Explore "O'Reilly's Billy-Goat" by Joseph C. Lincoln on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
A solemn Sabbath stillness lies along the Mudville lanes, / Among the crags of Shantytown a peaceful quiet reigns, / For down upon McCarty's dump, in fiery fight for fame, / The Shanties meet the Mudvilles in the final pennant game; / And heedless of the frantic fray, in center field remote, / Behind the biggest ash-heap lies O'Reilly's billy-goat.
The eager crowd bends forward now, in fierce excitement's thrall, / The pitcher writhes in serpent twist, the umpire says, "Play ball! " / The batsman swings with sudden spite, -- a loud, resounding "spat," / And hissing through the ambient air the horse-hide leaves the bat; / With one terrific battle-cry, the "rooter" clears his throat, / But still serene in slumber lies O'Reilly's billy-goat.