War Rhymes | Page 6

said
On old Trafalgar day,
From
cottage, castle, palace, hall,
We'll come without delay,
At duty's call,
and stake our all,
To fight, or pay, or pray.
=Rhymes For Children=
HUNTING THE WERE-WOLF
The jungle law is broken;
From forest, field and plain,
The beasts
and birds have spoken,
"The traitor must be slain,"
The surly bear
comes growling,
From out his lonesome den;
He hears the
were-wolf howling,
Athirst for blood of men.
The fierce war eagle screeches
Across the Channel deep,
His
scream the lion reaches
And rouses him from sleep;
The busy
beaver hiding
In far off northern wood,
The mighty bull moose,
striding
In stately solitude.
The humpy, bumpy cattle,
The tiger from his lair,
Go down into the
battle
Beside the timid hare.
The elephant and camel,
The ostrich
and emu,
Weird things, both bird and mammal,
And old man
Kangaroo.
All vow, by fur and feather,
Each with one purpose filled,
To work
and fight together,
Until the were-wolf's killed.
Meanwhile in war's
arena,
Unmoved by tears and groans,
The buzzard and hyena
Pick
clean the victim's bones.
JOHNNIE'S GROUCH
'Cause brother Ben has gone to fight
Across the sea so far,
I like to
sit around at night

And read about the war,
But when I think me
and my chums
Are fighting Fritz in France,
My ma asks if I've done
my sums;
A feller gets no chance.

And when I'm marching proudly back
With fifty captured Huns,

My dad will say "retire Jack".
That's how they spike my guns.
My
teacher's a conscriptionist,
She calls me "Johnnie dear,"
But backs it
with an iron fist
And so I volunteer.
I got kept in at school one day
For lessons not half learned,
And
when dad asked, "Why this delay?"
I said I'd been interned.
And
when our test exams came out
And mine were extra bad,
I said,
"We needn't fuss about
A scrap of paper, dad."
When sister's chap comes round at night,
And pa seems in a rage,

Ma only smiles; she knows all right,
It's just dad's camoflage.
And
when I entertain this beau
While Sis puts on her dress,
Sometimes I
get a dime, you know;
That's strategy, I guess.
My dad is getting rather stout,
And hates to mow the lawn;
But
when he gets the mower out,
First thing he knows I'm gone;
But
when I've trouble with my pa
No matter what it's for,
I make an ally
of my ma,
And then I win the war.
THE TRENCH THAT FRITZ BUILT
This is the trench that Fritz built.
This is the Hun who lay in the trench that Fritz built.
This is the gun that killed the Hun who lay in the trench that Fritz built.
This is the farmer's only son, who mans the gun that killed the Hun,
who lay in the trench that Fritz built.
This is the farmer, weary and worn, who raised the son, who mans the
gun, that killed the Hun, who lay in the trench that Fritz built.
This is she, who in youth's bright morn, was wed to the man, now
weary and worn, 'tis she to whom the son was born, who in front of the

battle, all tattered and torn, still mans the gun that killed the Hun, who
lay in the trench that Fritz built.
This is the slacker, all shaven and shorn, who drives a car with a
tooting horn, and laughs at the farmer weary and worn, and his wife at
work in the early morn, hoeing potatoes and beets and corn, because
the son, who to them was born, is in front of the battle, all tattered and
torn, still manning the gun that killed the Hun, who lay in the trench
that Fritz built.
This is the maid who treats with scorn the shifty slacker, all shaven and
shorn, and his shining car with the tooting horn, but honors the farmer
weary and worn, and his wife who helps him hoe the corn, and milk the
cows in the early morn, for she loves the son who to them was born,
who in front of the battle all tattered and torn, still mans the gun that
killed the Hun, who lay in the trench that Fritz built!
=Nursery Rhymes=
=Up-to-Date=
TEN LITTLE SLACKERS
Ten little slackers standing in a line,
One went to U. S., then there
were nine.
Nine little slackers out for a skate,
One broke his leg and
then there were eight.
Eight little slackers playing odd and even,

Got in a mix up and then there were seven.
Seven little slackers
sucking sugar sticks,
One got dyspepsia, then there were six.
Six
little slackers only half alive,
One got married and then there were
five.
Five little slackers were such a bore
The fool killer got one,
then there were four.
Four little slackers out on a spree,
Auto turned
turtle, and then there were three.
Three little slackers in a canoe,

Simpleton rocked the boat, then there were two.
Two little slackers,
one was a Hun,
He got imprisoned, then there was one.
One little
slacker, war nearly won,
He got conscripted, then there were none.

One little, two little, three little slackers,
Four little, five little, six

little slackers,
Seven little, eight little, nine little