Edward R, Paramore. The Ballad of Yukon Jake (1921) A satire on R W Service’s poetry, using his limericky verse form to tell a sad tale. Yukon Jake is a bad boy, seducing pure virgins every chance he gets, and running off to the Yukon to escape his just punishment (which presumably would be marriage to Ruth, The Girl He Betrayed.) Ruth goes to the Yukon to bring the word of repentance, but she’s shipwrecked, lands in Jake’s bed again, and ends the poem as a colleague of the Lady that’s known as Lou (who isn’t mentioned as such, and her friend Megrew’s name is carefully spelled to prevent charges of plagiarism.) A mildly amusing bagatelle, which may have given some of its readers an agreeable frisson of vicarious sin when it first appeared. This was a second reading of the verse; just as enjoyable as the first. ** (2004)
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