In The Spring

In the spring the young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of trout,

And he hies him to his closet and he gets his tackle out;

And he polishes the nickel, and he sharpens up his hooks,

While his mind it goes cavorting off sunny, babbling brooks.

Full a week he spends in fixing all his tackle up with care,

While his step it grows elastic, and his manner debonair;

Extra flies and lines and leaders, extra fittings he must get,

Until he drops a hard earned tenner, but without the least regret.

For ‘tis spring, and trout are heading for the laughing, lashing falls,

And the youth in fancy sees them leaping on the office walls,

And ‘tis lucky he can see them in his vision day by day,

For we know quite well he cannot see them any other way.

March 7, 1904