement The teeth the city s got, to tear and tear me Murderin , tearin teeth! They got me in em! . . . Go on away ! I never want to see you ! Go get that red-head fool, tell her I sent you ! I hope she ll be another fool like me, I hope you burn and burn in Hell ! I hope Oh, what s there anything to hope for, now? . . . 26 " In love," you tells me, u I m in love again. " In Say, he s a reg lar doll ! Some boy-chum ! Love Oh, I m wild about him! " And you go on so The way you always rave about your " men." In love ! The nerve ! Why, on y just last week It was a Jackie; and the week before That willy-boy down to the dry-goods store You make me sick so I can t hardly speak! Why, when love hits you, everythin s a dream, It s like you took some dope, and nothin s real Except one face you just can t help but see Wakin or sleepin . . . All the time you scheme How you could help him . . . work ... or lie ... or steal, Die, even. . . . And you squawk " In love " to me I . 27 Cats " It s the little things that count," the feller says. The strongest guy will get some little worry, And even a cat can get a man, and finish him. Red Slavin and me was grade school kids together, The day us two gets fired out from school Fer beatin up eight bigger guys, us two, " Bill," he says, u I m startin work tomorrow In the contractin business. Wanta come? " " I m gointa be a grocer, Red," I tells him. " Well, well, we hadta split some time," says Red, Rubbin his lip, " But you just hear me, boy, This splittin s only business. You and me Is pals for life. Now swear." He grabs my mitt, We looks each other straight into the eye, And says good-night. . . . And so the years run on. I got this store And had a medium luck. Two times I thought That I was busted flat; but good old Red 28 He plunKs up with some cash, and saves my neck, Cats And all he wants is thanks. I m all fixed now, I learnt my lesson. . . . Red was another story. He got to be a knock-out in his line, Savin the dollars, then he makes a deal, Borrows, and makes another and another Keen, that s him. He always guesses right, Yet it s not guessin , neither. Makes invest ments, Keeps dozens o plans a-sailin at a time, And all the while so calm, just like a juggler. . . . And say, the swell old nights we useta have ! The same old Red, pore or rich, he was. Up to his place, we sit around a table Shootin a friendly game, or pitch, or rummy, A coupla bottles o beer, no airs for his n. And fishin trips, out to Okachee Lake, Snaggin the bass, and talkin up old times. . . . One day Red come and busts in on me, roaring " Bill ! It s my birthday. Come along, you buz zard, I wanta knock your eye out! Wait ll you see! " He drags me out and pops me in his car, Won t tell me nothin , only answers, "Wait!" Up to the districk where the swells hang out 29 Cats He stops in front a house like a hotel, So big and ornamented. Red jumps out And stands there. Not a word, he can t say no thin , Swallows a oncet or twicet, and looks at me. Finely, " Bill," he says, " how does it hit you? " " Whew! " I says, "yourn?" ... He nods his head and blinks. " Bill, this is what I hoped and dreamed and dreamed of. Remember the times I used to gas about it? * Some time, I says, I make my pile. And then Red Slavin, the kid that s fired from school, 11 show em. I ain t no swell, and I don t want to be none. Only I want a place I can be proud of, With rooms where I can bring old pal Bill to, Rooms that s as big and shinin as his heart is. And now I got it. Two hundred thousand plunks It set me back." "What? All o that? "lasts. " Most all I got. But don t you worry, Bill, Keepin it goin 11 keep me humpin , see? The wife thinks I gone nuts. But listen here, I got to have somep n to keep up my ambish, Somep n to work for, see? Gosh, but I love it." . . . 30 I didn t see, but still I couldn t tell him. Cats But just the same I didn t like it, no sir. I had a you know feelin , lookin at it, That things was goin to happen, and happen bad. Well, sir, I goes away about six months, And soon s I come back I calls up old Red. The second I seen him, say, I had a start. Thinner he was, and lookin awful peaked. " Why, Red," I says, " for gosh sake, what s the matter?" He looks at me, and looks down at the floor, And spits out one word, " Cats! " " Cats?" I comes back. . . . " Yeh, you heard me, Cats! Cats in the alley, cats in the bloody yard, Yellin and hollerin , screechin all night through. My God, I m goin crazy, ravin crazy. When the warm weather come, the cats starts in, Last month, in May. I can t get sleep at night, My nerves is gone. I can t do business, neither. I made a big mistake last week on a contract, All from the lack o sleep, lost twenty thousand." " Can t you get rid o the cats? " I ast him then. " I tried and tried. It can t be done," he says. " Then sell the house." . . . 31 Cats He blinks at me a second, " Bill, I can t sell it, no, nor rent it, neither. Them cats got to me so, I been a fool. I went and talked about it to most everybody, Till now they all know all about the cats. What ll I do? For God s sake, what ll I do? " The phone rings. They wants Red. " I got to go," He tells me. " A big deal I most forgot. I m losin my grip, I tell you. Why, I bet I m in to lose five or six thousand more. And if I do I hate to tell you what. Cats! Cats! . . ." he dashes to his car out side. . . . Next afternoon I m at my desk, a-puzzlin How I can fix them cats, and help old Red. The phone bell starts to jingle. It s Red s wife. " I got Red in the country, come out quick. He made a bad deal yesterday. He s sick, Ain t slept a wink last night." . . . And when I get there I see Red, leanin up again a tree, Settin , and lookin like a done-up drunk. His wife is cryin . " Take him for a walk," She wispers, u Bill, you try to calm him down. He had to leave the house Bill do you think 32 He s goin crazy? He won t go away Cats To travel, says he s goin to stick it out, Fightin them cats." I grabs Red by the shoulders, Gives him a shake, yanks him to his feet. He don t say nothin , only sorter staggers. " What is it, Red? Come on, old feller, shoot I " Not a word yet. I slips my arm around him, And drags him, walkin . / After a hundred yards, Maybe, he walks his-self, but still ain t peeped A word. And so we goes along the road, June singin in the fields and on the trees Covered with new leaves; but in my old pal s head Nothin but howls and caterwauls and screeches. Most of a mile we staggers. Red makes signs He wants to rest. I stands there lookin out Over the prairie blazin full o flowers; A lovely stillness ; only the birds keep whistlin , Mixed with the clink and clank o workmen s picks, Fixin the track, and a train whistle comin*. After about a minute, sudden-like I hear Red s voice, so quick it makes me jump. " I got a plan, Bill. Say, I ll get them cats, 33 Cats I ll knock em cold. Now, first I get some poison, Say, Rough on Rats, you see? And take some meat And lay it all around. And then to fix it So none of em ain t gettin off, I take Some boards and fixes up a huntin blind The way we use ta shoot ducks on the river, Billy, old boy. And there s a tall fence runs Back o my yard. A twenty-two 11 carry A-plenty. Now the fence is just this far. Look." He turns me around. " Now you stand here." I m glad to humor him. I stands and watches. The fence is here " He turns and paces off, Countin the paces. "Ninety ninety-one " He reaches a hundred and fifty and starts to runnin , I stands there stupid, not knowin what to think. And quick I hears the roarin of the train. And then I seen. . . . " Reddy for God s sake Red!" Faster he runs. I dashes after him, My heart is chokin me, holdin me back. He jumps the fence, he scrambles up the bank Oh, Christ please let me reach him ! then I stumbles, 34 Falls flat. Jump up the train is almost on Cats him, He s standin in the track, wavin his arms, Dancin and yellin , " Cats! Take em away! I ll fool em Cats ! Cats ! never no cats No more! "... " Reddy ! Reddy ! Jump jump ! " I m sobbin , cursin , cryin Then the train hits him. . . . 35 Finis Don t look like that ! You know I druther die Than hurt you, ever, any. But it wouldn t Be but a worst hurt after, and I couldn t Say nothin else that wouldn t be a lie. It s a queer sorter way that I love you A kinder quiet, happy peace you bring, Like after a rainstorm hearin a robin sing But it ain t the flamin way you want me to. God knows I tried, and even tried to kiss you And find it that way, but it wasn t real They wasn t that fire I always hoped I d feel. . . . So ... it s good-bye. . . . Oh, God, I m goin to miss you, The way you smile, the little things you say. . . . But Truth is Truth. . . . They ain t no other way. . . . Well, boys, that s twicet 1 win. I leave it lay. Concerning " The works or nothin " that s me every time. Pikers Four Jewish flags I blow, four lovely bucks. It s sugar in your mouth! How s that? All set? Go get em, dices! Wham! Read em and weep! . . . Oh, Snake-eyes, acety-ace you done me wrong ! Craps, and I lose the works. . . . All right, I m through. It ain t no use to buck the jinx, but listen, Brother, I may be right in a few minutes, And when I am look out for your gol teeth. My motter s " play em hard or else not any." I got no use at all for these here pikers That drags down every time they makes a pass. A piker is a guy that plays it safe, And that s the place I ll say they always ends, Safe where they started in. You tell em, brother. 37 Concerning Don t get me wrong, though. All the flops is Pikers full O* suckers that takes a chanst on anythin . You gotta use judgment. But a piker, now, They got no faith in nothin , not even theirself. Dick Finch, he was a goof like what I mean. Well, this bird has a job down to a shoe store, Gets just enough to keep his bones together, And keeps the same job seven straight-on years Without no raise. He come to me one day And spills a moanin howl. It was like this, He says, his old man keeps a little store Out to the West Side, sellin fruit and such. Now they s a mortgage on it, comin due, And if he can t raise six hunderd cold bucks By three weeks from that day, his Pa is ruint. I stands there for a minute. Then I says, " How much dough do you think that you can raise Right now? " He fishes in his pockets then, hauls me out a roll o dirty bills. " Thirty-three dollars. All I saved this year. " Now, listen, Bud, just how much do you care About your Pa? Enough to take a chanst On losin all o this to save his neck? " 38 He gulps, and nods his head. " You bet I do." Concerning Pikers ; Well, then, I m gonna give you somep n straight. This dough is all you got. You got no ways O gettin hold o no six hunderd dollars, Not with no job like yourn. They s just one way : You go down to the track this afternoon. " Now in the third race, they s a dog name Lucas. Two birds I know has got that mule in pickle, And somep n tells me that today s the day They set to make a killin . Nobody knows Exceptin me and them about him, see? I got a-plenty right now on his nose. You go down there, and find the nearest bookie, And put the whole roll on this skate to win ! " He sorter trembles " What, the whole darn roll?" " That s what I said, you hearn me," answers me. " If I ain t right, you lose. But even then Your Pa ain t no worse off than he is now. And it s a good tip what I m givin you. The odds you get ll be twenty to one, And if that plater romps in to the merry, You draw down what you need, six hunderd frog skins, 39 P . And sixty more besides. . . . Now I ain t sayin* p.. That this is no sure thing. But it s a chanst, And a durn good one. So hop to it, fella, And just this one time say, The works or nothin . " Honest, you should of saw what this bird done. I thought the pore durn simp was goin to kiss me. I give him a shove, and off he puts a-runnin . That night I seen this Finch down to the pool room. I walks right up and clouts him on the back. " Well, sport, we sorter knocked em for a gool, I ll tell the world we did why, what s the mat ter?" I looks again. This Finch starts in to blubber, " Oh, God! Oh, God! " and he can t get no further. I grabs his shoulders, gives him one good shake. " Say, what the what? " I says. " This Lucas win. He walks in backwards, like I told you, don t he? What re you yellin about? Your Pa is saved, You got a nest-egg over, too but wait You went there, didn t you?" 40 " Yeh, I went," he blubbers. Concerning " I seen the prices * Lucas, twenty to one. Pikers I has my money in my hand, and walks up And gets right to the bookie then a somep n It seems to scare me. I gets thinkin how Everythin that I got is in my hand. And sorter sudden-like my knees starts tremblm , And then I guess I must of gotten crazy Just for a minute, and " " Go on, go on! " I hollers, feelin sick. "Oh, God I done Like what I allus do I took and bought A two-buck ticket for this horse to show, Just as the bettin closed." . . . Well, can you beat it? I guess a piker oncet, a piker forever. It s in the blood, you see ! . . . Gimme them bones ! Carpe Why re you always pullin sob-stuff? Diem Honey, what s the big idear? l< Will I never love no others? How many girls do I get a year? " What s the good o borryin trouble? Damn tomorrow! What s it worth? Just this lovin night can give us Everythin there is on earth. Say, you know old Apple Annie, Blurry-eyes, and nose all blue ? Oncet she was a knock-out looker, Oncet she was as sweet as you. While she s creepin round the alleys Why d ye think she smiles all day? Cause her old bean s all chuck full with Things no years can t take away. Kiss me like you want to kiss me, Lock your arms around me tight ! Don t be fightin what you re feelin Nothin matters but tonight ! 42 When you re dry, and white, and pinched-up Carpe You ll remember times like this- Diem You ll be glad and glad, I tell you, For the joys you didn t miss. 43 Moonlight Say listen If you could only take a bath in moonlight ! Hey! Can t you just see yourself Take a runnin dive Inta a pool o glowin blue, Feel it glidin over you All aroun and inta you Grab a star huh ? Use it for soap; ; Beat it up to bubbles And white sparklin foam Roll and swash Gee! I just like to bet You could wash your soul clean In moonlight! 44 Come on, boys, what s your order? This n s Dry! mine. Bourbon or Scotch or wine? It s Jimmy s round The last you ll ever get in Jimmy s place. You re all my boys, ever last one o you That s come to see ol 1 Jimmy get his knock out Twenty-two years, and this is the end o Jimmy. . . . Why, sure, I m busted. I ain t no boot-legger, You know my motter, " Jimmy s allus square," The licker s out. The rest rant closes too. I won t charge wild, or run the prices down. I m through, boys; that s the answer. Say, this place It was my sweetheart. Say, the only thing I ever loved. Them mirrors and them glasses 45 Dry ! Them bottles, now I felt like they was me kids. I allus made my meals the same as if They was some po try say, how many times You hear em tell they was the best in town? And now them pussy-whiskers comes along, Closes me up, says I m a " evil infloonce." A evil infloonce me ! Why, you boys fathers I know em since they come here years ago, Steppin young fellers, breakin the girls hearts, Courtin , and marryin , and settlin down, Makin their fortunes, why, I seen it all. Years after years o life. And all at Jimmy s Makin the friends they stuck to, celebratin The happy things, tryin to forget the sad ones. They s lots o things they learned right here at Jimmy s They couldn t of learned outside. Like, how to drink And hold it like a gentleman. And how To make a friend and keep him. How to mix With other men, and how to entertain em, And when to keep your mouth shut . . . and there s more. But that s all finished now. Them whiskers wins. . . . 4 6 You ll miss me, boys, and say, will I miss you Dry ! Them shiny pumps, them lovely hard-boiled shirts After the dances. . . . Well, I said my say. So come on, grab your glasses. . . . Bottoms up ! 47 Pets You take a dog, oncet you get it to love you, You lose your home, your dough, your grub and all, The old dog sticks. ... A cat s a different crit ter, More like a slot-machine : put in a meal You get a purr right back; no meal, no purr Claws, prob ly; then, " So long." . . . I ll take a cur. Push the screen back just a little more " Died of So s I can hear em playin " To the Color." Influenza " Wisht I could see the boys, clickin their heels smart, All glad and clean, neat fer Retreat, after the day s sweat. Here s me in bed God, what a joke, Me that wanted to fight, knowin I gotta croak, Don t kid me, Doc, the head s burnin up I know, Doc I know. I left my job, six bucks a day, Expert lathe hand, that was me. Told em I hated the Dutch, wanted to carry a gun, Drilled, drilled, drilled, Gets hard as nails then a order come " Expert lathe hand, Richard H. Jones Transferred at oncet." So I come here 49 " Died of Down to the Audience corps me that wanted Influenza" to fight They takes my gun, gives me a shovel. Audience corps, right all my buddies gone Scrappin over seas, me left to watch, Watch and dig latrines. " Jones, lathe hand, what the bloomin Hell," So the C. O. says, " No place for you Just yet awile. Here s a shovel, Jones, You do your bit dig, Jones, dig! " That s the way it is, me that wanted to fight Stuck in a hole here, Diggin God ! latrines ! Good oF army, huh? Still, I suppose Somebody knows What s the big idear, and I guess a guy Can fight for what he loves, And do his damned bit, Yeh, and die for it Even with a shovel. 50 There was me, walkin peaceful down the alley, Riot Smokin a pipe. The sun was blazin down, It was all quiet, like any reg lar noon-day. I squats down on a bar l, lights a match, And, " Bang-bang-bang! " I hears, and drops the pipe. A guy runs at me, hollers, u You! Where is he? You seen him! " I just sets there. " Keep your shirt on," I says. "Where s who?" " The Nigger ! Where s he at? " They gangs around me. I just sets there dumb. More on em runs up, yelpin " Get the coon." They jams aroun the cellar; they s a yell, They dashes down the steps. ... A dozen shots. , . . The white guy next me pitches up his mitts And flops down. . . . Then. . . . Riot Listen, I wanta ast you, You been down to the zoo, feedin time? You seen the keeper thrun a hunk o steak, You hearn the awful snarl the tigers gi n? . . . That mob. . . . They drags this moanin nigger out, They kicks his face in right before my eyes, They plugs him full o bullets, What s left ain t even quiverin no more. I seen it, me. The wagon comes a-clangin , Nobody left but me to tell about it, Me and the half-killed bum. . . . And now you come, Tryin to make me swear before a judge This pore old alley-cat was goin gunnin , And murderin white guys, . . . I s pose I was a dumb-bell. That s what Mame said, Least wise she didn t sa% it in them words, But " dumb-bell " that was what she meant, all right, And all because I couldn t understand her. But what can you do with a girl that wants to set Out on a rock and watch the waves come up, Right in plain daylight? And you re talkin to her, , And all at oncet she says, " Can t you keep quiet? Can t you see the waves is whisperin secrets at me?" . . . If she wouldn t of been so wonderful to look at, And so darn sweet .the few times that she was sweet, I wouldn t never fooled with her at all. But that s the funny thing. The more I seen her, 53 And the more she went off into you know fits Like she was miles away, the more I wanted her. . . . Here s one trick I put up with from this Mame. One time at ten P. M. she comes to the house, Says, "Get your heavy coat, we re goin ridinV " Ridin ,\I says. " Say, Mame, what s eatin you? A blizzarcfs outside, and the worst this year." " Shut up. Come on," she says, and drags me out. We rides two hou^s in a open hansom, I guess it was one tn^t Noah had in the ark- The snow just stinginNand beatin on our face, And all because Mame nev^r done it before, And seen the cab, and wantedjto. She said It was a real adventure. . >vj got chil blains. . . . What can you do when you take a girl to dinner, And she goes and orders heck of all things snails ! And when I ast her to a real good show, She makes me change it to some darn grand oprer, And won t set downstairs, but she has to stay Up in the Peanut Gallery, with the Dagoes. I sure did stand a lot ! . . . She was bad enough In" the city; but when she got out to the country 54 She sure complete went wild. If she seen a field Where they was grass and flowers, she takes a run And jumps and rolls aroun ; and not just her, She makes me do it, too: A>! was shamed, It wasn t right, us bein so old, you might say. . . . And one time towards evenirr 1 we" was walkm , Ano\come to a little crick. The fish was jumping And f\ght away she says, " I want to fish ! " We couldn t fish, I argues, there wasn t no poles, Nor hodks, nor lines nor nothin . She says, I got a pin.\ You bend it on 3 rock, I ll get a line^Xall right. G^/on and bend it." Whiles I was turned aroun , I hears a rip, She hands me a 16ng pie ce of her underskirt, Honest, it made rrt^ blush. She breaks a stick off, And catches a grasshop^r, and she fishes. And what do you think ?\ She catched a fish, at that, A thing about two inches longK And say, I thought it was a whale, the fuss^he made. She was so happy, I didn t know wharto think, And afterwards we laid down on a haystack, And she was watchin the stars, and sorteKjium- min , 55 \ Mame So sweet I got a notion it was me That she was singin about, and I tried to kiss her. That sure was one --bti m guess. She turns all white, And says, " All right, you had to ruin it. I might of knew." And thenjwe went back home, Her starin straight ahead, an"l sayin nothin . . . . And then, the next day, she was fine again. I couldn t tell what she was ever thinkin . Things went on that way, me bein her dog, You might say, tryin to bust away, and yet J^All the time comin back. So then, one day, I swore I d have a showdown. I was through With all this foolin . Either I was right Or either wrong, and I was goin to find out. I ast her to eat lunch with me at Schlogel s. I gets there first, all set up and excited, And in a minute here she comes, all fixed up, Prettier n a little red wagon. We sets down, And " That s a nice new suit. How good you look," Says Mame, and so I m feelin fine, right off, And she is wonderful, laughin and talkin , So s I can t hardly wait to say my spiel. 56 I orders, and the waiter beats it. Then I clears my throat, and looks at her, and " Mame, I got somethin that I want to ast you Mame " And I starts to lean way over to her, And finds my .pants is ruined. What do you think? Some boob has stuck a great big wad of gum Right to the chair, and I was settin in it! You know, I got so mad I couldn t think^ I clean forgets all I was tryin to say, And hollers "Damn it!** *. . . There was my new suit All ruined with that gum. Mame busts out laughin , And when she laughs I m gettin all the v Then she gets sore, to6. c What s a little thing Like that," she says. " You ack just like a kid! " -Maybe I did, but who s the guy that wouldn t? I calls the manager, and bawls him out Like any guy would do. J^< ^ And suddenly - Mame^she gets right up, and she sorter smiles And saVs>x" Good-bye. And this is real good- bye.\ Charley, you ll never learn to really live Unless you get so little hurts don t matter. 57 Life is too big to let a thing like gum Mean such a lot to you." . . . And out she sails. I calls her up next day. She tells me no, She found that her and me can t hit it off. " Here s the whole truth: You^drag me_down," she says. " You don t know how to dream, and never won t. That s all. Good-bye/ I can t just understand about the Fall. October Why, everythin s so wild and bright and gay! It s like the world was at a Fancy Ball, And nothin mattered excep just to play. The birds is singin crazy bran-new tunes; The bushes got red ribbons for their hair; The trees looks like they bought theirself bal loons, Scarlet and yellow wavin in the air. They know they got old Winter fooled, I s pose. And though he ll come some day, and tear and roar, Bust up their party, ruin their pretty clo es, It ll be all right when Spring comes back once more. And still, it makes me all choke up, to know All lovely things that s now, has got to go. Snoozer Of all the joke curs that I ever seen, This Snoozer sure did get the old brown derby. Aunt Effie allus said he was a poodle To me he looked like a white muff on wheels. Pa useta say nobody couldn t love A thing like that, exceptin somep n mean, Which he was meanin to say the one that owned him, Aunt Effie. They was a pair, I ll tell the world. Aunt Effie, she was sure one born old maid. The face the good Lord gi n her was the kind You make after a dose o Castor Oil; Far from improvin Nature, she lets things slide; Her voice cut like a knife on everybody Except that awful cur, this Snoozer dog. We all was sure she had a mint o money Some said her step-ma left her thirty thousand. You couldn t tell. Her room cost two bucks a week, 60 She cooked her meals over a gas-jet. But Snoozer One thing was sure: Snoozer was always fixed With silky ribbons, blankets, even shoes Made out o wool, for them ridic lous paws. Aunt Effie loved that dog; the world outside She hated; and it paid her back with interest. . . . One day Pa runs in, hollers, " Effie s dyin . I m goin over." I follers, just to see What happens. I hung back down on the landin . No sooner Pa goes up, when Uncle Jim, Aunt Mame and Cousin Henry rushes by me. . . . Sudden, I hears a yelp, a door bangs open, Wild cursin , the whole crew runnin out, and then More howls and yips upstairs. Then this here Snoozer Limpin and draggin his foot. Aunt Effie s voice Like she was lost in the dark, cryin and cryin , "Snoozer! Comeback! Snoozer!" . . . I squats down quick, And pats the floor. " Hyuh, Snoozer! Nice oP doggie," I says like sugar. Snoozer looks around Like he can t trust his ears, hearin a voice 61 Snoozer That ain t Aunt Effie s, talkin to him nice. I crope up on him, while he stands there shiverin , And grabs him gentle. Then I takes him quick Up to the room, and plumps him on the bed. Aunt Effie give a moan, like to a baby, And hugs and kisses that there pitiful cur, Me standin first on one foot then the other. I hears her voice then, feeble and soft and strange, I wouldn t of knowed it. " Bub," she says, " I m goin . Tomorrow I ll be dead. But praise to God, Before I died I seen two things was wonderful. One was what happened when your Pa came in, With all them other smirkin hypocrites, Tryin to make friends, now they s sure I m dyin . Tonight they troops here, all as smooth as silk After my money. But this Snoozer here, He knows what s true from lies. He gi n one look, He snaps your Aunt Mame s finger, then he grabs Your Pa s pants " then she squeaks a feeble laugh. " You should of saw it, Bub. Their real selfs showed 62 Like lightnin . Two on em kicked pore little Snoozer Snoozer, They tried to kill him . . . yeh, fine chanst they got For any o my money. . . . " Now this Snoozer, He s all I got, or ever had. He loves me, Don t urn, ol Snoozer? and I sure love him. The other wonderful thing I seen is this: You bein kind to Snoozer. Never I hoped To see no member of my lovely fambly That had a heart, was real and genuwine. I never ast no favors from nobody I m goin to ast one now: Will you take Snoozer And keep him for me, always treat him kind?" " Why, sure," I says, " I will." I felt a lump Down in my throat, it was so sad, and all. " Thank God," she says. " All right, Bub, I can trust you. Now, go away. No, go on ! Leave me alone. I want to finish out the way I lived, Nobody round. Go on." I finds the door, She says, " Good bye. . . . Don t go back on your promise." . . . 63 Snoozer She died in the night, I guess. Pa and the others They made a loud noise over the funeral, With carriages and things. And two days after Old Lawyer Green he reads her will in the parlor. " She leaves to Bub, here, that there pet dog, Snoozer. The money only seven thousand, it is, Goes to the Smithfield Home for Friendless Dogs." Oh, gee, you should of hearn the row there was ! If what Aunt Effie wanted was a cussin She sure did get it. If she ain t in Hell It ain t because the whole pack didn t hope so. ... For me, I made a promise, and I kept it. Three times I had to hide the dog from Pa So s that he couldn t kill it. Freddy Mason And me, we built a small house outa boxes Down to his yard, and Snoozer stayed all summer In there, without Pa knowin . By the winter I had a job the other side o town, Roomin alone, and took this Snoozer with me. You know, it s queer, that dog got reas nable. After a month o mournin , sniffin around Lookin for old Aunt Effie, he got to like me. You won t believe me, but he changed complete. Snoozer He useta watch out for me, in the evening Comin from work. . . . He learnt some dandy tricks, And well, to make it short, I come to love him. . . . Five year ago I got him. Even then He musta been fifteen year old, or more. This last year he was gettin feebler and feebler. And then, two weeks ago, I come home late, And finds pore Snoozer stretched out by the fire place. It s durn lonely Around the place without him. There s a some- thin You give a dog, nobody, not your friends, Nor wife, nor kids, even, don t never get. . . . And say, look what old Green he sends to me This mornin . It s a note, Aunt Effie wrote it: " The person that gets a dog to trust and love him, I think he gets enough reward from that. And yet, if Lawyer Green is satisfied You kept your promise, here s a little present From me and Snoozer. Take it with our thanks." 65 Snoozer And underneath, a note from Lawyer Green, " Please call, next Saturday, at my address To get your check that s here, three thousand dol lars Plus five years interest, at six per cent." . . . 66 (Easter Sunday, April, 1918) Head Lines They s headlines snarlin at me from the " Jour- nal," " Hun Drive Slows." Slows! And I prayed last night it was stopped! A robin just hopped On top of a red-bud tree, Looks to me like a rose That a girl s holdin up next to her cheek. . . . Or maybe like that liquid fire them Germans uses. . . . Clink! Clink !- The sidewalks is ringin from the feet Of folks goin to church, all neat, Gettin ready to split their voice Singin , " Rejoice ! Rejoice ! He is risen! " Like a man outa prison The vi lets is bustin outa the ground. . . . The headlines I m starin at jumps and lurches: 6 7 Head " Mystery Gun Slays Crowds Lines Prayin in Paris Churches." . . . Here comes a young sojer With a girl hangin onto his arm. Right here only a year ago Jim useta walk And him and me would useta talk All about the glories o fightin for your coun- try, . . . " Airman Falls in Gallant Fight " That was Jim s headline. ... I was Jim s girl. . . . Just such a light He useta have in his face, Just like that he had a sorter grace When he walked. . . . Just like that His hair useta curl. . . . Apple-blossoms is ridin along on the breeze, Flutterin down from the trees Like a sweet-smellin snow Or like frost on them graves in Picardy. . . . Oh, God! Good God, almighty God, Are you gonna stand by And let all the things that was beautiful die? 68 Them Huns is killin even the Spring, Head Every little no-account lovely thing, Lines Twistin everythin inta pain. . . . Oh, God, Won t Beauty never come no more again! . . . White Say, Ma, I want to tell you about Pa. Collars We got to have a new deal in this house. I ain t gonna stand no more o his fool talk. Don t bust in on me. I know what I m doin . This ain t no new idear. Many a time I been about to say it, only now I come to where it s gettin on my nerves. He s like a phonograft with just one record, And he keeps playin it, over and over and over. Seems like the first stuff I can ever remember Is all that bunk about a " edjucation," Pa bein fixed to go down to the U, And then his Pa dies, and he goes to work To keep old Gramma goin . u Will," he says, " I never got the thin I wanted most. But never mind, you ll get it, Will, you ll get it. My son is goin to be a college man. I m savin all the time a College Fund." 70 Remember how he always talked that way? White And then the day I went down to the High School Collars He give me a swell new watch, and pats my shoul der, And says, " Good boy, Will, now you got the system. Plug at the books, and plug, and keep a-pluggin; They s stuff in books you can t get nowhere else, Stuff that ll give you dreams, and that s what counts ; Men that can dream is the ones that beats the world." The first time that I got real good and sore Was when he points me out that Freddy Keefe, And says he hopes that I should be like that. Why should I want to be a sorter mouse, Nice enough feller, but a-scared to fight Or play, or nothin else but fool with books? I couldn t help if I was born the way I was, and liked to run around, and hated Latin, and that damn Algebra, and so on. But even then I might of gotten through If he wouldn t of give me a lickin for not passin* Into the third year High. That spilled the beans. I only stuck that long because I knowed How much it meant to him. But gettin licked You said yourself you didn t blame me much 71 White For beatin it the way I did, and bummin Collars Down into Texas. . . . Talk about " edjuca- tion " ! I seen more in one year than lots o guys LI ever see if they lives to be a hunderd. Pa knows I wasn t never any burden. I earned my keep and more, didn t I, now? I useta feel kinder sorry now and then, Special the time I found the old bank book, And ast him what would he do with the College Fund He was still keepin , though I was sixteen then, And he says he didn t know, but maybe hoped They was a chanst I d change my mind some day. I guess he thought I was a just plain bum. It sorter socked him when he ast Sam French Where I was workin and repairin autos, And Sam tells him I was the best repair man On the West Side. And when I comes and tells him I wants to borry the College Fund to use For capital to start my own garage, I swear I think he cried when he give it to me. He needn t been that way. I paid it back, Yeh, and I give him interest, eight per cent. It didn t take me only two years to do it. 72 Look what I done for you and him and me ! White Though I ain t the one to say it, do you know Collars Where they s another guy that s twenty-seven And makes the dough I make ? All in six years I built a fine big house, I got a Packard To ride you in, and business is boomin So s now I aim to open up three branches. And here last night this Freddy Keefe comes over, And him and Pa is gassin roun the fire, A fine, hot-lookin bird this Freddy is, With his suit shinin , and his scuffed-up shoes, Tellin me how he loved his work and all, Him a perfesser, tryin to teach a gang O shell-shocks how to read and write and such. And when I shows him all my new silk shirts He sorter smiles, and says, " You re lucky, Will. I won t get a new overcoat this winter; I bought a season ticket to the concerts." And then him tellin Pa about some painter That had a exposition in the Institute All about Whoozis, some new Irish pote, And somethin about the " grace o Grecian sculp- cher." The grace o my cat s ankle! Edjucation! That s all the good his learnin done for him. He ain t got nothin , and he never won t have. 73 White I couldn t listen to that line o bunk, Collars So I just starts the player-piano goin , And Freddy says good-bye and goes away. That s when Pa comes and has the nerve to tell me I shoulda listened to Freddy. " I just tell you," He says. " You needn t be so rude to Freddy. He s gettin a repitation everywhere." " For what? For shiny clo es? " I comes back, laughin . Pa s face gets red. " No, for a lit ry cricket." " Haw haw," I says. " He sure chirps mighty feeble." That s when Pa makes the break that gets my goat. Well, you can laugh," he says, " But just the same I d give the world if you was only like him." Just think o that! Now, honest, can you tie it? Me, that ll be a real rich man some day, Trade places with a teacher ! With a bum That scarcely gets a good square meal a week ! Concerts, and pitchers yeh, and I spose pink teas. All right, if that s the kinda things Pa wants He can get out and find it. I won t keep him, 74 And feed him swell, and dress him swell, and give White him Collars A great big room, and rides in bran-new Pack- ards. If he wants what this Freddy Keefe is got, By God, he s got to get it somewhere s elset. But I ain t goin to hear no more about it. You tell him this for me tell him I mean it: Either he shuts his trap and keeps it shut About this edjucation stuff, or elset He can get the Hell out of here. That s all! 75 u Catfish " When Jake played his cornet, his face Green Looked like a catfish when you land him ; We called him " Catfish " Green, and laughed, And never tried to understand him. He sawed and hammered at his bench Without a word or smile, all day; But when night come, he d get that horn And be a changed man, right away. I see him now, when he d oblige With " Silver Threads Among " you know His fingers lovin at the keys, The long notes wailin smooth and low. That was great stuff. But when he led The concerts with the other boys Down to the square, in summer-time, Why, Hell ain t never hearn such noise. They squawked and blared, and lost the time We laughed until we almost died. 7 6 But " Catfish " he would yell and swear " Catfish " And oncet he broke down flat, and cried. Green Still, through three years, two times a week He made that awful band rehearse, And never seemed to realize It never got no good, but worse. And then, one day the news flew round, " On July Fourth our town will be Host to our country s President " Jake grinned, and muttered, " Now you ll see!" And every night that June we heard Them trombones snarls and cornets ravin s; The cashier of the Farmers Bank Said Jake had drawed out all his savin s. The great day come. And down the road A bust o music, like a storm, And here comes " Catfish," with his band Each in a brand-new uniform! Jake and the boys struts on the stand Good Lordy! What a high-tone manner! The Pres dent halts. The band explodes Into the " Star Spangled Banner." 77 " Catfish " Never no band played like that day, Green It sure did make my pulses jump. Jake takes the high note sweet and clear And sinks down with a little thump. The music stops they lifts him up One little sigh, and Jake is dead. That high-note climax of his life Bust a blood-vessel in his head. Well, at that time, to my kid mind Thinkin o Jake, it sure did seem A foolish way to waste a life Chasin a silly sort o dream. But now I kinder guess I hope The Lord will treat me that way, too. I ll gladly go, like " Catfish " Green, Knowin I made my dream come true. Oh, yes, I spose a day has got to come L Envoi That gets around to all of us at last, That Springtime won t mean . much excep a sea son, And April nights won t make our heart beat fast. And we can watch the long green rollers breaking And be real pleased to stay all safe on shore Nothin but catchin colds, or wearin rubbers, Or things like that ll matter any more. And glad or sad times that we useta feel so, And hopes and thrills that we could find in looks, And how a kiss could burn us like a fire They ll be like stuff we read about in books. Let s don t be like the others scared or sour, Forgettin that life wasn t always slow, Growlin at fun and dancin and happy laughin , Snoopin and spyin round, and snarlin , "No!" 79 L Envoi Promise, chat, you ll <be different! not like them ! Fight for the ways of seein fresh and true ! Keep all you can of what the world meant to you When you was young, arid life was real . . . and new ! THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS WILL BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO RETURN THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PENALTY WILL INCREASE TO so CENTS ON THE FOURTH DAY AND TO $1.OO ON THE SEVENTH DAY OVERDUE. CT 4 1ipg 27 KB 6 I-;./ LD 21-20m-5, 39 (9269s) .car CT 31 1 JAN 27 1M7 FEB 6 IS 47 4E8747 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY ARY -1 .