Punch, or the London Charivari | Page 8

fired with alarms, and it arms with hot haste for the imminent fray, For it quakes at the tramp of King Mob, and the thought of this Queen of the May. The bandit of Capital falls, and shall perish in shame and in filth! The harvest of Labour's at hand!--The harvest; but red is the And the reapers are wrathful and rash, and the swift-wielded sickle that strives For the sheaves, not the gleaners' scant ears, seems agog for the reaping of--lives! Assassins of Capital? Aye! And their weakening force will ye mee With assassins of Labour? Shall Brotherhood redden the field and the street? Beware of the bad black old lesson! Behold, and look close, and beware! There are flowers at your newly-built shrine, is the evil old serpent not there?
[Illustration: THE NEW "QUEEN OF THE MAY."]
The sword-edge and snake-bite, though hidden in blossoms, are hatred's old arms. And what is your May Queen at heart, oh, true hearts, that succumb to her charms? Dropped and deep in the blossoms, with eyes that flicker like fir The asp of Murder lies hid, which with poison shall feed your desire. More than these things will she give, who looks fairer than all these things? Not while her sceptre's a snake, and her orb the red horror that rings Devilish, foul, round the world; while the hiss and the roar are the voice Of this monstrous new Queen of the May, in whose rule you would bid us rejoice.
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MR. PUNCH'S UP-TO-DATE POETRY FOR CHILDREN.
NO. II.--"LITTLE JACK HORNER."
[Illustration]
LITTLE JACK HORNER, He sat in the corner, And cried for his "Mummy!" and "Nuss!" For, while eating his cake, He had got by mistake In a horrid piratical 'bus.
Now, some ten minutes back, You'd have seen little JACK From an A?rated Bread Shop emerge, And proceed down the Strand-- Slice of cake in his hand-- In a crumb-covered suit of blue serge.
To be perfectly frank, He was bound for the Bank, For it chanced to be dividend day, And he jumped on the 'bus, After reasoning thus-- In his logical juvenile way:--
"Here's a 'bus passing by, And I cannot see why I should weary my infantile feet; I've a copper to spare, And the authorised fare Is a penny to Liverpool Street."
As the 'bus cantered on, Little cake-eating JOHN In the corner contentedly sat, And with that one and this (Whether Mister or Miss) Had a meteorological chat.
Came a bolt from the blue When, collecting his due, The conductor remarked, "Though I thank That young cake-eating gent For the penny he's sent, It's a tuppenny ride to the Bank!"
"You're a pirate!" sobbed JACK, "And your colours are black!" But he heard--as he struggled to speak-- The conductor observe, With remarkable verve, That he didn't want none of his cheek!
With a want of regard, He demanded JACK's card. And young HORNER was summoned next day, When the poor little lad Lost the battle, and had All the costs in addition to pay.
Now the Moral is this: Little Master and Miss, Whom I'm writing these verses to please; If your tiny feet ache, Then a 'bus you may take, _But be sure it's an L.G.O.C.'s!_
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A CURSORY OBSERVATION.
From the Figaro for Dimanche, April 17, we make this extract:--
"SPORTS ATHL��TIQUES.--Le match international de foot ball entre le Stade Fran?ais et le Rosslyn Park foot ball Club de Londres sera jou�� demain sur le terrain du Cursing Club de France �� Levallois. L'��quipe anglaise est arriv��e �� Paris hier soir. Le match sera pr��sid�� par le marquis de Dufferin."
"The Cursing Club!" What an awful name! For what purpose are they banded together? Is it to curse one another by their gods? to issue forth on _premi��res_ to damn a new play? What fearful language would be just audible, curses, not loud but deep, during the progress of the Foot-ball Match over which the Marquis of DUFFERIN is to preside! It is all over by now; but the result we have not seen. We hope there is no Cursing Club in England. There existed, once upon a time, in London, a Club with an awful Tartarian name, which might have been a parent society to a Cursing Club. Let us trust--
[*** The Editor puts short the article at this point, being of opinion that "Cursing" is only a misprint for "Coursing;" or, if not, he certainly gives Le Figaro the benefit of the doubt. Note, also, that the match was to be played on "Cursing Club Ground," lent for the occasion, and was not to be played by Members of the "C.C."]
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THE LAY OF THE LITERARY AUTOLYCUS.
(_SEE CORRESPONDENCE IN THE TIMES ON "LITERARY THEFTS."_)
_Enter AUTOLYCUS, singing._
When books and magazines appear, With heigh! the hopes of a big sale!--