As the hot fire burned in the woodstove just behind

Curly found himself yawning, drifting in his mind

To his first days there at the old desert school

When Pa had taken him for learning his rules

It seemed like just another fallish sort of stroll

When Pa had taken him by the hand to enroll

It seemed a poor way to end his Summer days

But Pa had told him it was time to put those away

It seemed a year since breakfast when he feel asleep

He had meant to be attentive but the lesson ran deep

There he was sound asleep on the boy’s side of the room

When suddenly awaken by a dropped book’s boom

The only sign of mercy was the look on Molly’s face

She would have spoke up, but, it wasn’t her place