Pa Has Had a Rest and Change

From the Rock Island Argus, May 19, 1914. By Henry Howland.

Pa’s got back from his vacation,
    With a look that’s wild and strange;
Seems all full of tribulation,
    Though he’s had his rest and change;
For a year he had been wishin’
    He could be alone somewhere,
So he spent his two weeks fishin’,
    Far away from home and care.

He has forty-seven places
    Where the hungry woodticks died;
And the color of his face is
    Like a piece of beef that’s dried;
Both his feet are full of blisters,
    Insects nearly ate him up,
And last night he called my sister’s
    Beau a pompous little pup.

Pa’s got back from his vacation,
    Lookin’ like a hungry tramp;
Once he nearly faced starvation
    When he strayed away from camp.
He must eat things predigested
    Till his health improves a lot;
Comin’ home he was arrested
    For the only fish he got.