A Prospective Visit

While any day was notable and dear     That gave the children Noey, history here     Records his advent emphasized indeed     With sharp italics, as he came to feed     The stock one special morning, fair and bright,     When Johnty and Bud met him, with delight     Unusual even as their extra dress -     Garbed as for holiday, with much excess     Of proud self-consciousness and vain conceit     In their new finery. - Far up the street     They called to Noey, as he came, that they,     As promised, both were going back that day     To his house with him!         And by time that each     Had one of Noey's hands - ceasing their speech     And coyly anxious, in their new attire,     To wake the comment of their mute desire, -     Noey seemed rendered voiceless. Quite a while     They watched him furtively. - He seemed to smile     As though he would conceal it; and they saw     Him look away, and his lips purse and draw     In curious, twitching spasms, as though he might     Be whispering, - while in his eye the white     Predominated strangely. - Then the spell     Gave way, and his pent speech burst audible:     "They wuz two stylish little boys,         and they wuz mighty bold ones,     Had two new pairs o' britches made         out o' their daddy's old ones!"     And at the inspirational outbreak,     Both joker and his victims seemed to take     An equal share of laughter, - and all through     Their morning visit kept recurring to     The funny words and jingle of the rhyme     That just kept getting funnier all the time.