The following unattributed poem appeared in the Butte Record on November 12, 1853.

I WOULD NOT DIE AT ALL

I would not die in Springtime,
When worms begin to crawl;
When cabbage plants are shooting up,
And frogs begin to squall;
‘Tis then the girls are full of charms,
And smile upon the men;
When lamb and peas are in their prime.
I would not perish then.

I would not die in Summer,
When trees are filled with fruit –
And every sportsman has a gun,
The little birds to shoot.
The girls then wear the Bloomer dress,
And half distract the men;
It is the time to swear it out –
I would not perish then.

I would not die in autumn,
When new-mown hay smells sweet,
And little pigs are rooting round
For something nice to eat.

The Bloomer Costume, by Nathaniel Currier

‘Tis then the huntsman’s wild halloo
Is heard along the glen,
And oysters ‘gin to fatten up –
I would not perish then.

I would not die in winter –
For one might freeze to death
When blustering Boreas sweeps around,
And takes away one’s breath;
When sleigh-bells jingle, horses snort,
And buckwheat cakes are tall;
In fact, this is a right good world,
I would not die at all.