Terry, Thanks for your attempts. Also thanks to Alan Gribben who sent a lead from one of his references that seems most promising. According to Burton Stevenson, comp., THE HOME BOOK OF QUOTATIONS (New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1934), p. 570 -- the lines appeared in a book by Robert Richardson titled _Willow and Wattle_ published in 1893 by J. Grant (Edinburgh). Date of birth for this Richardson is listed in WorldCat as 1850 which falls into line with Albert B. Paine's notation in _Biography_ that Richardson died in 1901. The bad news is that _Willow and Wattle_ also appears to be a very rare little volume to find. Thanks again, Barb