Verse Old and New

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XL, Issue 19, 6 May 1908, Page 51

Verse Old and New

To the influenza Germ. By the shivering fits which chill us, By the feverish heats which grill us, By the pains acute which fill us, By the aches which maul and mill us, By the quacks who draught and kill us, By the hydropaths who swill us, By the allopaths who bill us, By the nervous fears which kill us, Tell us, -tell us, wee Bacillus, . What, and why, and whence you arc I Say, are you a germ atomic ? Have you uses economic? Are you truly miasmatic ? Are you solid or lymphatic? Frankly, is your case zymotic? Are you native or exotic? When your business is transacted Is your stay to be protracted? And do you intend, Bacillus, To return again and kill us? *. Do make answer, if you please? Tell us briefly, tiny ihystery, What’s your Source and what's your history:; ■■ Clear the clouds of obfuscation - That surround your incubation! Furnish, without more obstruction. Your belated introduction?" Let us know your why aridwherefore, What it is you’re in the air for. And meanwhile, O wee Bacillus, Since with morbid dread you fill us, Prithee, take your leave at once! —London World. © ©■ © The Upstairs Girl. > ’Tis useless trying to express in words her varied charms En evidence from smuggest cap to trimmest of trim shoes ; The ruddiness of ilieeks and lips]' the plumpness' of her' arms Are ’way beyond a pen unskilled in writing social-new’s. ’ I cannot say 1 like her eyes, they are so steely grey, I question the construction of a certain sloe-like curl, But she’s, there’s no denying, altogether distingue, The qijite immaculate, well-starched, well-ironed, upstairs girl. I fare not badly’ with, the cook, and nurse can always find A minute to help with my coat or straighten my cravat; The coachman is respectful and the gardener is kind — If there's but one eamelia out I’m always sure of that! To mix a midnight punch for me the butler’ stays a-wirke,. And he, as. all the household knows, is very’ much a churl, But though I do my level best, I swear I ’cannot make The ghost of an impression bn the haughty upstairs girl. She’s chilly gs .her mistress, which is saying a good deal; Doueeurs-faH short of melting her and compliments displease. To say she c6fir,es from Boston would explain.it, Tnrt" I feel' - There’s little doubt, if any, that she hails from overseas. Taxed -with a Isiek of knowledge of domestic matters I'm Assured, though she ignores, me, she is none t'.ie less a pearl; But this fart'stHf remains, that day and night and all the time ’ - The bane of my existence is the scornfql upstairs girl. —-'fidward W. Barnard. " © © ® " The Only Way. ' f ‘ He “lispod .in numbers''; lucky hard! He sought a rhyme for “month,” And, siiK'e, Ke -llfepcd it wasn't g Hi • thought ; bi' it at “oneth.” , y

When the Wind Has Bost His Way. I lie awake on a winter's night Ah’ wish, an’ wish for day, When the snow is failin’ ghostly-white An’ the wind has lost his way; When he shakes the shutter, an’ seems to say: “I’ve lost my way, I’ve lost my Way!” That's why he’s sighin’‘aii’ cryin so As he wanders all about; How can he find the way to go When the stars are all blown out? He habh’t a place in the world to stay— He’s lost his way, He's lost his way! But, then, when the beautiful mornin’ breaks I see him here, at play, A sip of dew from the rose he takes— Oh, then he has found his way! Oh, then it is, in the light I say: "He’s found his way, He’s found his way!” —“Atlanta Constitution."’ © © © Wliat Fishes Learn. The things they learn in schools of fish are taught without a fee; The little fish learn first to swim the unknown A B C, And then they take up cooking next, and even smallest fry, « Can put up jelly-fish preserves or make erustacebus pie. ” Now all the fish both great and small do practice well their scales; A fiddler-crab gives lessons to all sizes up to whiles. The swbrd-flsh learns to fence, but penma'nShip ’soffie Wish fbr more, And so they learn it from a mighty pen-, gain on the shore. The globe-fish takes geography, the starfish Irtirns astronomy; A large torpedo class is taught political economy: The class in botany- collects rare seaanemones. And gardeners root out. seaweeds and trim the coral trees. Electricity is taught by one old, wise ■ electric eel. Who has a class in tides and all the currents fish can feel. In geometry, the corollaries every polyp knows; < The fish can bisect angle-worms while stupid people doze. And saw-fish . teaches carpentry and builds without a fuss, A simple barnacle or grander chambered nautilus. These things they learn in schools of fish; but wonderful to me Is how they teach so very much with never any fee. —Blanche Elizabeth Wade. © © © The Face and the Figure. “Yp.ur bathing-suit!” her husband cried, “I really cannot bear it. I do not see at all how you Can have the face to wear it!” She tossed her head and then indulged In something like a snigger, “1 may not have the face,” she said, “But, oh, I’ve got the Agger!” © © © Too Much of Hint. “My dear,” the tall, fat wooer cried, “I am a timid elf; I lack the words to tell my love, I can’t express myself!” She eyed his corpulence awhile; Then, in a tone sedate, “Of course you can't express your.idf,” bhc said: “You're overweight.”