THAT ALEX “IST MAKED UP HIS-OWN-SE’F”
W’y, wunst they wuz a Little Boy went out
In the woods to shoot a Bear. So, he went out
‘Way in the grea’-big woods–he did.–An’ he
Wuz goin’along–an’goin’along, you know,
An’ purty soon he heerd somepin’ go “_Wooh!_”–
Ist thataway–“_Woo-ooh!_” An’ he wuz _skeered_,
He wuz. An’ so he runned an’ clumbed a tree–
A grea’-big tree, he did,–a sicka-_more_ tree.
An’ nen he heerd it agin: an’ he looked round,
An’ _’t’uz a Bear!–a grea’-big, shore-nuff Bear!_–
No: ‘t’uz _two_ Bears, it wuz–two grea’-big Bears–
_One_ of ’em wuz–ist _one’s a grea’-big_ Bear.–
But they ist _boff_ went “_Wooh!_ “–An’ here _they_ come
To climb the tree an’ git the Little Boy
An’eat him up!
An’ nen the Little Boy
He ‘uz skeered worse’n ever! An’ here come
The grea’-big Bear a-climbin’ th’ tree to git
The Little Boy an’ eat him up–Oh, _no!_–
It ‘uzn’t the _Big_ Bear ‘at clumb the tree–
It ‘uz the _Little_ Bear. So here _he_ come
Climbin’ the tree–an’ climbin’ the tree! Nen when
He git wite _clos’t_ to the Little Boy, w’y nen
The Little Boy he ist pulled up his gun
An’ _shot_ the Bear, he did, an’ killed him dead!
An’ nen the Bear he falled clean on down out
The tree–away clean to the ground, he did
_Spling-splung!_ he falled _plum_ down, an’ killed him, too!
An’ lit wite side o’ where the’ _Big_ Bear’s at.
An’ nen the Big Bear’s awful mad, you bet!–
‘Cause–’cause the Little Boy he shot his gun
An’ killed the _Little_ Bear.–‘Cause the _Big_ Bear
He–he ‘uz the Little Bear’s Papa.–An’ so here
_He_ come to climb the big old tree an’ git
The Little Boy an’ eat him up! An’ when
The Little Boy he saw the _grea’-big Bear_
A-comin’, he ‘uz badder skeered, he wuz,
Than _any_ time! An’ so he think he’ll climb
Up _higher_–‘way up higher in the tree
Than the old _Bear_ kin climb, you know.–But he–
He _can’t_ climb higher ‘an old _Bears_ kin climb,–
‘Cause Bears kin climb up higher in the trees
Than any little Boys In all the Wo-r-r-ld!
An’ so here come the grea’-big Bear, he did,–
A-climbin’ up–an’ up the tree, to git
The Little Boy an’ eat him up! An’ so
The Little Boy he clumbed on higher, an’ higher.
An’ higher up the tree–an’ higher–an’ higher–
An’ higher’n iss-here _house_ is!–An’ here come
Th’ old Bear–clos’ter to him all the time!–
An’ nen–first thing you know,–when th’ old Big Bear
Wuz wite clos’t to him–nen the Little Boy
Ist jabbed his gun wite in the old Bear’s mouf
An’ shot an’ killed him dead!–No; I _fergot_,–
He didn’t shoot the grea’-big Bear at all–
‘Cause _they ‘uz no load in the gun_, you know–
‘Cause when he shot the _Little_ Bear, w’y, nen
No load ‘uz anymore nen _in_ the gun!
But th’ Little Boy clumbed _higher_ up, he did–
He clumbed _lots_ higher–an’ on up _higher_–an’ higher
An’ _higher_–tel he ist _can’t_ climb no higher,
‘Cause nen the limbs ‘uz all so little, ‘way
Up in the teeny-weeny tip-top of
The tree, they’d break down wiv him ef he don’t
Be keerful! So he stop an’ think: An’ nen
He look around–An’ here come th’ old Bear!
An’ so the Little Boy make up his mind
He’s got to ist git out o’ there _some_ way!–
‘Cause here come the old Bear!–so clos’t, his bref’s
Purt ‘nigh so’s he kin feel how hot it is
Aginst his bare feet–ist like old “Ring’s” bref
When he’s ben out a-huntin’ an’s all tired.
So when th’ old Bear’s so clos’t–the Little Boy
Ist gives a grea’-big jump fer ‘_nother_ tree–
No!–no he don’t do that!–I tell you what
The Little Boy does:–W’y, nen–w’y, he–Oh, _yes_–
The Little Boy _he finds a hole up there
‘At’s in the tree_–an’ climbs in there an’ _hides_–
An’ _nen_ the old Bear can’t find the Little Boy
Ut-tall!–But, purty soon th’ old Bear finds
The Little Boy’s _gun_ ‘at’s up there–’cause the _gun_
It’s too _tall_ to tooked wiv him in the hole.
So, when the old Bear find’ the _gun_, he knows
The Little Boy ist _hid_ ’round _somers_ there,–
An’ th’ old Bear ‘gins to snuff an’ sniff around,
An’ sniff an’ snuff around–so’s he kin find
Out where the Little Boy’s hid at.–An’ nen–nen–
Oh, _yes!_–W’y, purty soon the old Bear climbs
‘Way out on a big limb–a grea’-long limb,–
An’ nen the Little Boy climbs out the hole
An’ takes his ax an’ chops the limb off!… Nen
The old Bear falls _k-splunge!_ clean to the ground
An’ bust an’ kill hisse’f plum dead, he did!
An’ nen the Little Boy he git his gun
An’ ‘menced a-climbin’ down the tree agin–
No!–no, he _didn’t_ git his _gun_–’cause when
The _Bear_ falled, nen the _gun_ falled, too–An’ broked
It all to pieces, too!–An’ _nicest_ gun!–
His Pa ist buyed it!–An’ the Little Boy
Ist cried, he did; an’ went on climbin’ down
The tree–an’ climbin’ down–an’ climbin’ down!–
_An’-sir!_ when he ‘uz purt’-nigh down,–w’y, nen
_The old Bear he jumped up agin!_–an he
Ain’t dead ut-tall–_ist_ ‘tendin’ thataway,
So he kin git the Little Boy an’ eat
Him up! But the Little Boy he ‘uz too smart
To climb clean _down_ the tree.–An’ the old Bear
He can’t climb _up_ the tree no more–’cause when
He fell, he broke one of his–He broke _all_
His legs!–an’ nen he _couldn’t_ climb! But he
Ist won’t go ‘way an’ let the Little Boy
Come down out of the tree. An’ the old Bear
Ist growls ’round there, he does–ist growls an’ goes
“_Wooh! woo-ooh!_” all the time! An’ Little Boy
He haf to stay up in the tree–all night–
An’ ‘thout no _supper_ neever!–Only they
Wuz _apples_ on the tree!–An’ Little Boy
Et apples–ist all night–an’ cried–an’ cried!
Nen when ‘tuz morning th’ old Bear went “_Wooh!_”
Agin, an’ try to climb up in the tree
An’ git the Little Boy.–But he _can’t_
Climb t’save his _soul_, he can’t!–An’ _oh!_ he’s _mad!_–
He ist tear up the ground! an’ go “_Woo-ooh!_”
An’–_Oh,yes!_–purty soon, when morning’s come
All _light_–so’s you kin _see_, you know,–w’y, nen
The old Bear finds the Little Boy’s _gun_, you know,
‘At’s on the ground.–(An’ it ain’t broke ut-tall–
I ist _said_ that!) An’ so the old Bear think
He’ll take the gun an’ _shoot_ the Little Boy:–
But _Bears they_ don’t know much ’bout shootin’ guns:
So when he go to shoot the Little Boy,
The old Bear got the _other_ end the gun
Agin his shoulder, ‘stid o’ _th’other_ end–
So when he try to shoot the Little Boy,
It shot _the Bear_, it did–an’ killed him dead!
An’ nen the Little Boy dumb down the tree
An’ chopped his old wooly head off:–Yes, an’ killed
The _other_ Bear agin, he did–an’ killed
All _boff_ the bears, he did–an’ tuk ’em home
An’ _cooked_ ’em, too, an’ _et_ ’em!
–An’ that’s
(James Whitcomb Riley)
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