Off to School

From the Grand Forks Daily Herald, September 21, 1914. By J. W. Foley.

Father is patting his shoulder
    And lifting his grip;
Proud of him as he grows older,
    (But biting his lip.)
Aunty improving his going
    By giving advice.
And mother her tears overflowing,
    And wiping her eyes.

Father pretending to joke him
    While saying goodbye;
Sister seems trying to choke him
    While fixing his tie;
Uncle is chaffing and winking,
    Disguising his sighs,
While mother is standing and thinking
    And wiping her eyes.

Old chums are wishing successes
    And shaking his hand;
Girls with pink bows and white dresses
    Are hoping he’ll land
Top o’ the heap in his classes—
    He can if he tries—
And mother’s white handkerchief passes
    While wiping her eyes.

Towser’s tail wagging and shaking,
    He must understand;
Little Tob—brother is taking
    Him fast by the hand;
Standing on tip toes to kiss him
    And wiping goodbyes,
And mother—who knows how she’ll miss him?—
    Just wiping her eyes.

Father is counseling to him
    Of college and den.
Boy, as we yesterday knew him,
    But never again.
Mother once more may caress him,
    And then the goodbyes
And murmur and whisper “God bless him!”
    While wiping her eyes.