Part 1 — TIM KEYSER'S NOSE.

BY MAX ADELER.

Tim Keyser lived at Wilmington, He had a monstrous nose, Which was a great deal redder Than the very reddest rose, And was completely capable Of most terrific blows.

He wandered down one Christmas-day To skate upon the creek, And there upon the smoothest ice He slid along so slick, The people were amazed to see Him cut it up so quick;

The exercise excited thirst, And so, to get a drink, He cut an opening in the ice, And lay down on the brink. Says he, "I'll dip my nose right in, And sip it up, I think."

But while his nose was thus immersed Six inches in the stream, A very hungry pickerel Was attracted by the gleam, And darting up, it gave a snap, And Keyser gave a scream.

Tim Keyser then was well assured He had a famous bite; To pull that pickerel up he tried, And tugged with all his might; But the disgusting pickerel had The better of the fight.

And just as Mr. Keyser thought His nose would split in two, The pickerel gave his tail a twist, And pulled Tim Keyser through, And he was scudding through the waves The first thing that he knew.

Then onward swam the savage fish With swiftness towards its nest, Still chewing Mr. Keyser's nose, While Mr. Keyser guessed What kind of policy would suit His circumstances best.

Just then his nose was tickled With a spear of grass close by; Tim Keyser gave a sneeze which burst The pickerel into "pi," And blew its bones, the ice, and waves A thousand feet on high.

Tim Keyser swam up to the top, A breath of air to take, And finding broken ice, he hooked His nose upon a cake, And gloried in a nose that could Such a concussion make.

His Christmas dinner on that day He tackled with a vim; And thanked his stars, as shuddering He thought upon his swim, That that wild pickerel had not Spent Christmas eating him.