The Birth Of The Rail Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BCDE FG H FIJKLMNOPQRSF T AUAVWPXYZA2B2C2D2E2F 2G2HW W H2WI2WCJ2WWK2AL2WM2N 2WWYO2P2B2 W Q2WR2P H S2PWWT2 U2O2WOW W PV2 W WC2L2W2X2 H SY2Z2A3HY2B3C3WD3WWE 3 W A W A F3 A PG3H3 OOWWWWWI3I3O W WJ3WK3 HW H3 WHWHV2L3 W V2V2DRAMATIS PERSONAE | A |
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LELAND THE KID a Road Agent | B |
COWBOY CHARLEY Same Line of Business | C |
HAPPY HUNTY Ditto in All Respects | D |
SOOTYMUG a Devil | E |
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Scene the Dutch Flat Stage Road at P M on a Night | F |
of | G |
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COWBOY CHARLEY | H |
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My boss I fear she is delayed to night | F |
Already it is past the hour and yet | I |
My ears have reached no sound of wheels no note | J |
Melodious of long luxurious oaths | K |
Betokens the traditional dispute | L |
Unsettled from the dawn of time between | M |
The driver and off wheeler no clear chant | N |
Nor carol of Wells Fargo's messenger | O |
Unbosoming his soul upon the air | P |
his prowess to the tender foot | Q |
And how at divers times in sundry ways | R |
He strewed the roadside with our carcasses | S |
Clearly the stage will not come by to night | F |
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LELAND THE KID | T |
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I now remember that but yesterday | A |
I saw three ugly looking fellows start | U |
From Colfax with a gun apiece and they | A |
Did seem on business of importance bent | V |
Furtively casting all their eyes about | W |
And covering their tracks with all the care | P |
That business men do use I think perhaps | X |
They were Directors of that rival line | Y |
The great Pacific Mail If so they have | Z |
Indubitably taken in that coach | A2 |
And we are overreached Three times before | B2 |
This thing has happened and if once again | C2 |
These outside operators dare to cut | D2 |
Our rates of profit I shall quit the road | E2 |
And take my money out of this concern | F2 |
When robbery no longer pays expense | G2 |
It loses then its chiefest charm for me | H |
And I prefer to cheat you hear me shout | W |
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HAPPY HUNTY | W |
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My chief you do but echo back my thoughts | H2 |
This competition is the death of trade | W |
'Tis plain unless we wish to go to work | I2 |
Some other business we must early find | W |
What shall it be The field of usefulness | C |
Is yearly narrowing with the advance | J2 |
Of wealth and population on this coast | W |
There's little left that any man can do | W |
Without some other fellow stepping in | K2 |
And doing it as well If one essay | A |
To pick a pocket he is sure to feel | L2 |
With what disgust I need not say to you | W |
Another hand inserted in the same | M2 |
You crack a crib at dead of night and lo | N2 |
As you explore the dining room for plate | W |
You find in session there a graceless band | W |
Stuffing their coats with spoons their skins with wine | Y |
And so it goes Why even undertake | O2 |
To salt a mine and you will find it rich | P2 |
With noble specimens placed there before | B2 |
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LELAND THE KID | W |
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And yet this line of immigration has | Q2 |
Advantages superior to aught | W |
That elsewhere offers all these passengers | R2 |
If punched with care | P |
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COWBOY CHARLEY | H |
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Significant remark | S2 |
It opens up a prospect wide and fair | P |
Suggesting to the thoughtful mind my mind | W |
A scheme that is the boss lay out Instead | W |
Of stopping passengers let's carry them | T2 |
Instead of crying out 'Throw up your hands ' | - |
Let's say 'Walk up and buy a ticket ' Why | U2 |
Should we unwieldy goods and bullion take | O2 |
Watches and all such trifles when we might | W |
Far better charge their value three times o'er | O |
For carrying them to market | W |
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LELAND THE KID | W |
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Put it there | P |
Old son | V2 |
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HAPPY HUNTY | W |
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You take the cake my dear We'll build | W |
A mighty railroad through this pass and then | C2 |
The stage folk will come up to us and squeal | L2 |
And say 'It is bad medicine for both | W2 |
What will you give or take ' And then we'll sell | X2 |
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COWBOY CHARLEY | H |
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Enlarge your notions little one this is | S |
No petty slouching opposition scheme | Y2 |
To be bought off like honest men and fools | Z2 |
Mine eye prophetic pierces through the mists | A3 |
That cloud the future and I seem to see | H |
A well devised and executed scheme | Y2 |
Of wholesale robbery within the law | B3 |
Made by ourselves great permanent sublime | C3 |
And strong to grapple with the public throat | W |
Shaking the stuffing from the public purse | D3 |
The tears from bankrupt merchants' eyes the blood | W |
From widows' famished carcasses the bread | W |
From orphans' mouths | E3 |
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HAPPY HUNTY | W |
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Hooray | A |
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LELAND THE KID | W |
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Hooray | A |
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ALL | F3 |
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Hooray | A |
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They tear the masks from their faces and discharging their | P |
shotguns throw them into the chapparal Then they join hands | G3 |
dance and sing the following song | H3 |
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Ah blessed to measure | O |
The glittering treasure | O |
Ah blessed to heap up the gold | W |
Untold | W |
That flows in a wide | W |
And deepening tide | W |
Rolled rolled rolled | W |
From multifold sources | I3 |
Converging its courses | I3 |
Upon our | O |
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LELAND THE KID | W |
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Just wait a bit my pards I thought I heard | W |
A sneaking grizzly cracking the dry twigs | J3 |
Such an intrusion might deprive the State | W |
Of all the good that we intend it Ha | K3 |
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Enter Sootymug He saunters carelessly in and gracefully | H |
leans his back against a redwood | W |
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SOOTYMUG | H3 |
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My boys I thought I heard | W |
Some careless revelry | H |
As if your minds were stirred | W |
By some new devilry | H |
I too am in that line Indeed the mission | V2 |
On which I come | L3 |
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HAPPY HUNTY | W |
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Here's more damned competition | V2 |
Curtain | V2 |
Ambrose Bierce
(1)
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