Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/255

 Early American Ballads. 243

2. the child that in the wods retiar is lost while parants moarn, and othars are consumd by fiar or into peses toarn.

3. permit my febel pen to rite what has ben lanly dun,

a man who plast his cheaf delight in his beloved son.

4. in man Chester whare he ingoys provision for this life,

he had two dafters and three boys by his beloved wife.

5. his second son, robbens by name, was ten years old and moar,

on him this sad distraction came, who was in peses toar.

6. the fathar said, my children thair if you will clear sum land,

you shall posess all it doth bair to be at your command.

7. the parants then did both agree, to tinmouth took their way,

a moarning sister for to see, but long they did not stay.

8. the prity boys, wee understand, did lovingly agree

all for to clear the peas of land set fiar to a tree.

9. the chunk was thirty feat in length and was exceding dry,

so rotten it had not much strength did burn most vemantly.

10. the boys against a log did lean or on it setting all,

and nothing was for to be seen untill the tree did fall.

11. but oh, alass, the dismall blow struck robbens to the ground,

his head was masht two peses soo, a deep and deadly wound.

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