Pit-a-pat

Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, the bullets kept falling and stirring up little puffs of dust on the open ground in front of the zeriba.

“Pit-a-pat! Pit-a-pat!”—On go the thousands of feet; on to the movie and on to the dance; on to the office, the club and the bank.

Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, / He danced on the whiskery nose.

“Only a scraping of shoes on the mat? / “Anything like the sound of a rat / “Makes my heart go pit-a-pat!”

The chesnut ringlets were speedily twitched from the confining paper, her Sunday hat, gown, and neckerchief bustled on in a moment, and wondering what he would say, and how she should feel and behave on the trying occasion, she descended with a pit-a-pat heart, and a cheek covered with burning blushes.

The pit-a-pat heart of a susceptible girl of sixteen, tells her that a gentleman is a tall fellow with a fine military cap on his head; […]

Dear Hannah—you learn from your aunt to conceal / The things that your parents do bid you reveal— / ’Tis true, I am Henry, and Anderton, too, / But that’s not an answer expected from you— / You, yesterday, called me a very dear name, / Which set my poor pit-a-pat heart in a flame: / Speak! am I your “uncle?” The truth I would know; / I wonder who taught you to speak to me so!