Down Around The River

Noon-time an' June-time, down around the river!     Have to furse with 'Lizey Ann - but lawzy! I fergive her!     Drives me off the place, an' says 'at all 'at she's a-wishin',     Land o' gracious! time'll come I'll git enough o' fishin'!     Little Dave, a-choppin' wood, never 'pears to notice;     Don't know where she's hid his hat, er keerin' where his coat is, -     Specalatin', more'n like, he haint a-goin' to mind me,     An' guessin' where, say twelve o'clock, a feller'd likely find me!     Noon-time an' June-time, down around the river!     Clean out o' sight o' home, an' skulkin' under kivver     Of the sycamores, jack-oaks, an' swamp-ash an' ellum -     Idies all so jumbled up, you kin hardly tell 'em! -     Tired, you know, but lovin' it, an' smilin' jes' to think 'at     Any sweeter tiredness you'd fairly want to drink it!     Tired o' fishin' - tired o' fun - line out slack an' slacker -     All you want in all the world's a little more tobacker!     Hungry, but a-hidin' it, er jes' a-not a-keerin': -     Kingfisher gittin' up an' skootin' out o' hearin';     Snipes on the t'other side, where the County Ditch is,     Wadin' up an' down the aidge like they'd rolled their britches!     Old turkle on the root kindo-sorto drappin'     Intoo th' worter like he don't know how it happen!     Worter, shade an' all so mixed, don't know which you'd orter     Say; th' worter in the shadder - shadder in the worter!     Somebody hollerin' - 'way around the bend in     Upper Fork - where yer eye kin jes' ketch the endin'     Of the shiney wedge o' wake some muss-rat's a-makin'     With that pesky nose o' his! Then a sniff o' bacon,     Corn-bred an' 'dock-greens - an' little Dave a-shinnin'     'Crost the rocks an' mussel-shells, a-limpin' an' a-grinnin',     With yer dinner fer ye, an' a blessin' from the giver,     Noon-time an' June-time down around the river!