Classic Poem

Says he to me, says he, one night,
A-shiverin' with mortal fright,
An' twistin' of his handkerchief,
A-tremblin', shakin' like a leaf,
Says he to me, says he:
“Maria,” sort o' halted then,
An' coughed, an' then began again,
“Maria, I've got somethin' here
That for as much as 'leven year
I've tried t' say t' ye.”

My! My! My heart jes' beat an' beat,
When he come up an' took his seat
Right nex' t' me an' took my hand,
An' when he squeezed it—Oh, my land!
I was jes' all unstrung.
So then I says to him, says I
To him, says I: “What is it, Si?”
An' I jes' set an' set an' set
An' sort o' fearful like, an' yet
So glad he'd found his tongue.

An' then he says to me, says he,
A-sort o' sof' an' tremblin'ly,
“Maria”—an' I set an' set,
A-wonderin' if he'd never get
Aroun' t' any more.
'N then I says to him, says I
To him, I says: “What is it, Si?
I b'lieve you were addressin' me?”
An' Si he set there silently,
As bad off as before.

An' then I says to him, says I,
“A lovely evenin', ain't it, Si?
Jes' seems to sort o' lift ye 'bove
Yerself an' make ye think o' love.”
My! I was gettin' bold!
An' Si, he got so mortal 'fraid,
I thought he'd run, but, no, he staid,
An' then he says: “My hens they lay
Nigh fifteen dozen eggs today.”
An' that was all he told.

My! My! My blood run hot an' cold,
T' think that he could sit an' hold
My hand, an' be so mortal 'fraid
He'd talk 'bout eggs his hens had laid.
So then I says, says I,
“If that is what ye've tried to tell
For 'leven years, ye've told it well.”
An' Si, he says: “How could ye say
That, when them eggs only today
Was laid. 'Taint that,” says Si.

So there we set an' set an' set
Till I jes' got so desperate
My nerves was all a-flutterin'
To see him set a-stutterin'
An' me in sech suspense.
An' then I says to him, says I,
“Was it somethin' about me, Si?”
An' he said: “Yep!—I wonder how
That everlastin' brindle cow
Broke through my pasture fence?”

An' then I says, an' sort o' slow:
“Si, was that 'leven years ago,
An' hev ye been so mortal 'fraid
To tell me that before?” I said,
Somewhat sarcastic'ly.
An' Si, he says: “Why, course it wa'n't,
I jes' chanced to be thinkin' on't,
An' wonderin' how that critter got
Through that fence, when them posts was sot
So tarnal deep,” says he.

My goodness me! I never see
A man need help so much as he,
But I kep' patient, an' says I:
“Is it somethin' ye're wantin', Si?”
An' he says: “Yep. It be!”
I knew my chance was mighty slim
If I sh'd set an' wait for him,
An' so I jes' cast all aside
My nat'ral modesty an' pride,
An' says: “Si, was it me?”

Well, say! If ye could see Si throw
His arms 'bout me! “How did ye know?”
Says he. An' then he says to me—
Oh, jes' as sweet an' lovin'ly,
With sech a happy smile:
“Maria, jes' as sure as fate,
I knew that if I'd only wait,
No odds how many times I'd flunk,
Thet some time I'd jes' get up spunk
To tell ye after while.”