Show Ii JUST FOLKS i By EDGAR A. A GUEST 4 Copyright 1031 1931 Edgar A. A Guest THE JlE SENTIl IE SENTIMENTALIST His life was gentle gentle on on a summers summer's day day- We Vc walked together tog each with stick sUck in hand When slithering and squirming oer o'er the land landA A snake appeared I raised my club to slay Struck at the reptile missed kept up the fray And started in pursuit He followed and Pounded at times Umes the brown grass and the sand sandAs sandAs sandAs As If U he shared my terror and dismay The serpent crossed his path His hand was high highTo highTo highTo To strike the blo blow t and then he stepped aside Let fall faU the club and said If U I had tried I could have killed It as perhaps I ought But I was interrupted by a thought Ill swear that as I stood there set to kill There flashed a curious notion through my mind Perhaps this snake make has friends who think It kind An old and helpless parent who is ill m Or several small and hungry mouths to fill Perhaps if it but the truth we two could find Dead snakes leave endless misery ery behind Which humans never sense nse and never nc will Stayed by such thoughts I let the reptile flee Although I could have stopped it with a blow Kill iti I heard you plainly call to me mc I spared it Iti I Think me foolish h Maybe Marbe so O. O Tonight that snake can tell his friends at t tea a. a How cleverly erly he dodged a brutal loel |