AT THE SUMMER COTTAGE (from Perth Expositor, 1909)

Father's in the woodshed cleaning forty fish;

Mother's in the kitchen washing every dish;

Sister's upstairs making every bed we own;

The company is on the porch with the gramophone.

Father does the rowing; brother does the chores;

Mother does the baking; sister sweeps the floors,

Everybody's working here at Idlenook,

Except the company and that sits down and reads a book.