THE LEGEND OF EVIL

I

THIS is the sorrowful story
Told when the twilight fails
And the monkeys walk together
Holding their neighbours' tails:

"Our fathers lived in the forest,
Foolish people were they,
They went down to the cornland
To teach the farmers to play.

"Our fathers frisked in the millet,

Our fathers skipped in the wheat, Our fathers hung from the branches, Our fathers danced in the street.

"Then came the terrible farmers,
Nothing of play they knew,
Only . . . they caught our fathers
And set them to labour too!

"Set them to work in the cornland With ploughs and sickles and flails, Put them in mud-walled prisons

And-cut off their beautiful tails!

"Now, we can watch our fathers, Sullen and bowed and old, Stooping over the millet,

Sharing the silly mould,

"Driving a foolish furrow,
Mending a muddy yoke,
Sleeping in mud-walled prisons,
Steeping their food in smoke.

"We may not speak to our fathers,
For if the farmers knew

They would come up to the forest
And set us to labour too."

This is the horrible story

Told as the twilight fails
And the monkeys walk together
Holding their kinsmen's tails.

II

'Twas when the rain fell steady an' the Ark was pitched an' ready,

That Noah got his orders for to take the bastes below; He dragged them all together by the horn an' hide an' feather,

An' all excipt the Donkey was agreeable to go.

Thin Noah spoke him fairly, thin talked to him sevarely, An' thin he cursed him squarely to the glory av the

"Divil take the ass that bred you, and the greater ass

that fed you—

Divil go wid you, ye spalpeen!" an' the Donkey went aboard.

But the wind was always failin', an' 'twas most onaisy sailin',

An' the ladies in the cabin couldn't stand the stable air;

An' the bastes betwuxt the hatches, they tuk an' died

in batches,

Till Noah said: "There's wan av us that hasn't paid his fare!"

For he heard a flusteration 'mid the bastes av all

creation

The trumpetin' av elephints an' bellowin' av whales;

An' he saw forninst the windy whin he wint to stop the shindy

The Divil wid a stable-fork bedivillin' their tails.

The Divil cursed outrageous, but Noah said umbra

geous:

"To what am I indebted for this tenant-right

invasion?"

An' the Divil gave for answer:

can, sir,

"Evict me if you

For I came in wid the Donkey-on Your Honour's invitation."

THE ENGLISH FLAG

Above the portico a flag-staff, bearing the Union Jack, remained fluttering in the flames for some time, but ultimately when it fell the crowds rent the air with shouts, and seemed to see significance in the incident.—DAILY PAPERS.

WINDS of the World, give answer! They are
whimpering to and fro—

And what should they know of England who only
England know?-

The poor little street-bred people that vapour and
fume and brag,

They are lifting their heads in the stillness to yelp at the English Flag!

Must we borrow a clout from the Boer-to plaster anew with dirt?

An Irish liar's bandage, or an English coward's shirt? We may not speak of England; her Flag's to sell or share.

What is the Flag of England? Winds of the World, declare!