When de vaccinater come,
My Elmiry run frum home
Fas’ ez she could go;
Run away ter Missus’ house,
Whar she slip in lak a mouse,
So de Miss won’t know.
En she scramble hin’ de head
Ob de Missus’ high pos’ bed,
Des ter hide erwhile;
En de Missus come en go
Frue dat room, but she don’t know
’Bout dat silly chile.
By en by, when she come frue,
She heah somethin’ breave, she do,
Lak somebody ’sleep;
En her heart stan’ still dat day,
En she am too sca’ed, she say,
Des to take a peep.

So she run out-do’s en call;
“Sen’ de pleeceman (heah me all!)
Right now ter my house;
Dar’s a robber ’hin’ my bed,
Waitin’ till de day be dead,
Quiet ez a mouse.”
En de news dem people spread
’Bout de robber ’hin’ de bed,
Waitin’ till day done;
En de pleeceman sho did race,
So he reach dat hidin’ place,
’Fo’e de robber run.
But when he git dar en see
Dat chile sleepin’ quiet, he
Des frow back his head,
En he laugh en laugh en say:
“Come in, Missus, right away!
Who dis ’hin’ yo’ bed?”
Dey take hol’ ob her en shake
Dat Elmiry till she wake
’Nough ter rub her eyes;
When she open dem en see
Who dat man am—goodness me!—
She am sho surprise’.
“Please, Mister Pleeceman,” den she say,
“I’ll be vaccernate’ dis day
If you let me go!”
But he say dat des a tale,
En he take her ter de jail
’Fo’e her mammy know.
Take her ter be vaccernate,
En she grunt now, soon en late,
Wid dat arm dat’s so’.
’Tain’t no use ter run frum home
When de vaccernater come;—
He gwine git you, sho.