Poetry Column.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 104, 5 February 1901, Page 1

Poetry Column.

THE bON OF A SOLDIER. You'd be sure to know my daddy, 'Cause he wears a coat of red, ■ An' a vifln, an' a bay'nst, An'~a helmet on his head. An' he's very big an' handsome, An' his name is Sergeant Smith, An' he's gone to fight the Boers That our Queen is angry with. He's the good Queen's faithful soldier, ho he's angry, too, of courpe— I expects they will be frigh-ened When they know my daddy's cro3-?! Daddy took me up and nursed me For he went on Friday week ; " Sonny-boy," he said,'* Here's sixpence, Bless you lad 1" and ki3sou ray cheek. " Mind you write to me and tell me How you're doing at your books, How the baby's learning walking, How.your little sister looks; How you're good and helping mother— That's the news I want to find." Mine is only printing writing, But my oaddy dosen't mind. I'm my daddy's little soldier, An' 1' ve often heard him say, ■Soldiers ongbt to do their duty Though their officer's away. Mamma says my duty's doing Just wha* daddy said I should ; But it's hard to do my lesso . And it's harder to be good Teacher says, " Just keep on ti'yi g," They'll come easy byan'-b<. ;" Mamma ssya, I do gr w better, Aua she'll write an' say I u 7 Won't he smile! unless they've Vest, him J Mamma said, perhaps, tbey would; An' she cri-u, and cried, till I cried— But we doivt believe they could. No one could'nt hurt my daddy ; If they dii when I grow tall, I shall take a swdrd and rifle, An' I'll go and kill them all. If I woke up big to-morrow, Off to battle 1 should go ; Then I'd see who'd touch my daddy— . Please, dear God, do make me grow.