Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses, The

<p><SPAN name="link2H_4_0023" id="link2H_4_0023"></SPAN></p> <h2> The Little Old Log Cabin </h2> <p>When a man gits on his uppers in a hard-pan sort of town,<br/> An' he ain't got nothin' comin' an' he can't afford ter eat,<br/> An' he's in a fix for lodgin' an' he wanders up an' down,<br/> An' you'd fancy he'd been boozin', he's so locoed 'bout the feet;<br/> When he's feelin' sneakin' sorry an' his belt is hangin' slack,<br/> An' his face is peaked an' gray-like an' his heart gits down an' whines,<br/> Then he's apt ter git a-thinkin' an' a-wishin' he was back<br/> In the little ol' log cabin in the shadder of the pines.<br/> <br/> When he's on the blazin' desert an' his canteen's sprung a leak,<br/> An' he's all alone an' crazy an' he's crawlin' like a snail,<br/> An' his tongue's so black an' swollen that it hurts him fer to speak,<br/> An' he gouges down fer water an' the raven's on his trail;<br/> When he's done with care and cursin' an' he feels more like to cry,<br/> An' he sees ol' Death a-grinnin' an' he thinks upon his crimes,<br/> Then he's like ter hev' a vision, as he settles down ter die,<br/> Of the little ol' log cabin an' the roses an' the vines.<br/> <br/> Oh, the little ol' log cabin, it's a solemn shinin' mark,<br/> When a feller gits ter sinnin' an' a-goin' ter the wall,<br/> An' folks don't understand him an' he's gropin' in the dark,<br/> An' he's sick of bein' cursed at an' he's longin' fer his call!<br/> When the sun of life's a-sinkin' you can see it 'way above,<br/> On the hill from out the shadder in a glory 'gin the sky,<br/> An' your mother's voice is callin', an' her arms are stretched in love,<br/> An' somehow you're glad you're goin', an' you ain't a-scared to die;<br/> When you'll be like a kid again an' nestle to her breast,<br/> An' never leave its shelter, an' forget, an' love, an' rest.<br/></p> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />