Vacation Days

Vacation days are coming,

     They’re surely on the way;

The early birds are nesting,

     The sun grows warm each day.

The slopes are growing greener,

     The trees are leaving out;

And tops and balls and marbles

     Are everywhere about.

Vacation days are coming,

     There is no doubt of that;

Today – we are not joking –

     We saw a new straw hat.

The fizz machines are fizzing

     Ice cream is in the air;

The open cars are bouncing

     Along the thoroughfare.

Vacation days are coming,

     Oh, spread the glad refrain!

Although, in truth, their coming

     Brings just a touch of pain.

While others golf and motor

     We’ll have to dig, we fear,

Because we haven’t cancelled

     The debts we made last year.

Apr. 14, 1913*

Sent Apr. 18, 1913

*Original says 1915, but all corresponding dates, including ‘sent’, are 1913