Pride
(Written for St. Nicholas, June, 1909.)
The Bible says that pride's the cause of people falling down,
And an example of this truth I once saw in our town,
When we were driving on the street and watching passers-by,
From out a store stepped a fine dude, all dressed in silk hat high,
And pants so tight he could not take a single manly stride,
His moustache curled and round his neck a ribbon pink and wide,
While in his hand a gold head cane, which he twirled round and round,
So that the people all would know a great man was in town;
But being filled with pride of self he did not know his heel
Had come in contact with a part of a banana peel
Until it felled him to the earth and smashed his silk hat's crown
And even then he did not know 'twas PRIDE that knocked him down.