The Second Concession of Deer

JOHN TOMPKINS lived in a house of logs,
On the second concession of Deer ;
The front was logs, all straight and sound —
The gable was logs, all tight and round —
The roof was logs, so firmly bound —
And the floor was logs, all down to the ground —
The warmest house in Deer.

And John, to my mind, was a log himself,
On the second concession of Deer ;
None of your birch, with bark of buff—
Nor basswood, weak and watery stuff —
But he was hickory, true and tough,
And only his outside bark was rough ;
The grandest old man in Deer !

But John had lived too long, it seemed,
On the second concession of Deer !
For his daughters took up the governing rein,
With a fine brick house on the old domain,
All papered, and painted with satinwood stain,
Carpeted stairs, and best ingrain —
The finest house in Deer !

Poor John, it was sad to see him now,
On the second concession of Deer !
When he came in from his weary work,
To strip off his shoes like a heathen Turk,
Or out of the company's way to lurk,
And ply in the shanty his knife and fork —
The times were turned in Deer !

But John was hickory to the last,
On the second concession of Deer !
And out on the river-end of his lot.
He laid up the logs in a cosy spot,
And self and wife took up with a cot,
And the great brick house might swim or not-
He was done with the pride of Deer !

But the great house could not go at all,
On the second concession of Deer ;
Twas mother no more, to wash or bake,
Nor father the gallants' steeds to take —
From the kitchen no more came pie nor cake
And even their butter they'd first to make !
There were lessons to learn in Deer !

And the lesson they learned a year or more,
On the second concession of Deer !
Then the girls got back the brave old pair —
And gave the mother her easy chair —
She told them how, and they did their share —
And John the honours once more did wear
Of his own domain in Deer !