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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE CALCITE VEIN - A TALE OF COBALT, by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND First Line: I used to be leevin' on bonami Last Line: "you're goin' to go 'way, 'way up." | |||
I USED to be leevin' on Bonami, Fines' place on de lake, you bet! An' dough I go off only wance sapree! I t'ink I will leev' dere yet; Wit' tree growin' down to de water side, W'ere leetle bird dance an' sing -- Only come an' see you don't shout wit' me Hooraw for Temiskaming! But silver "boom" an de cobalt bloom, Play de devil wit' Bonami, So off on de wood, we all mus' go, Leavin' de familee -- Shovel an' pick, hammer an' drill, We carry dem ev'ryw'ere, For workin' away all night an' day Till it's tam to be millionaire. So it ain't very long w'en I mak' de strike, W'at dey're callin' de vein cal-cite, t; Wit' tree growin' down to de water side, W'ere leetle bird dance an' sing -- Only come an' see you don't shout wit' me Hooraw for Temiskaming! But silver "boom" an de cobalt bloom, Play de devil wit' Bonami, So off on de wood, we all mus' go, Leavin' de familee -- Shovel an' pick, hammer an' drill, We carry dem ev'ryw'ere, For workin' away all night an' day Till it's tam to be millionaire. So it ain't very long w'en I mak' de strike, W'at dey're callin' de vein cal-cite, Quarter an inch, jus' a leetle "pinch," But she is come all right An' widen out beeg: mebbe wan sixteen, An' now we have got her sure; So we jump on our hat w'en she go like dat, Me an' Bateese Couture! Early in de spring we see dat vein, W'en de pat-ridge begin to drum, De leaf on de bush start in wit' a rush, An' de skeeter commence to come -- Very nice time on de wood for sure, If you want to be goin' die, Skeeter at night till it's come daylight, An' affer dat, small black fly! Couple o' gang like dat, ma frien', 'Specially near de swamp, An' hongry too, dey can bite an' chew, An' keep you upon de jomp; But never you min', only work away So long as de vein is dere, For a t'ing so small don't count at all, If you want to be millionaire! "An' dis is de price," Bateese he say, "T'ree million or not'ing at all." An' I say, "You're crazy, it's five you mean, An' more if you wait till fall. An' s'pose de silver was come along, An' cobalt she bloom an' bloom, We look very sick if we sole too quick, An' ev'ryt'ing's on de boom." De cash we refuse w'en dey hear de news -- W'en I t'ink of dat cash to-day, I feel like a mouse on a great beeg house, W'en de familee move away: One million, two million, no use to us, Me an' Bateese Couture, So we work away ev'ry night an' day, De sam' we was alway poor. An' den one morning a stranger man, A man wit' hees hair all w'ite, Look very wise, an' he's moche surprise W'en he's seein' dat vein cal-cite. An' he say, "Ma frien', for de good advice I hope you'll mak' some room -- From sweetheart girl to de wide, wide worl', Ketch ev'ryt'ing on de bloom. "Keep your eye on de vein, for dere's many a slip Till you drink of de silver cup, An' if you're not goin' to go 'way down, You're goin' to go 'way, 'way up." "Now w'at does he mean?" Bateese he say, Affer de ole man lef', "Mebbe want to buy, but he t'ink it's high, So we'll finish de job ourse'f. Purty quick too." An' den hooraw! We form it de compagnie, An' to give dem a sight on de vein cal-cite, We work it on Bonami. Can't count de money dat's comin' in, Same as de lotterie; Ev'ry wan try, till bimeby Dere's not many dollar on Bonami; An' de gang we put onto de job right off, Nearly twenty beside de cook, Hammer an' drill till dey're nearly kill, An' feller to watch de book. Too many man, an' I see it now, An' I'm sorry, 'cos I'm de boss; For walkin' aroun' all over de groun', Dat's reason de vein get los', Easy enough wit' de lantern too, Seein' dat vein las' night, But to-day I'm out lookin' all about, An' w'ere is dat vein cal-cite? Very curious t'ing, but you can't blame me, For I try very hard, I'm sure, Helpin' dem all till de vein is gone, Me an' Bateese Couture; So of course I wonder de way she go, An' twenty cent too a share, An' I can't understan' dat stranger man W'at he mean w'en he's sayin' dere: "Keep your eye on de vein, for there's many a slip Till you drink of de silver cup, An' if you're not goin' to go way down You're goin' to go 'way, 'way up." | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A RAINY DAY IN CAMP by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND AUTUMN DAYS by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BARBOTTE (BULL-POUT) by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BATEESE AND HIS LITTLE DECOYS by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BATEESE THE LUCKY MAN by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BLOOM - A SONG OF COBALT by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BOULE by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BRUNO THE HUNTER by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND CANADIAN FOREVER by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND CAUDA MORRHUAE by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND |
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