Explore "The Story-Book Boy" by Joseph C. Lincoln on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
Oh, the story-book boy! he's a wonderful youth, / A prodigy reeking with goodness and truth; / As brave as a lion, as wise as a sage, / And sharp as a razor, though twelve years of age. / His mother is good and she's awfully poor, / But he says, "Do not fret, _I'll_ provide for you, sure! " / And the hard grasping landlord, who comes to annoy, / Is braved to his teeth by the story-book boy.
Oh, the story-book boy! when he sees that young churl. / The Squire's spoiled son, kick the poor crippled girl, / He darts to the rescue as quick as he can, / And dusts the hard road with the cruel young man; / And when he is sought by the vengeful old Squire, / He withers the latter with tongue-lashing ire; / For the town might combine his young nerve to destroy, / And never once shake him -- the story-book boy.