Our Hired Girl — Summary

Our hired girl, she's 'Lizabuth Ann; An' she can cook best things to eat! She ist puts dough in our pie-pan, An' pours in somepin' 'at's good an' sweet; An' nen she salts it all on top With cinnamon; an' nen she'll stop An' stoop an' slide it, ist as slow, In th' old cook-stove, so's 'twon't slop An' git all spilled; nen bakes it, so It's custard-pie, first thing you know! An' nen she'll say, "Clear out o' my way! They's time fer work, an' time fer play! Take yer dough, an' run, child, run! Er I cain't git no cookin' done!"

When our hired girl 'tends like she's mad, An' says folks got to walk the chalk When she's around, er wisht they had! I play out on our porch an' talk To Th' Raggedy Man 'at mows our lawn; An' he says, "Whew!" an' nen leans on His old crook-scythe, and blinks his eyes, An' sniffs all 'round an' says, "I swawn! Ef my old nose don't tell me lies, It 'pears like I smell custard-pies!" An' nen he'll say, "Clear out o' my way! They's time fer work, an' time fer play! Take yer dough, an' run, child, run! Er she cain't git no cookin' done!"

Wunst our hired girl, when she Got the supper, an' we all et, An' it wuz night, an' Ma an' me An' Pa went wher' the "Social" met,-- An' nen when we come home, an' see A light in the kitchen door, an' we Heerd a maccordeun, Pa says, "Lan'-- O'-Gracious! who can her beau be?" An' I marched in, an' 'Lizabuth Ann Wuz parchin' corn fer The Raggedy Man! Better say, "Clear out o' the way! They's time fer work, an' time fer play! Take the hint, an' run, child, run! Er we cain't git no courtin' done!"

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A boy tells us about the hired girl, ’Lizabuth Ann, who makes glorious custard pies and chases him out of the kitchen with a playful chant. The memory is full of smells and the thrill of being shooed away. The Raggedy Man, mowing the lawn, sniffs the air and echoes the same line, as if sharing a secret joke.

Then comes the real surprise: one evening the family returns from a social to find a lit kitchen and an accordion playing. The boy barges in on ’Lizabuth Ann parching corn for the Raggedy Man. The old refrain shifts to “we cain’t git no courtin’ done,” revealing a shy hidden romance. The boy may not quite grasp it, but he senses something funny and sweet. The whole poem glows with warm, homespun mischief—the kind where a child knows enough to deliver the punchline with a grin.

Mer av James Whitcomb Riley

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