Mary Ann

We lived together on the farm, my parents, Dan an’ me.

An we wus happy an’ content as any folks could be;

But mother, bless her weary eyes, wus sorter ways gin out,

In fac’ I’d noticed all erlong she wussn’t over stout.

An’ when Bill Smith, the drunkard died, a shiftless sort uv man,

We ook his little orphan gal, whose name wus Mary Ann.

A sweet-faced child as ever wus, we loved her, Dan an me.

An’ uster ask her children like, whose gal she wus ter be.

An she would look frum me to Dan an ‘en frum Dan to me,

Her lustrous eyes a-pleadin’ like, yet full uv roguery,

An’ say with voice raal low an sweet – to still a petty fuss:

‘At when she growed up big enough she'd hev the both uv us.

The years sped on, yet neither gained the so called inside track;

Whenever Dan drawecl her to school I allus drawed her back.

An’ every day her face wore signs uv sweet perplexity ;

Becuz she didn keer fur Dan no more’n she did fur me.

She uster tell us ‘bout a love, a love we never knew,

An’ said that all would share alike if they wus good an’ true;

But all the love I keerd about wus thet uv Mary Ann,

But she, she didn keer fur me no more’n she did fur Dan.

Then Mary Ann grew beautiful, how beautiful wus she!

Her step, her smile, her very mien wus truth an’ purity;

An’ we wus longin’ for the time when each would be a man,

An’ Dan he sorter scowled at me, an’ I, I cussed at Dan.

But oh! the change thet came to us, it's burned into my brain,

An’ all the power of Heaven an’ ‘arth kin ne'er remove the pain;

Our Mary Ann tuk strangely sick, an’ one bright April day

We laid her yender on the hill an’ turned our steps away.

An’ when we come in sight uv home Dan ‘peared to feel so bad

Thet I, tho’ shameful as it wus, felt sort of riled an’ mad,

An’ gritted through my tight shet teeth, with rage an’ jealousy:

"Yew needn’t feel so tarnal bad, she thought the most uv me."

But Dan he never said a word, an’ many weeks went by,

An’ then we noticed paler cheeks an’ dim-like grew his eye.

An’ when he lay in bed one night I stole up to his side

An ast forgiveness arter which we both shook hands an’ cried.

An’ then within thet darkened room I knelt with him to pray,

An’ ast thet all my hate uv him might be tuk right away;

An’ by his bedside on my knees a newer faith began;

The faith thet allus seemed a part uv sweet-faced Mary Ann.

An’ when Dan died one wintry night I sorter wished ‘twus me,

Becuz I knew thet he would go beyend the jasper Sea;

An’ there would find sweet Mary Ann in angel robes uv white,

Who'd welcome him with sunny smiles an’ old-time love an’ light.

But thet wus many years ago, an’ yet it seems as clear

As tho’ it wus but yesterday I saw ‘em standin’ here.

But whether she be his or mine I’ve sworn to be a man,

An’ I will love ‘em over there, both he an’ Marv Ann.

Dec. 8, 1892