76 THE GIPSY GIRL
By Ralph Hodgson
“COME，try your skill，kind gentlemen，
A penny for three tries！”
Some threw and lost，some threw and won
A ten-a-penny prize．
She was a tawny gipsy girl，
A girl of twenty years，
I liked her for the lumps of gold
That jingled from her ears；
I liked the flaring yellow scarf
Bound loose around her throat，
I liked her showy purple gown
And flashy velvet coat．
A man came up，too loose of tongue，
And said no good to her；
She did not blush as Saxons do，
Or turn upon the cur；
She fawned and whined“Sweet gentleman，
A penny for three tries！”
—But oh，the den of wild things in
The darkness of her eyes！
