Hush-A-By Patient
Hush-a-by patient, in fear for your head!
Till the thieves find you, with care you must tread.
When the thieves find you, three times they will call –
Biddle and Hayward and Moffat and all!
The Robbers' Quandary
"Will you walk a little faster?" said a Colonel to a spy;
"There's my brother's clerk behind us, through the fog I caught his eye.
See how eagerly he follows, yet how little understands
Ruin presses ever nearer, forcing me to steal the plans.
Steal them, deal them, steal them, deal them, steal away the plans.
Steal them, deal them, steal them, deal them, deal away the plans."
~0~
Then the clerk came rushing up, and forced his way in through the door!
Struggle ended with the young man still and lifeless on the floor.
"Poor, brave heart!" the Colonel groaned, "a good man dead from sad mischance!
But remains the pressing question: can you duplicate the plans?
Can you, can't you, can you, can't you duplicate the plans?
Can you, can't you, can you, can't you imitate the plans?"
~0~
"No, I cannot copy all within the time," the spy replied.
"These three papers I must keep, the rest in this youth's coat we'll hide.
Let the train bear West away, while I return in haste to France;
Try if you can stand to see him blamed for how you stole the plans.
Blame him, shame him, blame him, shame him, blame him for the plans.
Blame him, shame him, blame him, shame him, shame him for the plans."
A/N: This verse was one of the most difficult so far. Turns out it's even harder to write respectfully about the death of good people while using Lewis Carroll's irreverent style than I thought.