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<div style="background:#fff;border:#bbb dashed 1px;padding:5px"><a href="http://en.citatepedia.ro/comments.php?id=416687" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none"><div style="margin:10px 0"><strong>Little Jack Janitor</strong></div><div style="margin:10px 0">And there, in that ripe Summer-night, once more<br>A wintry coolness through the open door<br>And window seemed to touch each glowing face<br>Refreshingly; and, for a fleeting space,<br>The quickened fancy, through the fragrant air,<br>Saw snowflakes whirling where the roseleaves were,<br>And sounds of veriest jingling bells again<br>Were heard in tinkling spoons and glasses then.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Thus Uncle Mart's old poem sounded young<br>And crisp and fresh and clear as when first sung,<br>Away back in the wakening of Spring<br>When his rhyme and the robin, chorusing,<br>Rumored, in duo-fanfare, of the soon<br>Invading johnny-jump-ups, with platoon<br>On platoon of sweet-williams, marshaled fine<br>To bloomed blarings of the trumpet-vine.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">The poet turned to whisperingly confer<br>A moment with 'The Noted Traveler.'<br>Then left the room, tripped up the stairs, and then<br>An instant later reappeared again,<br>Bearing a little, lacquered box, or chest,<br>Which, as all marked with curious interest,<br>He gave to the old Traveler, who in<br>One hand upheld it, pulling back his thin<br>Black lustre coat-sleeves, saying he had sent<br>Up for his 'Magic Box,' and that he meant<br>To test it there--especially to show<br>_The Children_. 'It is _empty now_, you know.'--<br>He humped it with his knuckles, so they heard<br>The hollow sound--'But lest it be inferred<br>It is not _really_ empty, I will ask<br>_Little Jack Janitor_, whose pleasant task<br>It is to keep it ship-shape.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Then he tried<br>And rapped the little drawer in the side,<br>And called out sharply 'Are you in there, Jack?'<br>And then a little, squeaky voice came back,--<br>'_Of course I'm in here--ain't you got the key<br>Turned on me!_'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Then the Traveler leisurely<br>Felt through his pockets, and at last took out<br>The smallest key they ever heard about!--<br>It,wasn't any longer than a pin:<br>And this at last he managed to fit in<br>The little keyhole, turned it, and then cried,<br>'Is everything swept out clean there inside?'<br>'_Open the drawer and see!--Don't talk to much;<br>Or else_,' the little voice squeaked, '_talk in Dutch--<br>You age me, asking questions!_'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Then the man<br>Looked hurt, so that the little folks began<br>To feel so sorry for him, he put down<br>His face against the box and had to frown.--<br>'Come, sir!' he called,--'no impudence to _me!_--<br>You've swept out clean?'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'_Open the drawer and see!_'<br>And so he drew the drawer out: Nothing there,<br>But just the empty drawer, stark and bare.<br>He shoved it back again, with a shark click.--</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'_Ouch!_' yelled the little voice--'_un-snap it--quick!--<br>You've got my nose pinched in the crack!_'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">And then<br>The frightened man drew out the drawer again,<br>The little voice exclaiming, '_Jeemi-nee!--<br>Say what you want, but please don't murder me!_'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Well, then,' the man said, as he closed the drawer<br>With care, 'I want some cotton-batting for<br>My supper! Have you got it?'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">And inside,<br>All muffled like, the little voice replied,<br>'_Open the drawer and see!_'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">And, sure enough,<br>He drew it out, filled with the cotton stuff.<br>He then asked for a candle to be brought<br>And held for him: and tuft by tuft he caught<br>And lit the cotton, and, while blazing, took<br>It in his mouth and ate it, with a look<br>Of purest satisfaction.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Now,' said he,<br>'I've eaten the drawer empty, let me see<br>What this is in my mouth:' And with both hands<br>He began drawing from his lips long strands<br>Of narrow silken ribbons, every hue<br>And tint;--and crisp they were and bright and new<br>As if just purchased at some Fancy-Store.<br>'And now, Bub, bring your cap,' he said, 'before<br>Something might happen!' And he stuffed the cap<br>Full of the ribbons. '_There_, my little chap,<br>Hold _tight_ to them,' he said, 'and take them to<br>The ladies there, for they know what to do<br>With all such rainbow finery!'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">He smiled<br>Half sadly, as it seemed, to see the child<br>Open his cap first to his mother..... There<br>Was not a ribbon in it anywhere!<br>'_Jack Janitor!_' the man said sternly through<br>The Magic Box--'Jack Janitor, did _you_<br>Conceal those ribbons anywhere?'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'_Well, yes,_'<br>The little voice piped--'_but you'd never guess<br>The place I hid 'em if you'd guess a year!_'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Well, won't you _tell_ me?'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'_Not until you clear<br>Your mean old conscience_' said the voice, '_and make<br>Me first do something for the Children's sake._'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Well, then, fill up the drawer,' the Traveler said,<br>'With whitest white on earth and reddest red!--<br>Your terms accepted--Are you satisfied?'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'_Open the drawer and see!_' the voice replied.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'_Why, bless my soul!_'--the man said, as he drew<br>The contents of the drawer into view--<br>'It's level-full of _candy!_--Pass it 'round--<br>Jack Janitor shan't steal _that_, I'll be bound!'--<br>He raised and crunched a stick of it and smacked<br>His lips.--'Yes, that _is_ candy, for a fact!--<br>And it's all _yours!_'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">And how the children there<br>Lit into it!--O never anywhere<br>Was such a feast of sweetness!</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'And now, then,'<br>The man said, as the empty drawer again<br>Slid to its place, he bending over it,--<br>'Now, then, Jack Janitor, before we quit<br>Our entertainment for the evening, tell<br>Us where you hid the ribbons--can't you?'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'_Well,_'<br>The squeaky little voice drawled sleepily--<br>'_Under your old hat, maybe.--Look and see!_'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">All carefully the man took off his hat:<br>But there was not a ribbon under that.--<br>He shook his heavy hair, and all in vain<br>The old white hat--then put it on again:<br>'Now, tell me, _honest_, Jack, where _did_ you hide<br>The ribbons?'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'_Under your hat_' the voice replied.--<br>'_Mind! I said 'under' and not 'in' it.--Won't<br>You ever take the hint on earth?--or don't<br>You want to show folks where the ribbons at?--<br>Law! but I'm sleepy!--Under--unner your hat!_'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Again the old man carefully took off<br>The empty hat, with an embarrassed cough,<br>Saying, all gravely to the children: 'You<br>Must promise not to _laugh_--you'll all _want_ to--<br>When you see where Jack Janitor has dared<br>To hide those ribbons--when he might have spared<br>My feelings.--But no matter!--Know the worst--<br>Here are the ribbons, as I feared at first.'--<br>And, quick as snap of thumb and finger, there<br>The old man's head had not a sign of hair,<br>And in his lap a wig of iron-gray<br>Lay, stuffed with all that glittering array<br>Of ribbons ... 'Take 'em to the ladies--Yes.<br>Good-night to everybody, and God bless<br>The Children.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">In a whisper no one missed<br>The Hired Man yawned: 'He's a vantrilloquist'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">* * * * *</div><div style="margin:10px 0">So gloried all the night Each trundle-bed<br>And pallet was enchanted--each child-head<br>Was packed with happy dreams. And long before<br>The dawn's first far-off rooster crowed, the snore<br>Of Uncle Mart was stilled, as round him pressed<br>The bare arms of the wakeful little guest<br>That he had carried home with him....</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'I think,'<br>An awed voice said--'(No: I don't want a _dwink_.--<br>Lay still.)--I think 'The Noted Traveler' he<br>'S the inscrutibul-est man I ever see!'</div><div style="margin:10px 0"><br /></a><br />poem by <a href="http://en.citatepedia.ro/by.php?a=James+Whitcomb+Riley">James Whitcomb Riley</a><div class=q>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="//s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=citatepedia" async="async"></script><div style="display:inline-block" class="addthis_sharing_toolbox" data-url="http://en.citatepedia.ro/comments.php?id=416687" data-title="Little Jack Janitor de James Whitcomb Riley" data-description="And there, in that ripe Summer-night, once more
A wintry coolness through the open door
And window seemed to touch each glowing face
Refreshingly; and, for a fleeting space,
The quickened fancy, through the fragrant air,
Saw snowflakes whirling wh..."></div>
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