Home Again With Me

James Whitcomb Riley

Home Again With Me / Illustrated

DEDICATION

HIS LOVE OF HOME

"As 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

I'M a-feelin' ruther sad,Fer a father proud and gladAs I am – my only childHome, and all so rickonciléd! —Feel so strange-like, and don't knowWhat the mischief ails me so! —'Stid o' bad, I ort to beFeelin' 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!My Elviry's schoolin' 's through,And I' got her home ag'in —Same as ef her mother'd binLivin', I have done my bestBy the girl, and watchfulest;Nussed her – keerful' as I could —From a baby, day and night, —Drawin' on the neighberhoodAnd the women-folks as lightAs needsessity 'u'd 'low —'Cept in "teethin'," onc't, and fightThrough black-measles…Same as ef her mother'd binLivin', I have done my bestDon't know nowHow we ever saved the child!Doc hed give her up, and said(As I stood there by the bedSort o' foolin' with her hairOn the hot wet piller there)"Wuz no use!" – And at them-airVery words she waked and smiled —Yes, and knowed me. And that's whereI broke down, and simply jesBellered like a boy – I guess! —Women claimed I did, but IAlius helt I didn't cryBut 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."…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 doEver'thing a father couldDo he knowed the mother wouldEf she'd lived. – And now all's throughAnd I' got her home ag'in —Home ag'in with me!And I' bin so lonesome, too —Here o' late, especially, —"Old Aunt Abigail," you know,Ain't no company; – and soJes the hired hand, you see —Jonas – like a relativeMore – sence he come here to liveWith us, nigh ten year' ago.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 soSpecial lonesome-like and blue,With Elviry, like she's bin,'Way so much, last two er threeYear'. – But now she's home ag'in —Home ag'in with me!Drivin' fe'r her yisterday,Me and Jonas – gay and spry, —We jes cut up, all the way! —Yes, and sung! – tel, blame it! IKeyed my voice up 'bout as highAs when – days 'at I wuz young —"Buckwheat-notes" wuz all they sungJonas bantered me, and 'greedTo sing one 'at town-folks singDown at Split Stump 'er High-Low —Some new "ballet," said, 'at he'dLearnt – about "The Grapevine Swing."And when he quit, I begunTo chune up my voice and runThrough the what's-called "scales" and "doSol-me-rays" I ust to know —Then let loose old favorite one,"Hunters o' Kentucky!" My!Tel I thought the boy would die!And we both laughed…Yes, and stillHeerd 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 laneSo's to meet us. And there inShadder o' the chinkypin,With a danglin' dogwood-boughBloomin' 'bove her – See her now! —Sunshine sort o' flickerin' downAnd a kind o' laughin' allRound her new red parasol,Try'n' to git at her!– well – likeI jumped out and showed 'em how!Yes, and jes the place to strikeThat-air mouth o' hern – as sweetAs the blossoms breshed her browEr sweet-williams round her feet —White and blushy, too, as she"Howdy'd" up to Jonas andJieuked her head and waved her hand."Hey!" says I, as she bounced inThe spring-wagon, reachin' backTo give me a lift, "whoop-ee! "I-says-ee, "you're home agin —Home agin with me!"Lord! how wild she wuz and glad,Gittin' home! – and things she hadTo inquire about, and talk —Plowin', plantin', and the stock —News o' neighberhood; and howWuz the Deem-girls doin' now,Sence that-air young chicken-hawkThey was "tamin'" soared awayWith their settin'-hen, one day? —(Said she'd got Marne's postal-card'Bout it, very day 'at sheStarted home from Bethany.)How wuz pro-duce – eggs, and lard? —Er wuz stores still claimin' "hardTimes," as usual? And, says she,Troubled-like, "How's Deedie – say?Sence pore child e-loped awayAnd got back, and goin' to 'plyFer 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 fatAs his 'Humpty-Dumpty' ma! —Sweetest thing she ever saw! —Must run 'crosst and see 'em, too,Soon as she turned in and gotSupper fer us – smokin'-hot —And the 'dishes' all wuz through. – "Sich a supper! W'y, I setThere and et, and et, and et! —Jes et on, tel Jonas hePushed his chair back, laughed, and says,"I could walk his log!"And weAll laughed then, tel 'Viry sheLit the lamp – and I give in! —Riz and kissed her: "Heaven blessYou!" 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 seeAs your mother ust to be, —And I' got you home ag'in —Home ag-'in with me!"…I turns then to go on by'erThrough the door – and see her eyesBoth wuz swimmin', and she triesTo say somepin' – can't – and soGrabs and hugs and lets me go…Noticed Aunty'd lit the fireIn the settin'-room and goneBack where her p'serves wuz onB'ilin' in the kitchen. … IWent out on the porch and set,Thinkin'-like…Thinkin'-like…And by and byHeerd Elviry, soft and low,At the organ, kind o' goA mi-anderin' up and downWith her fingers 'mongst the keys-"Vacant Chair" and "Old Camp-Groun'."…Dusk was moist-like, with a breezeLazin' round the locus'-trees…Heerd the hosses champin', andJonas feedin' – and the hogs —Yes, and katydids and frogs —And a tree-toad, som'er's…HeerdAlso 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' jesKind o' drapped asleep, I guess;'Cause when Jonas must 'a' passedMe, a-comin' in, I knowedNothin' of it – yit it seemedSort o' like I kind o' dreamed'Bout him, too, a-slippin' in,And a-watchin' back to seeEf I wuz asleep – and thenPassin' 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!"