THROUGH the town and country round | |
| Was one Mr. Buck renowned. | |
| Sunday coats, and week-day sack-coats, | |
| Bob-tails, swallow-tails, and frock coats, | |
| Gaiters, breeches, hunting-jackets; | 5 |
| Waistcoats, with commodious pockets,— | |
| And other things, too long to mention, | |
| Claimed Mr. Tailor Buck’s attention. | |
| Or, if any thing wanted doing | |
| In the way of darning, sewing, | 10 |
| Piecing, patching—if a button | |
| Needed to be fixed or put on,— | |
| Any thing of any kind, | |
| Anywhere, before, behind,— | |
| Master Buck could do the same, | 15 |
| For it was his life’s great aim. | |
| Therefore all the population | |
| Held him high in estimation. | |
| Max and Maurice tried to invent | |
| Ways to plague this worthy gent. | 20 |
| Right before the Sartor’s dwelling | |
| Ran a swift stream, roaring, swelling. | |
| This swift stream a bridge did span, | |
| And the road across it ran. | |
| Max and Maurice (naught could awe them!) | 25 |
| Took a saw, when no one saw them: | |
| Ritze-ratze! riddle-diddle! | |
| Sawed a gap across the middle. | |
| When this feat was finished well, | |
| Suddenly was heard a yell: | 30 |
| “Hallo, there! Come out, you buck! | |
| Tailor, Tailor, muck! muck! muck!” | |
| Buck could bear all sorts of jeering, | |
| Jibes and jokes in silence hearing; | |
| But this insult roused such anger, | 35 |
| Nature couldn’t stand it longer. | |
| Wild with fury, up he started, | |
| With his yard-stick out he darted; | |
| For once more that frightful jeer, | |
| “Muck! muck! muck!” rang loud and clear. | 40 |
| On the bridge one leap he makes; | |
| Crash! beneath his weight it breaks. | |
| Once more rings the cry, “Muck! muck!” | |
| In, headforemost, plumps poor Buck! | |
| While the scared boys were skedaddling, | 45 |
| Down the brook two geese came paddling. | |
| On the legs of these two geese, | |
| With a death-clutch, Buck did seize; | |
| And, with both geese well in hand, | |
| Flutters out upon dry land. | 50 |
| For the rest he did not find | |
| Things exactly to his mind. | |
| Soon it proved poor Buck had brought a | |
| Dreadful belly-ache from the water. | |
| Noble Mrs. Buck! She rises | 55 |
| Fully equal to the crisis; | |
| With a hot flat-iron, she | |
| Draws the cold out famously. | |
| Soon ’t was in the mouths of men, | |
| All through town: “Buck ’s up again!” | 60 |
| |
| This was the bad boys’ third trick, | |
| But the fourth will follow quick. * * * * * | |
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