The Best Time

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="11f285a1erlcgo.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Berton Braley Cyber Museum</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Berton Braley Cyber Museum"><U><B>home</B></U></A><B>     </B></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="11ed2c00dkelyh.png"> <div> <A HREF="news_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News"><U>News</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="biography.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biography"><U>Biography</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="works.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Works"><U>Works</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="bibliography.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bibliography"><U>Bibliography</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="correspondence.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Correspondence"><U>Correspondence</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="library.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Library"><U>Library</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="meeting_place.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Meeting place"><U>Meeting place</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="guestbook.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Guestbook"><U>Guestbook</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="market.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Market"><U>Market</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links "><U>Links </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="search.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Search"><U>Search</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id400.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Foundation"><U>About Foundation</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="about_museum.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Museum"><U>About Museum</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>The Best Time</I><I>                                                                                                   </I></div> <div> <I><B>I'll tell yuh somethin' neighbor,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Which same I will expound--</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Uv all the hours uv labor</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>I puts in underground,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>The one that's most appealin'</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>(An' that's no idle hunch)</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Comes with that hungry feelin'</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>When it is time fer lunch!</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>My ratchet drill--I chucks it</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>An' lays my shovel by,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>An' opens up my bucket</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>An' eats my bread an' pie,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>There's fun an' talk an' jokin'</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Among the dusty bunch</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>That's eatin', laughin', smokin',</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>When it is time fer lunch.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>The mule he champs his bridle,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>The trapper gulps his scoff,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>The bloomin' mine is idle</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>An' everybody's off.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>The pipe smoke's curlin' hazy,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>You hear the miners much--</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Gee, life is good an' lazy</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>When it is time fer lunch!</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>There ain't no need to hurry,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>There ain't no need to sweat,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Yuh murmurs, "I should worry,"</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>An "wot's the use to fret?'</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Yer eyes they halfway closes,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Yuh nods among the bunch,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>An' then--an' then yuh dozes</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>when it is time fer lunch.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>An' so I'm sayin', neighbor,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Which same I will attest,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Uv all the hours of labor</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>the lunchin' hour's the best.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>At minin' I'm no slow one</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>But--listen to my hunch,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>I make my biggest showin'</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>When it is time fer lunch !</B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I>Published in: </I><A HREF="id297.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Anthologies"><U><I>Ballads Of Coal Mining</I></U></A><I>, 1913</I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="copyright.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Copyright"><U><I>© 2000-2006, Berton Braley Cyber Museum. </I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="copyright.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Copyright"><U><I>All rights reserved.</I></U></A></div> <div> <I>---</I></div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:info@bertonbraley.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:info@bertonbraley.com"><U><I>Contact Webmaster Peter Leeflang</I></U></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="mailto:info@bertonbraley.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:info@bertonbraley.com"><U> </U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>