Author of The Scarecrow and the Tin-Man of Oz, illustrator of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Denslow/s Mother Goose, etc.
Originally published in The Century Magazine, 1909.
'Twas little Johnnie's heart's desire
To be a pirate bold,
And scuttle ships on Southern trips
As done in days of old.
Said John: "I'd sail the Spanish Main,
The Master of the Seas,
And hide my loot in coral caves
Among the Caribbees.
"We'd board the ship with pike and gun;
We'd show the crew no quarter, -
Except in case there was on board
The Captain's handsome daughter.
"Then if she'd ask their worthless lives,
We'd grant it, if they would
Salute at once the pirate flag
And promise to be good.
"Jewels and plate and 'pieces of eight'
We'd have in goodly stores
That we had buried at dark midnight
On far-off island shores."
The Forgetful Poet
Has a sunburned nose, but otherwise he is just the same. And as forgetful as ever! But he hasn't forgotten the answers to last week's riddles. Here they are: sloop, cutter, catboat, yacht, ferry and dhow, the Arab boat. He says:
"I know some clocks
That never tick
The minutes
Nor the hours.
You needn't think
From this I mean
A certain sort
Of flowers!"
('Cause I don't.)
And when you've answered that one try these:
What bird, plus a letter of the alphabet, will give a game played by us all in the summertime?
And what body of water will give a gentleman's game?
And what structure on which we cross rivers will give a favorite lady's game?
Then see if you can fill in these blanks with the proper boats.
Among the harbor's busy racket
You'll surely spy the good old -----,
While loaded to the very prow
Comes next the ancient river -----;
With many a whistle and churn and clug
Arrives the busy little -----.
[Answers next time.]
Copyright © 2011 Eric Shanower and David Maxine. All rights reserved.
