Prior To Miss Belle's Appearance

What makes you come HERE fer, Mister,
    So much to our house? - SAY?
Come to see our big sister! -
An' Charley he says 'at you kissed her
    An' he ketched you, th'uther day! -
Didn' you, Charley? - But we p'omised Belle
An' crossed our heart to never to tell -
'Cause SHE gived us some o' them-er
Chawk'lut-drops 'at you bringed to her!

Charley he's my little b'uther -
    An' we has a-mostest fun,
Don't we, Charley? - Our Muther,
Whenever we whips one anuther,
    Tries to whip US - an' we RUN -
Don't we, Charley? - An' nen, bime-by,
Nen she gives us cake - an' pie -
Don't she, Charley? - when we come in
An' pomise never to do it ag'in!

HE'S named Charley. - I'm WILLIE -
    An' I'm got the purtiest name!
But Uncle Bob HE calls me "Billy" -
Don't he, Charley? - 'N' our filly
    We named "Billy," the same
Ist like me!    An' our Ma said
'At "Bob puts foolishnuss into our head!" -
Didn' she, Charley? - An' SHE don't know
Much about BOYS! - 'Cause Bob said so!

Baby's a funniest feller!
    Nain't no hair on his head -
IS they, Charley? - It's meller
Wite up there!    An' ef Belle er
    Us ask wuz WE that way, Ma said, -
"Yes; an' yer PA'S head wuz soft as that,
An' it's that way yet!" - An' Pa grabs his hat
An' says, "Yes, childern, she's right about Pa -
'Cause that's the reason he married yer Ma!"

An' our Ma says 'at "Belle couldn'
    Ketch nothin' at all but ist 'BOWS!" -
An' PA says 'at "you're soft as puddun!" -
An' UNCLE BOB says "you're a good-un -
    'Cause he can tell by yer nose!"-
Didn' he, Charley? - An' when Belle'll play
In the poller on th' pianer, some day,
Bob makes up funny songs about you,
Till she gits mad-like he wants her to!

Our sister FANNY she's 'LEVEN
    Years old!    'At's mucher 'an I -
Ain't it, Charley? . . .    I'm seven! -
But our sister Fanny's in HEAVEN!
    Nere's where you go ef you die! -
Don't you, Charley? - Nen you has WINGS -
IST LIKE FANNY! - an' PURTIEST THINGS! -
Don't you, Charley? - An' nen you can FLY -
Ist fly-an' EVER'thing! . . . I Wisht I'D die!

James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. He was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and the "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and children's poetry respectively. Over his career, Riley authored approximately 1,000 poems, including "Little Orphant Annie" and "The Raggedy Man". His influence extended into the 20th century, and his works continued to be celebrated for their nostalgic and rural themes.

James Whitcomb Riley

A New Year's Time at Willards's

James Whitcomb Riley, Simple Poetry

Old Fashioned Roses

James Whitcomb Riley, Simple Poetry

Joney

James Whitcomb Riley, Simple Poetry

The Old Swimmin'-Hole

James Whitcomb Riley, Simple Poetry

English

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At Aunty's House

One time, when we'z at Aunty's house -
'Way in the country! - where
They's ist but woods - an' pigs, an' cows -
An' all's out-doors an' air! -
An' orchurd-swing; an' churry-trees -
An' churries in 'em! - Yes, an' these -
Here red-head birds steals all they please,
An' tetch 'em ef you dare! -
W'y, wunst, one time, when we wuz there,
We et out on the porch!

Wite where the cellar-door wuz shut
The table wuz; an' I
Let Aunty set by me an' cut
My vittuls up - an' pie.
'Tuz awful funny! - I could see
The red-heads in the churry-tree;
An' bee-hives, where you got to be
So keerful, goin' by; -
An' "Comp'ny" there an' all! - an' we -
We et out on the porch!

An' I ist et p'surves an' things
'At Ma don't '...

James Whitcomb Riley

Granny

Granny's come to our house,
And ho! My lawzy-daisy!
All the childern round the place
Is ist a-runnin' crazy!
Fetched a cake fer little Jake,
And fetched a pie fer Nanny,
And fetched a pear fer all the pack
That runs to kiss their Granny!

Lucy Ellen's in her lap,
And Wade and Silas Walker
Both's a ridin' on her foot,
And 'Pollos on the rocker;
And Marthy's twins, from Aunt Marinn's
And little Orphant Annie,
All's a-eatin' gingerbread
And giggle-un at Granny!

Tells us all the fairy tales
Ever thought er wundered -
And 'bundance o' other stories -
Bet she knows a hunderd!

Bob's the one fer "Whittington,"
And "Golden Locks" fer Fanny!
Hear 'em laugh and clap their hands,
Listenin' at Granny!

"Jack the...

James Whitcomb Riley

Fool-Youngens

Me an' Bert an' Minnie-Belle
Knows a joke, an' we won't tell!
No, we don't - 'cause we don't know
Why we got to laughin' so;
But we got to laughin' so,
    "We ist kep' a-laughin'.

Wind wuz blowin' in the tree -
An' wuz only ist us three
Playin' there; an' ever' one
Ketched each other, like we done,
Squintin' up there at the sun
    Like we wuz a-laughin'.

Nothin' funny anyway;
But I laughed, an' so did they -
An' we all three laughed, an' nen
Squint' our eyes an' laugh' again:
Ner we didn't ist p'ten' -
    We wuz shore-'nough laughin'.


"We ist laugh' an' laugh', tel Bert
Say he can't quit an' it hurt.
Nen I howl, an' Minnie-Belle
She tear up the grass a spell
An' ist sto...

James Whitcomb Riley

Little Orphant Annie

Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,
An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep,
An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an'-keep;
An' all us other childern, when the supper things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun
A-list'nin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about,
An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you
    Ef you
    Don't
        Watch
        Out!

Onc't they was a little boy wouldn't say his prayers,
An' when he went to bed at night, away up stairs,
His Mammy heerd him holler, an' his Daddy heerd him bawl,
An' when they turn't the kivvers down, he wasn't there at all!
An' they seeked him in the rafter-room, an'...

James Whitcomb Riley

Marthy Ellen.

They's nothin' in the name to strike
A feller more'n common like!
'Taint liable to git no praise
Ner nothin' like it nowadays;
An' yit that name o' her'n is jest
As purty as the purtiest -
And more 'n that, I'm here to say
I'll live a-thinkin' thataway
    And die far Marthy Ellen!

It may be I was prejudust
In favor of it from the fust -
'Cause I kin ricollect jest how
We met, and hear her mother now
A-callin' of her down the road -
And, aggervatin' little toad! -
I see her now, jes' sort o' half-
Way disapp'inted, turn and laugh
    And mock her - "Marthy Ellen!"

Our people never had no fuss,
And yit they never tuck to us;
We neighbered back and foreds some;
Until they see she liked to come
To our house - and me and h...

James Whitcomb Riley

A Christmas Memory

Pa he bringed me here to stay
    'Til my Ma she's well. - An' nen
He's go' hitch up, Chris'mus-day,
    An' come take me back again
Wher' my Ma's at! Won't I be
Tickled when he comes fer me!

My Ma an' my A'nty they
    'Uz each-uvver's sisters. Pa -
A'nty telled me, th' other day, -
    He comed here an' married Ma....
A'nty said nen, "Go run play,
    I must work now!" ... An' I saw,
When she turn' her face away,
    She 'uz cryin'. - An' nen I
    'Tend-like I "run play" - an' cry.

This-here house o' A'nty's wher'
They 'uz borned - my Ma an' her! -
An' her Ma 'uz my Ma's Ma,
An' her Pa 'uz my Ma's Pa -


Ain't that funny? - An' they're dead:
An' this-here's "th' ole Homestead." -
An' my A'nty said, an' cried,

James Whitcomb Riley