Caddie Woodlawn (Last Friday's Bad Poetry)

Last Friday's prompt at Poets & Storytellers United was to write something using the following words: 

"fol-de-lol, frippery, tender, delight, singing, sweet, new" 

What came to mind was a book I enjoyed as a child. Meanwhile, the dVerse prompt asked for unusual takes on couplets. The most unusual take on couplets that came to mind would be the Nashery. So:

When the Woodlawns moved to their Wisconsin area

Some of them were ill, possibly with malaria.

Sister Clara stayed indoors and baby-sat the others,

While Caroline, or Caddie, played outdoors with her brothers.

Exercise helped Caddie recover faster

And learn things, while the settlement lacked a schoolmaster.

Pale, sickly Clara, so delicate and slender,

Made everyone, even Caddie and the boys, feel protective and tender,

But Caddie naturally didn't want to share Clara's plight.

Running and playing and even farm chores were her delight.

At heart both sisters were pretty and sweet,

Though Clara frowned righteously when Caddie didn't look neat.

Their settlement in Wisconsin was rough and new.

Menominee people still lived there, at least a few.

The place was still "Western" and wild and woolly.

When school was open, the big bully

Left Caddie and her brothers alone,

Picked a fight with the teacher, and so was shown

The error of his ways. Being tough, but no fool,

He fought a fire, later, and saved the school.

Caddie and the boys,

Having few toys,

Did their part in bringing

Pleasure with their singing;

They put on a sort of sideshow

Singing "Fol-de-rol-lol, de-rol-li-do."

When their pampered city cousin made a long trip

To visit them, they wanted to ship

Her right back to Boston. On her fancy frippery

They broke a raw egg, horrid, squishy, and slippery.

"Unladylike" was the word that came to Caddie's mother's mind,

But, thinking it over, Caddie realized it was unkind.

Half a dozen newer editions have been worn out since my town library acquired a dozen brand-new copies with the cover as shown. Some of the illustrators don't even remember that Caddie had red hair. 

A good Nashery should probably be snarkier and funnier than this one. Apologies.