I made another attempt to extract this poem from the Farm Journal of 1926—see my link above. It works better now:


JOEY'S SOLILOQUY
By Hattie Town Purvis

Little Joey by the doorstep
Of the little cabin lay,
Pouring gravel through his fingers,
And his mammy heard him say:

"Ain't nobody — cain't nobody
Love a culled boy, don't guess.
Teacher raps me, mammv slaps me
And I longs for love, I 'fess,

"I jess wish when mammy calls me
She'd say 'Come heah, honey lamb!'
Stead of saying, 'Get heah Joey,
Or I'll shore give you a slam.'

"If I died de folks ud miss me,
Lay some flowers around my head,
Mammy'd cry an' mebbv kiss me,
Yes, I mostly wish I'se dead."

Mammy smiled, while love and pity
Struggled with a touch of pride,
Then she hastened to the window,
And in loving tones she cried;

"Come in honey! you'll be gettin'
All tanned up, de sun's so hot,
And de grand folks passin' by'll
Think you's Irish, like as not."