The Project Gutenberg eBook of Home Again with Me This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title: Home Again with Me Author: James Whitcomb Riley Illustrator: Franklin Booth Howard Chandler Christy Release date: April 28, 2014 [eBook #45521] Language: English Credits: Produced by David Widger from page images generously provided by the Internet Archive *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOME AGAIN WITH ME *** Produced by David Widger from page images generously provided by the Internet Archive HOME AGAIN WITH ME By James Whitcomb Riley Drawings by Howard Chandler Christy Decorations by Franklin Booth Indianapolis The Bobbs-Merrill Company [Illustration: 0007] [Illustration: 0010] BRAUNWORTH & CO. BOOKBINDERS AND PRINTERS BROOKLYN, N. Y. [Illustration: 0012] [Illustration: 0013] DEDICATION HIS LOVE OF HOME "As {0014}love of native land," the old man said, 'Er stars and stripes a-wavin' overhead, Er nearest kith-and-kin, er daily bread, A Hoosier's love is for the old homestead." HOME AGAIN WITH ME [Illustration: 0015] |I'M {0015}a-feelin' ruther sad, Fer a father proud and glad As I am--my only child Home, and all so rickonciléd!-- ```Feel so strange-like, and don't know ```What the mischief ails me so!-- [Illustration: 0017] [Illustration: 0019] ```'Stid {0020}o' _bad_, I ort to be ```Feelin' good _pertickerly_-- ```Yes, and extry thankful, too,--- ```'Cause my nearest kith-and-kin, ```My Elviry's schoolin' 's through, ```And I' got her home ag'in-- `````Home ag'in with me! [Illustration: 0021] [Illustration: 0023] My {0024}Elviry's schoolin' 's through, And I' got her home ag'in -- ```Same as ef her mother'd bin ```Livin', I have done my best ```By the girl, and watchfulest; ```Nussed her--keerful' as I could-- ```From a baby, day and night,-- ```Drawin' on the neighberhood ```And the women-folks as light ```As needsessity 'u'd 'low-- ```'Cept in "teethin'," onc't, and fight ```Through black-measles..... [Illustration: 0025] [Illustration: 0027] Same as ef her mother'd bin Livin', I have done my best `````Don't know now ```How we ever saved the child! ```Doc _hed_ give her up, and said ```(As I stood there by the bed ```Sort o' foolin' with her hair ```On the hot wet piller there) ```"Wuz no use!"--And at them-air ```Very words she waked and smiled-- ```Yes, and _knowed_ me. And that's where ```I broke down, and simply jes ```Bellered like a boy--I guess!-- [Illustration: 0029] [Illustration: 0031] ```_Women_ claimed I did, but I ```Alius helt I _didn't_ cry ```But wuz laughin',--and I _wuz_,-- ```(Men _don't_ cry like _women_ does!) ```Well, right then and there I felt ```'T 'uz her mother's doin's, and, ```Jes like to myse'f, I knelt, ```Whisperin' "_I understand_."... [Illustration: 0033] 35 ```So I've raised her, you might say, ```Stric'ly in the narrer way ```'At her mother walked therein-- ```Not so quite _religiously_, ```Yit still strivin'-like to do ```Ever'thing a father _could_ ```Do he knowed the _mother_ would ```Ef she'd lived.--And now all's through ```And I' got her home ag'in-- `````Home ag'in with me!= [Illustration: 0036] [Illustration: 0037] [Illustration: 0039] ```And I' bin so lonesome, too-- ```Here o' late, especially,-- ```"Old Aunt Abigail," you know, ```Ain't no company;--and so ```Jes the hired hand, you see-- ```Jonas--like a relative ```More--sence he come here to live ```With us, nigh ten year' ago. [Illustration: 0041] [Illustration: 0043] ```Still he don't count much, you know. ```In the line o' company-- ```Lonesome, 'peared-like, 'most as me! ```So, as _I_ say, I' bin so ```Special lonesome-like and blue, ```With Elviry, like she's bin, ```'Way so much, last two er three ```Year'.--But now she's home ag'in-- `````Home ag'in with me! [Illustration: 0045] [Illustration: 0047] ```Driv in fe'r her yisterday, ```Me and Jonas--gay and spry,-- ```We jes cut up, all the way!-- ```Yes, and sung!--tel, blame it! I ```Keyed my voice up 'bout as high ```As when--days 'at I wuz young-- ```"Buckwheat-notes" wuz all they sung ```Jonas bantered me, and 'greed ```To sing one 'at town-folks sing ```Down at Split Stump 'er High-Low-- [Illustration: 0049] [Illustration: 0051] ```Some new "ballet," said, 'at he'd ```Learnt--about "The Grapevine Swing." ```And when _he_ quit, _I_ begun ```To chune up my voice and run ```Through the what's-called "scales" and "do ```Sol-me-rays" I _ust_ to know-- ```Then let loose old favor_ite_ one, ```"Hunters o' Kentucky!" _My!_ ```Tel I thought the boy would _die!_ ```And we _both_ laughed...... [Illustration: 0053] [Illustration: 0055] `````Yes, and still ```Heerd _more_ laughin', top the hill; ```Fer we'd _missed_ Elviry's train, ```And she'd lit out 'crosst the fields-- ```Dewdrops dancin' at her heels,-- ```And cut up old Smoots's lane ```So's to meet us. And there in ```Shadder o' the chinkypin, ```With a danglin' dogwood-bough ```Bloomin' 'bove her--See her now!-- [Illustration: 0057] [Illustration: 0059] ```Sunshine sort o' flickerin' down ```And a kind o' laughin' all ```Round her new red parasol, ```Try'n' to git at _her!_--well--like ```_I_ jumped out and showed 'em how! ```Yes, and jes the place to strike ```That-air mouth o' hern--as sweet ```As the blossoms breshed her brow ```Er sweet-williams round her feet--- [Illustration: 0061] [Illustration: 0063] ```White and blushy, too, as she ```"Howdy'd" up to Jonas and ```Jieuked her head and waved her hand. ```"_Hey!_" says I, as she bounced in ```The spring-wagon, reachin' back ```To give _me_ a lift, "_whoop-ee! _" ```I-says-ee, "_you're home agin-- `````Home agin with me!_" [Illustration: 0065] [Illustration: 0067] ```Lord! how _wild_ she wuz and glad, ```Gittin' home!--and things she had ```To inquire about, and talk-- ```Plowin', plantin', and the stock-- ```News o' neighberhood; and how ```Wuz the Deem-girls doin' now, ```Sence that-air young chicken-hawk ```They was "tamin'" soared away ```With their settin'-hen, one day?-- ```(Said she'd got Marne's postal-card ```'Bout it, very day 'at she ```Started home from Bethany.) [Illustration: 0069] [Illustration: 0071] ```How wuz pro-duce--eggs, and lard?-- ```Er wuz stores still claimin' "hard ```Times," as usual? And, says she, ```Troubled-like, "How's Deedie--say? ```Sence pore child e-loped away ```And got back, and goin' to 'ply ```Fer school-license by and by-- ```And where's 'Lijy workin' at? ```And how's 'Aunt' and 'Uncle Jake'? ```How wuz 'Old Maje'--and the cat? ```And wuz Marthy's baby fat ```As his 'Humpty-Dumpty' ma!-- [Illustration: 0073] [Illustration: 0075] ```Sweetest thing she ever saw!-- ```Must run 'crosst and see 'em, too, ```Soon as she turned in and got ```Supper fer us--smokin'-hot-- ```And the 'dishes' all wuz through.--" ```_Sich_ a supper! W'y, I set ```There and et, and et, and et!-- ```Jes et on, tel Jonas he ```Pushed his chair back, laughed, and says, ```"I could walk _his_ log!" [Illustration: 0077] [Illustration: 0080] `````And we ```All laughed then, tel 'Viry she ```Lit the lamp--and I give in!-- ```Riz and kissed her: "Heaven bless ```You!" says I--"you're home ag'in-- ```Same old dimple in your chin, ```Same white apern," I-says-ee, ```"Same sweet girl, and good to see ```As your _mother_ ust to be,-- ```And I' got you home ag'in-- `````Home ag-'in with me!"... [Illustration: 0082] [Illustration: 0084] [Illustration: 0085] [Illustration: 0086] [Illustration: 0088] `````And by and by ```Heerd Elviry, soft and low, ```At the organ, kind o' go ```A mi-anderin' up and down ```With her fingers 'mongst the keys- ```"Vacant Chair" and "Old Camp- `````Groun'."... ```Dusk was moist-like, with a breeze ```Lazin' round the locus'-trees... ```Heerd the hosses champin', and ```Jonas feedin'--and the hogs-- ```Yes, and katydids and frogs-- ```And a tree-toad, som'er's... [Illustration: 0090] [Illustration: 0092] `````Heerd ```Also whipperwills.--My land!-- ```All so mournful ever'where-- ```Them out here, and her in there, ```That the whole thing railly 'peared ```'Most like 'tendin' _Services!_ ```_Anyway_, I must 'a' jes ```Kind o' drapped asleep, I guess; ```'Cause when Jonas must 'a' passed ```Me, a-comin' in, I knowed ```Nothin' of it--yit it seemed ```Sort o' like I kind o' dreamed ```'Bout him, too, a-slippin' in, [Illustration: 0094] [Illustration: 0096] ```And a-watchin' back to see ```Ef I _wuz_ asleep--and then ```Passin' in where 'Viry wuz-- ```And where, I declare, it does ```'Pear to me I heerd him say, ```Wild and glad and whisperin'-- ```'Peared-like heerd him say, says-ee ```"Ah! I' got you home ag'in-- ````Home ag'in witn me!" 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