An Old Bachelor

'Twas raw, and chill, and cold outside,         With a boisterous wind untamed,     But I was sitting snug within,         Where my good log-fire flamed.             As my clock ticked,             My cat purred,             And my kettle sang.     I read me a tale of war and love,         Brave knights and their ladies fair;     And I brewed a brew of stiff hot-scotch         To drive away dull care.             As my clock ticked,             My cat purred,             And my kettle sang.     At last the candles sputtered out,         But the embers still were bright,     When I turned my tumbler upside down,         An' bade m'self g' night!             As th' ket'l t-hic-ked,             The clock purred,             And the cat (hic) sang!