# Col. L. M. Nicolson explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ring Lardner.

## What happens

A lighthearted limerick about Col. L. M. Nicolson, an assistant to the president of Montgomery Ward & Co., who occasionally reminisces about his cowboy past and compares his old skill of roping steers to his current ability to 'lasso the jack.'

## Themes in this chapter

### Work and Profession

The limerick highlights Col. Nicolson's role as an assistant to the president and his professional skill of 'lassoing the jack.'

### Nostalgia and Memory

Col. Nicolson looks back fondly on his cowboyhood years, reflecting on past experiences.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The narrator presents a playful limerick about Col. L. M. Nicolson.

## Key lines

> Some days when the work’s a bit slack, “Old Nic” spends an hour looking back To the cowboyhood years When he could rope steers As now he can lasso the jack.

On slow workdays, Col. Nicolson reminisces about his cowboy past, when he roped steers, and compares it to his current ability to handle business deals.

_This captures the nostalgic contrast between his past and present skills._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_19_se/chapters/col-l-m-nicolson
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_19_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_19_se/chapters