THE JACK O’LANTERN

To the man who tends the garden little brother said today— “We want a yellow pumpkin, very round”; And the wind among the corn-stalks, where we stood a-hand-in-hand Made a funny little rattling sort of sound; It was very bright and frosty, and the man said, “Come with me,— I will find you what you want, if you will wait”; Then he took us through the corn-lines past the heavy apple trees; There were piles of yellow pumpkins by the gate. And he asked, “To make a pie with? or to roll upon the ground?” And he smiled when little brother shook his head; Then, “I really won’t be guessing, but I think I know the kind— I was little once myself, you know,” he said; And we looked at him and twinkled, while he hunted all about, Till he got the very roundest of them all; Then he made a wink at brother, and a funny face at me, And he set the pumpkin up upon the wall. “‘Tis the king of all the others!” cried the cheery garden-man; “I’ll be scooping out the middle, if you say”; And we told him “Yes” in whispers, for it was our secret plan, And we watched him while he cut the heart away; Then he asked us—“And his eyes? Shall his nose be long and wise? Shall he have a ragged, jagged sort of smile?” And we told the garden-man, “Please, as quickly as you can; We can only wait a very little while.” Then he laid the knife beside him, as he said, “Here is the man; He’ll be looking very happy with a light”; And we rolled him in our jackets, as we thanked the garden-man, And we hurried home to wait until the night; Then a little moon is shining; then we’ll hide behind the wall, And we’ll put the yellow candle in its place; In the pretty lighted windows of the children that we know, While the fathers read the papers, and the mothers sit and sew, There will shine a merry Jack O’Lantern face.