Internet Accuracy Project

Home
Table of Contents
Biographical Index
Reference Book Errors
Commonly Confused Words
Spell Checker Fun
Witty Acronyms
Free eBooks (A - D)
Free eBooks (E - Hd)
Free eBooks (He - Hz)
Free eBooks (I - L)
Free eBooks (M - P)
Free eBooks (Q - R)
Free eBooks (S - V)
Free eBooks (W - Z)
Christmas Poems
To Build a Fire
Christ's Nativity
The Gift of the Magi
The Christmas Wreck
A Chaparral Christmas Gift
Christmas poems by Rossetti
An Unfinished Christmas Story
Weights and Measurements
Halloween Place Names
Valentine's Place Names
Christmas' Place Names
Unusual Town Names
Place Name Index
2012 Calendar
2013 Calendar
Roman Numerals
U.S. Postage Rates
U.S. Mail Holidays
Frequently Asked Questions
Contribute Used Books
Recent Updates
Link to Us
Contact Us
"Little Johnts's Chris'mus" by James Whitcomb Riley

The following is the complete text of James Whitcomb Riley's "Little Johnts's Chris'mus." Our presentation of this classic holiday poem comes from The Works of James Whitcomb Riley: Vol. V -- Rhymes of Childhood (1899). The various books, short stories and poems we offer are presented free of charge with absolutely no advertising as a public service from Internet Accuracy Project.


Visit these other works by James Whitcomb Riley
"Autumn"
"The Bear Story"
"Blind"
"Chairley Burke's in Town"
The Champion Checker-Player of Ameriky
"A Child's Home Long Ago"
"Christine Braibry"
A Large Collection of his Short Poems
"Das Krist Kindel"
"Dead Selves"
"Doc Sifers"
"Dot Leedle Boy"
"Down to the Capital"
"Erasmus Wilson"
"Ezra House"
"Farmer Whipple--Bachelor"
"Grandfather Squeers"
"He Called Her In"
"The Hoosier Folk-Child"
"How John Quit the Farm"
"Jack the Giant-Killer"
"Kingry's Mill"
"Last Christmas Was a Year Ago"
"Little Mandy's Christmas Tree"

"Maymie's Story of Red Riding-Hood"
"Mr. What's-His-Name"
"My Philosofy"
"Mylo Jones's Wife"
"A Nest-Egg"
"A New Year's Time at Willards's"
"Old John Clevenger on Buckeyes"
"An Old Sweetheart"
"The Old Swimmin'-Hole"
"On the Banks o' Deer Crick"
"The Pathos of Applause"
Poems from "Rhymes of Childhood"
"The Preacher's Boy"
"Regardin' Terry Hut"
"Romancin'"
"The Rossville Lecture Course"
"The Runaway Boy"
"That-Air Young-Un"
"This Man Jones"
"Thoughts fer the Discuraged Farmer"
"To My Old Friend, William Leachman"
"Tradin' Joe"
"What Chris'mas Fetched the Wigginses"

To see all available titles by other authors, drop by our index of free books alphabetized by author or arranged alphabetically by title.

Potential uses for the free books, stories and prose we offer
* Rediscovering an old favorite book, story or Christmas poem.
* Bibliophiles expanding their collection of public domain ebooks at no cost.
* Teachers trying to locate a free online copy of a story or holiday poem for use in the classroom.


NOTE: We try to present these classic literary works as they originally appeared in print. As such, they sometimes contain adult themes, offensive language, typographical errors, and often utilize unconventional, older, obsolete or intentionally incorrect spelling and/or punctuation conventions.


"Little Johnts's Chris'mus" by James Whitcomb Riley

LITTLE JOHNTS'S CHRIS'MUS

BY JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY

WE got it up a-purpose, jes fer little Johnts, you know;
His mother was so pore an' all, an' had to manage so--
Jes bein' a War-widder, an' her pension mighty slim,
She'd take in weavin', er work out, er anything, fer him!

An' little Johnts was puny-like,--but law, the nerve he had!--
You'd want to kindo' pity him, but couldn't, very bad,--
His pants o' army-blanket an' his coat o' faded blue
Kep' hintin' of his father like, an' pity wouldn't do!

So we collogued together, onc't, one winter-time, 'at we--
Jes me an' Mother an' the girls, an' Wilse, John-Jack an' Free--
Would jine an' git up little Johnts, by time 'at Chris'mus come,
Some sort o' doin's, don't you know, 'at would su'prise him some,

An' so, all on the quiet, Mother she turns in an' gits
Some blue-janes--cuts an' makes a suit; an' then sets down an' knits
A pair o' little galluses to go 'long with the rest--
An' putts in a red-flannen back, an' buckle on the vest.--

The little feller'd be'n so much around our house, you see,
An' be'n sich he'p to her an' all, an' handy as could be,
'At Mother couldn't do too much fer little Johnts--No, Sir!--
She ust to jes declare 'at "he was meat-an'-drink to her!"

An' Piney, Lide, an' Madaline they watched their chance an' rid
To Fountaintown with Lijey's folks; an' bought a book, they did,
O' fairy tales, with pictur's in; an' got a little pair
O' red-top boots 'at John-Jack said he'd be'n a-pricin' there.

An' Lide got him a little sword, an' Madaline, a drum;
An' shootin'-crackers--Lawzy-day! an' they're so dangersome!
An' Piney, ever' time the rest 'ud buy some other toy,
She'd take an' turn in then an' buy more candy fer the boy!

"Well," thinks-says-I, when they got back, "your pocket-books is dry!"--
But little Johnts was there hisse'f that afternoon, so I--
Well, all of us kep' mighty mum, tel we got him away
By tellin' him be shore an' come to-morry--Chris'-mus Day--

An' fetch his mother 'long with him! An' how he scud acrost
The fields--his towhead, in the dusk, jes like a streak o' frost!--
His comfert fluttern as he run--an' old Tige, don't you know,
A-jumpin' high fer rabbits an' a-ploughin' up the snow!

It must 'a' be'n 'most ten that night afore we got to bed--
With Wilse an' John-Jack he'ppin' us; an' Freeman in the shed,
An' Lide out with the lantern while he trimmed the Chris'mus-Tree
Out of a little scrub-oak-top 'at suited to a "T"!

All night I dreamp' o' hearin' things a-skulkin' round the place--
An' "Old Kriss," with his whiskers off, an' freckles on his face--
An' reindeers, shaped like shavin'-hosses at the cooper-shop,
A-stickin' down the chimbly, with their heels out at the top!

By time 'at Mother got me up 'twas plum daylight an' more--
The front yard full o' neighbers all a-crowdin' round the door,
With Johnts's mother leadin'; yes--an' little Johnts hisse'f,
Set up on Freeman's shoulder, like a jug up on the she'f!

Of course I can't describe it when they all got in to where
We'd conjered up the Chris'mus-Tree an' all the fixin's there!--
Fer all the shouts o' laughture--clappin' hands, an' crackin' jokes,
Was heap o' kissin' goin' on amongst the women folks:--

Fer, lo-behold-ye! there they had that young-un!--An' his chin
A-wobblin'-like; an', shore enough, at last he started in--
An'--sich another bellerin', in all my mortal days,
I never heerd, er 'spect to hear, in woe's app'inted ways!

An' Mother grabs him up an' says: "It's more'n he can bear--
It's all too suddent fer the child, an' too su'prisin'!--There!
"Oh, no it ain't"--sobbed little Johnts--"I ain't su'prised--but I'm
A-cryin' 'cause I watched you all, an' knowed it all the time!"


If you find the above classic holiday literature useful, please link to this page from your webpage, blog or website. Alternatively, consider recommending us to your friends and colleagues. Thank you in advance!

Website Copyright © 2005-2012 INTERNET ACCURACY PROJECT. BY ACCESSING THIS SITE YOU ARE STATING THAT YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS regardless of whether you reside in the United States of America or not. Our Privacy Policy. This page was last updated January 1, 2012.