THE KID HAS GONE TO THE COLORS
By permission of the author
The Kid has gone to the Colors,
And we don't know what to say;
The Kid we have loved and cuddled
Stepped out for the flag to-day.
We thought him a child, a baby,
With never a care at all;
But his country called him man-size—
And the Kid has heard the call.
He paused to watch the recruiting,
Where, fired by the fife and drum,
He bowed his head to Old Glory,
And thought that it whispered "Come!"
The Kid not being a slacker,
Stood forth with patriot-joy
To add his name to the roster
And, God! we're proud of the boy!
The Kid has gone to the Colors;
It seems but a little while
Since he drilled a schoolboy army
In a truly martial style.
But now he's a man, a soldier,
And we lend him a listening ear;
For his heart is a heart all loyal,
Unscourged by the curse of fear.
