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Edgar Guest - Cleaning The Furnace
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Last night Pa said to Ma: "My dear, it`s gettin` on to fall,
It`s time I did a little job I do not like at all.
I wisht `at I was rich enough to hire a man to do
The dirty work around this house an` clean up when he`s through,
But since I`m not, I`m truly glad that I am strong an` stout,
An` ain`t ashamed to go myself an` clean the furnace out."

Then after supper Pa put on his overalls an` said
He`d work down in the cellar till `twas time to go to bed.
He started in to rattle an` to bang an` poke an` stir,
An` the dust began a-climbin` up through every register
Till Ma said: "Goodness gracious; go an` shut those things up tight
Or we`ll all be suffocated an` the house will be a sight."

Then he carted out the ashes in a basket an` a pail,
An` from cellar door to alley he just left an ashy trail.
Then he pulled apart the chimney, an` `twas full of something black,
An` he skinned most all his knuckles when he tried to put it back.
We could hear him talkin` awful, an` Ma looked at us an` said:
"I think it would be better if you children went to bed."

When he came up from the cellar there were ashes in his hair,
There were ashes in his eyebrows--but he didn`t seem to care--
There were ashes in his mustache, there were ashes in his eyes,
An` we never would have known him if he`d took us by surprise.
"Well, I got it clean," he sputtered, and Ma said:  "I guess that`s true;
Once the dirt was in the furnace, but now most of it`s on you."
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