Part 27 (1/2)

LAY OF THE SPRING.

Let others sing their favourite lay, From early morn till close of day, More useful themes engage our pen, We sing the lay of our good hen.

For she doth lay each morn an egg, And it is full and large and big, Abroad she doth never travel, Happy she when scratching gravel.

And she loud cackles songs of praise Every morn when e'er she lays, Proud she is when she finds pickings For to feed her brood of chickens.

It greatly puzzled her one day When she found white nest egg of clay, She knew some one did trick play her, For she was no brick layer.

Vain and stately male bird stalks, Leading his hens along the walks, Proudly each feather in his tail Makes rival roosters for to quail.

Our muse now soars on feathery wing, And cheerful it doth hail the spring, Bringing the suns.h.i.+ne and showers, Green gra.s.s and buds and leafy bowers.

So pleasant is the month of May, When bushes shoot out blooming spray, 'Ere spring we're tired of winter's white, Spring's varied colours do delight.

HIGH IN MASONRY.

Give me a board so I can trace on How high I have gone as a mason, Said worker on true square cut stone Unto some knights of good St. John.

Each one of them could trace with ease The highest Masonic degrees, Tell us how high then you have gone They said to worker on cut stone.

Who said to their astonishment To top of Was.h.i.+ngton monument, I solemnly to you declare And will swear to fact upon the square.

I there stood thirty-three degrees, While the mercury did freeze, And none of you will have desire In masonry for to go higher.

Tales.

TRAMP AND FISH.

A hungry tramp did long for dish, And he stole a big bunch of fish, But he full soon did come to grief, He was quick captured as a thief.

And brought before the magistrate, So judge he would p.r.o.nounce his fate, Judge asked him how he came by fish, The thief said for them he did wish,

The best fish ever came from brook, I own, my Lord, I did them hook, Said constable, he speaks what's true, And you must give the devil his due.

Then judge did constable rebuke, He owns fish if he did them hook, He has not broken any clause I know of in our fishery laws.

Unless you can show this reason, He has hooked them out of season, Your duty you have thus mistook, For man had right the fish to hook.