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From Cornfield Philosophy, by C. D. Strode, Illustrated, Chicago: The Blakely Printing Co., 1902; pp. 80-81.



Gold monogram with Cornfield Philosophy written inside a wreath on a marine blue background.

80
BREWSTER JONES’ CHRISTMAS.

_______________


Pen and ink sketch by Percy E. Anderson, of a man standing with his arms crossed looking to the left.  He is wearing a hat, and his pants are tucked into boots.
There was once a man named
             Brewster Jones
     Who lived in a melt of white
             oak timber,
A likely man with a giant’s
             bones,
     And a giant’s strength, stal-
             wart and limber.
He farmed some land and
             worked like sin,
But the white oak soil was
             mighty thin,
And scarce returned what Jones
             put in,
     And
            Jones
                        became
                               discouraged.



“It’s mighty hard lines,” said Brewster Jones
    “Keepin’ the ends of things together,
Grubbin’ round ’mong stumps and stones
    In every kind of wind and weather,
There’s a site for a saw mill over there,
    And I’ll buy a saw mill, I declare,
And diamonds and rubies I will wear.”
    And
                   he bought
                                       a mill
                                                       on credit.
81

He had a wife and children three,
    And thought a great deal of them.
“And when I get a mill,” said he,
    “I’m sure I’ll have more time to love them.”
But after Jones had bought his mill
    He worked from break of day until
The moon went down, and there was more work
        still,
    And
                Jones
                                was mad
                                                  as thunder.


But there were the notes that must be paid —
    Jones was not the man to shirk them.
He had a good many hands but none of them
        staid,
    Because of the way Jones had to work them.
But Jones was young and Jones was strong,
    So he bowed his back and humped along,
Mingling cuss words with his song,
    And
                   at night
                                 he studied
                                                        inspection.


This Christmas the last of the notes came due,
     And Jones had the money to pay it,
And a little money for Christmas, too —
     He ought to be happy, but I can’t say it.
For alas! and alack! and well-a-day!
     All the timber is cut away,
And you should hear what he has to say
     About
                   the
                                saw mill
                                                      business.








Gold monogram with Cornfield Philosophy written inside a wreath on a marine blue background.




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