GIUSEPPE SCALABRART' He's gotta huckster-cart Dat he ees push aroun' Da streets een deesa town, Wherevra dere's enough To buy hees fruit an' stuff. But wan day een hees cart Dees fallow Scalabrart' Ees carry, for a change, A load dat's verra strange. Here ees da way of eet: Dere's lady een wan street Dat owe heem seexty cent, An' act so like she meant She nevva gona pay; An' she's gon' move away, For on da house wan day He see a sign dat say: "Dees Property For Sell." Giuseppe reeng da bell, An' w'en she com' he say: "My seexty cent; you pay Eef mebbe so I find Som'body dat'sa mind For buy da house from you?" She laugh an', "Eef you do," She say, "an' I can gat My price -- four thousan' flat -- I pay your beell on sight." Giuseppe say: "All right." Eet's nexta morna w'en He reeng da bell agen; Da lady com' an' say: "I want no fruit to-day." But he say: "Waita, pleass! Dese fruits no grow on trees; Com', lady, looka dese!" Den een hees cart he shows -- Now, w'at you gon' su'pose? -- Een undra pile of rags Ees old teen cans an' bags, An' dere ees som' of dese Dat's full weeth ten-cent piece; An' some weeth neeckels, too, An' pennies; an' a few Weeth feefty, twanty-fi', An' som' got notes so high As fi', ten-dollar beell! He say: "Now, eef you weell, Pleas', lady, be so kind To count all dese, you'll find Four thousan' dollar here -- No, notta quite, but near -- You see, I hate like hal For losin' w'at you owe, Dat seexty cent, you know, And so I theenk eet wal For buy da house mysal'." | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE PARTY by PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR MEDITATIONS OF A HINDU [OR, HINDOO] PRINCE [AND SKEPTIC] by ALFRED COMYNS LYALL THE MODERN MOTHER by ALICE MEYNELL TO A CHILD OF QUALITY, FIVE YEARS OLD. THE AUTHOR THAN FORTY by MATTHEW PRIOR ODES IV, 7. TO TORQUATUS. DIFFUGERE NIVES by QUINTUS HORATIUS FLACCUS CROSS AND THRONE by HORATIO (HORATIUS) BONAR TO THE IMMORTAL MEMORY MEMORY OF THE FAIREST AND MOST VIRTUOUS LADY by WILLIAM BOSWORTH |