But the drivers never minded ’less he cussed the
The hoss-whips that they carried reached away
’Twas muscle, suh, that won the race in them
And you’d think to see the sawin’ and the
The boys they was a-usin’ partent webbin’s
Their elbows flapped like flyin’ and they yow-
And ’twarn’t through lack of hollerin’ that ev’ry
’Twas “Hi-i yah, cut the corners!” and “Hi-i
“Don’t ye keep me in this pocket--let me ont
“Gimme room there! don’t ye pinch me or I’ll
“Oh, ye want some trouble, do ye? Wal, con-
It was tetchy, mister, tetchy, to go sassin’ on ’em
When the crowd got interested at the good old
He had speed to sell at auction, but they bribed
Jest got up and braced his feet, suh, and he
But the blamed old mare was fussy, wasn’t
H’isted up her skeeter-duster and let out one
She was leadin’ of ’em easy on the back stretch
And there wasn’t no mistakin’ that the race and
Warn’t a horse in all the county stood a show
Sol was madder’n snakes in hayin’--had a string
Just unfastened both the traces and she hauled
Least a dozen lengths a leader, and they soaked
Then the feller that had bribed him played tat-
And took back the dollar-fifty that he’d give him
But the boys they licked the feller. Solly got
For we stood for honest dealing at the good old
Now come join me, all old timers,--hip, hooray
For the high-wheel days at Topsham and the
For the days of spider sulkies and the days of
When we had a dozen knock-downs ’fore the
Might not always get decisions--’twas accordin’
And ’twas therefore kind of needful, suh, right
To have another fight or so to settle who had
And we wasn’t all teetotal, still we went it light
For we never took no stronger than some good
Jest a mild and pleasant bev’rage--why, the
And an av’rage field would manage jest to keep
But come join me, ye old-timers, in this pledge
For the spanking, wide-hoofed pelters of the old
Jest to hear some more kiwhoopin’ from the old-
When the wind was in the drivers--nowadays it’s
When the tang was in the weather on those
And the band got kind of dreamy in those good
Oh, ’twas awful good to set there on the sunny
And to have your girl a-smilin’ and a-snugglin’,
And to hear her, when you mentioned getting
Whisper, blushin’, “What’s the hurry? There
Ah, there’s moisture on my eyelids and my voice