The Home Circle.

Southern Cross, Volume 11, Issue 25, 19 September 1903, Page 7

The Home Circle.

THE CASE OF JOHN ADOLPHUS. John Adolphus was a modest youth of moat engaging ways, Who devoted his attention to the Picture Puzzle craze ; And the name of ev’ry city, town, or village in the guide were completely at the finger-tips of John Adolphus Hyde, He was * solving ’ in the morning, and he kept it up till night — Names of places, things or people, and was sure he’d got ’em right; When he saw the puzzle picture of a lady’s face he said, And without a moment’s hesitation, ‘ That is ‘ Maidenhead!’ ’ But although he was so certain, and although he’d many tries, John Adolphus never had the luck to win a single prize j And the more he failed the more he toiled the proper names to find, Till at last the occupation played the dickens with his mind. For Adolphus John Adolphus got the notion in his head That there was no single thing that wasn’t something else instead; He had gone completely dotty on the solving, you could tell, For he called his father ‘ Dadford ’ and his mamma ‘ Motherwell.’ Night by night on names of places he’d continually work, And recite them alphabetically from Aberdeen to York; And it happened when a cab was brought for John Adolphus Hyde, He surveyed it for a moment, then ejaculated ‘ Ryde.’ So they rode him to an institution meant for such as he, Where he stayed a little time, and then regained his liberty ; And he’s now the nice, engaging boy he used to be before — But he doesn’t interfere with puzzle pictures any more.