MY CONSCIENCE

Headpiece Page 331

Headpiece Page 331

BY JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY

SOMETIMES my Conscience says, says he,“Don’t you know me?”And I, says I, skeered through and through,“Of course I do.You air a nice chap ever’ way,I’m here to say!You make me cry—you make me pray,And all them good things thataway—That is, atnight. Where do you stayDurin’ the day?”And then my Conscience says, onc’t more,“You know me—shore?”“Oh, yes,” says I, a-trimblin’ faint,“You’re jes’ a saint!Your ways is all so holy-right,I love you better ever’ nightYou come around,—’tel plum daylight,When you air out o’ sight!”And then my Conscience sort o’ gritsHis teeth, and spitsOn his two hands and grabs, of course,Some old remorse,And beats me with the big butt-endO’thatthing—‘tel my clostest friend’Ud hardly know me. “Now,” says he,“Be keerful as you’d orto beAndallusthink o’ me!”

SOMETIMES my Conscience says, says he,“Don’t you know me?”And I, says I, skeered through and through,“Of course I do.You air a nice chap ever’ way,I’m here to say!You make me cry—you make me pray,And all them good things thataway—That is, atnight. Where do you stayDurin’ the day?”And then my Conscience says, onc’t more,“You know me—shore?”“Oh, yes,” says I, a-trimblin’ faint,“You’re jes’ a saint!Your ways is all so holy-right,I love you better ever’ nightYou come around,—’tel plum daylight,When you air out o’ sight!”And then my Conscience sort o’ gritsHis teeth, and spitsOn his two hands and grabs, of course,Some old remorse,And beats me with the big butt-endO’thatthing—‘tel my clostest friend’Ud hardly know me. “Now,” says he,“Be keerful as you’d orto beAndallusthink o’ me!”

SOMETIMES my Conscience says, says he,“Don’t you know me?”And I, says I, skeered through and through,“Of course I do.You air a nice chap ever’ way,I’m here to say!You make me cry—you make me pray,And all them good things thataway—That is, atnight. Where do you stayDurin’ the day?”

SOMETIMES my Conscience says, says he,

“Don’t you know me?”

And I, says I, skeered through and through,

“Of course I do.

You air a nice chap ever’ way,

I’m here to say!

You make me cry—you make me pray,

And all them good things thataway—

That is, atnight. Where do you stay

Durin’ the day?”

And then my Conscience says, onc’t more,“You know me—shore?”“Oh, yes,” says I, a-trimblin’ faint,“You’re jes’ a saint!Your ways is all so holy-right,I love you better ever’ nightYou come around,—’tel plum daylight,When you air out o’ sight!”

And then my Conscience says, onc’t more,

“You know me—shore?”

“Oh, yes,” says I, a-trimblin’ faint,

“You’re jes’ a saint!

Your ways is all so holy-right,

I love you better ever’ night

You come around,—’tel plum daylight,

When you air out o’ sight!”

And then my Conscience sort o’ gritsHis teeth, and spitsOn his two hands and grabs, of course,Some old remorse,And beats me with the big butt-endO’thatthing—‘tel my clostest friend’Ud hardly know me. “Now,” says he,“Be keerful as you’d orto beAndallusthink o’ me!”

And then my Conscience sort o’ grits

His teeth, and spits

On his two hands and grabs, of course,

Some old remorse,

And beats me with the big butt-end

O’thatthing—‘tel my clostest friend

’Ud hardly know me. “Now,” says he,

“Be keerful as you’d orto be

Andallusthink o’ me!”

Tailpiece Page 331


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