{"id":263,"date":"2021-06-17T11:59:09","date_gmt":"2021-06-17T15:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/claudemckay\/?post_type=chapter&p=263"},"modified":"2022-02-03T09:03:48","modified_gmt":"2022-02-03T14:03:48","slug":"the-bobby-to-the-sneering-lady","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/chapter\/the-bobby-to-the-sneering-lady\/","title":{"raw":"The Bobby to the Sneering Lady","rendered":"The Bobby to the Sneering Lady"},"content":{"raw":"You may sneer at us, madam,\r\nBut our work is beastly hard;\r\nAn' while toilin thus we scarce\r\nEver get a lee[footnote]Lee: little[\/footnote] reward.\r\n\r\nOur soul's jes' like fe you,\r\nIf our work does make us rough;\r\nMe won't 'res' you servant-gal\r\nWhen you've beaten her enough.\r\n\r\nYou may say she is me frien',\r\nWe are used to all such prate;\r\nNaught we meet on life's stern road\r\nBut de usual scorn an' hate.\r\n\r\nSay dat you wi' 'port me, ma'am?\r\nI was lookin' fe dat, well,\r\nOur Inspector's flinty hard,\r\n'Twill be few days' pay or cell.\r\n\r\nPains an' losses of such kind\r\nTo we p'licemen's not'in' new;\r\nStill A'd really like fe hear\r\nWha' good it wi' do to you.\r\n\r\nLast week, eatin' a gill[footnote]Gill: three farthings. Gill bread-loaf costing three farthings[\/footnote] bread,\r\nMe t'row piece out on de lea;\r\nAn' A ketch a 'port fe dat\r\nWhich meant five roun' mac[footnote]Mac: shilling, shillings; short for macaroni.[\/footnote] to me.\r\n\r\nConstab-charge, civilian-charge,\r\nLife's a burden every way;\r\nBut reward fund[footnote]A fund out of which rewards are given to constables for meritorious work[\/footnote] mus' kep' up\r\nOut o' poo' policeman pay.\r\n\r\nEf our lot, then, is so hard,\r\nI mus' ever bear in mind\r\nDat to fe me own black 'kin\r\nI mus' not be too unkind.\r\n\r\nAn' p'r'aps you too will forgive\r\nEf I've spoken rather free,\r\nAn' will let me somet'ing ask\r\nWhich may soften you to me:\r\n\r\nIn de middle o' de night,\r\nWhen de blackness lies do'n deep,\r\nWho protects your homes an' stores\r\nWhile de Island is asleep?\r\n\r\nWhen de dead stars cannot shine\r\nSake o' rain an' cloud an' storm,\r\nWho keeps watch out in de street\r\nSo dat not'in' comes to harm?\r\n\r\nAh! you turn away your head!\r\nSee! dere's pity in your face!\r\nDon't, dear madam, bring on me\r\nThis unmerited disgrace.","rendered":"

You may sneer at us, madam,
\nBut our work is beastly hard;
\nAn’ while toilin thus we scarce
\nEver get a lee[1]<\/sup><\/a> reward.<\/p>\n

Our soul’s jes’ like fe you,
\nIf our work does make us rough;
\nMe won’t ‘res’ you servant-gal
\nWhen you’ve beaten her enough.<\/p>\n

You may say she is me frien’,
\nWe are used to all such prate;
\nNaught we meet on life’s stern road
\nBut de usual scorn an’ hate.<\/p>\n

Say dat you wi’ ‘port me, ma’am?
\nI was lookin’ fe dat, well,
\nOur Inspector’s flinty hard,
\n‘Twill be few days’ pay or cell.<\/p>\n

Pains an’ losses of such kind
\nTo we p’licemen’s not’in’ new;
\nStill A’d really like fe hear
\nWha’ good it wi’ do to you.<\/p>\n

Last week, eatin’ a gill[2]<\/sup><\/a> bread,
\nMe t’row piece out on de lea;
\nAn’ A ketch a ‘port fe dat
\nWhich meant five roun’ mac[3]<\/sup><\/a> to me.<\/p>\n

Constab-charge, civilian-charge,
\nLife’s a burden every way;
\nBut reward fund[4]<\/sup><\/a> mus’ kep’ up
\nOut o’ poo’ policeman pay.<\/p>\n

Ef our lot, then, is so hard,
\nI mus’ ever bear in mind
\nDat to fe me own black ‘kin
\nI mus’ not be too unkind.<\/p>\n

An’ p’r’aps you too will forgive
\nEf I’ve spoken rather free,
\nAn’ will let me somet’ing ask
\nWhich may soften you to me:<\/p>\n

In de middle o’ de night,
\nWhen de blackness lies do’n deep,
\nWho protects your homes an’ stores
\nWhile de Island is asleep?<\/p>\n

When de dead stars cannot shine
\nSake o’ rain an’ cloud an’ storm,
\nWho keeps watch out in de street
\nSo dat not’in’ comes to harm?<\/p>\n

Ah! you turn away your head!
\nSee! dere’s pity in your face!
\nDon’t, dear madam, bring on me
\nThis unmerited disgrace.<\/p>\n

  1. Lee: little ↵<\/a><\/li>
  2. Gill: three farthings. Gill bread-loaf costing three farthings ↵<\/a><\/li>
  3. Mac: shilling, shillings; short for macaroni. ↵<\/a><\/li>
  4. A fund out of which rewards are given to constables for meritorious work ↵<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":251,"menu_order":23,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[48],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-263","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":192,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/251"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":264,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/263\/revisions\/264"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/192"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/263\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=263"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=263"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}