The Old-Time Fire

“Talk about yer buildin’s
That’s het up by steam―
Give me the old oak fire
Where the old folks used to dream.
“The rickety dog-irons,
One-sided as could be;
The ashes banked with ‘taters
That was roastin’ there fer me.
“The dog on one side, drowsin’, Or barkin’ near the door;
The kitten cuttin’ capers With the knittin’ on the floor.
“An’ me a little tow head
By mammy’s side at night;
With both my cheeks a-burnin’
From the red flames leapin bright.
“These steam-het buildin’s make me
Jest weary fer the blaze
That was heap more comfortable
In my childhood’s nights and days.
“An I’d give the finest heater
In the buildin’s het by steam
Fer the old-time chimbley corner
Where the old folks used to dream.”