Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History BookOpen Original Text whispered he to the fiddlers three,
"Till the Queen has retired for the night."
Every fiddler then tuned up his fiddle,
And tuned it as true as could be:
While old King Cole got his pipe and bowl
And replenished them secretly.
III
So gay they grew as the night hours flew,
He forgot how the time sped away;
Till swift overhead he heard the Queen's tread
As she sprang out of bed, when he hurriedly said
They might finish the tune the next day.
Every fiddler he had a fine fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he:
Oh, 't was not fair such a concert rare
Should be ended so suddenly!
PUSSY SITS BESIDE THE FIRE
"Pussy sits beside the fire
How can she be fair?
Then comes in the little dog.
"Pussy, are you there?
So so, dear Mistress Pussy,
Pray tell me how you do?"
"Indeed, I thank you little dog,
I'm very well just now."
"Fy, pussy, what a lazy cat,
On such a pleasant day
To sit and drowse beside the fire
And sleep the hours away!
A self-respecting dog would think
Himself a sorry cur,
If he did nothing all day long
But fold his arms and purr!"
"Now, sir, you needn't criticize
Because I sit and blink,
For while my eyes are shut, like this,
I think, and think, and think.
And when I purr, please understand
I work with all my might,
A-humming over songs I sing
When I go out at night.
"Excuse me. Now I'll close my eyes,
And think a little more.
On busy days like this, I show
My visitors the door.
'T is only little dogs who judge
That one must idle be,
Unless one's chasing round and round
Or barking up a tree."
THE NORTH WIND DOTH BLOW
"The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow,
And what will the robin do then, poor thing?
He'll sit in the barn and keep himself warm,
And hide his head under his wing, poor thing."
But never a word of plaint will be heard
From robin, no matter how tired and cold;
For well will he know that the winter will go,
And the blossoms and greenness of spring unfold.
And when the warm sun says winter is done,
He'll gladden us all with his cheery song;
And never will fret if the season is wet,
Or wail that the winter was hard and long.
I HAD A LITTLE HUSBAND
"I had a little husband
No bigger than my thumb,
I put him in a pint pot,
And there I bid him drum
I bought a little handkerchief
To wipe his little nose,
And a pair of little garters
To tie his little hose."
I bought a little carriage
And took him out to ride,
And yet with all my efforts
He wasn't satisfied.
I never would have married,
Now this I do declare,--
If I'd supposed a husband
Was such an awful care.
There was a man in our town
"There was a man in our town,
And he was wondrous wise
He jumped into a bramble bush
And scratched out both his eyes.
And when he saw his eyes were out,
With all his might and main
He jumped into another bush
And scratched them in again."
This clever man then hastened on
And bought a pair of shears,
But when he tried to cut with them,
He snipped off both his ears.
And when he heard his ears were off,
('T was told him o'er and o'er),
He seized the shears and snipped them back
As they had been before.
"Because," said he, "wise men like me,
Who travel round about,
And keep their eyes, and use them well,
May find some people out.
And if they also use their ears,
And hark what hearsay brings,
They're likewise pretty sure to hear
Some very funny things."
SEE SAW, SACARADOWN
"See saw, sacaradown,
Which is the way to Boston town?
One foot up, the other foot down.
That is the way to Boston town."
See saw, steady and slow!
Other places there are, I know,
But they are not worth the trouble to go,
For Boston people have told me so.
Sing a Song o' sixpence
"Sing a song o' sixpence
Pocket full of rye;
Four-and-twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened
The birds began to sing
Was not this a dainty dish
To set before the King?
The King was in his counting-house
Counting out his money;
The Queen was in the parlor,
Eating bread and honey.
The maid was in the garden
Hanging out the clothes
When along came a blackbird
And nipped off her nose."
Sing a song o' sixpence
A pocket full of rye;
I know another blackbird
Baked in a pie.
The maid it was who baked it
With all her might and main,
Resolved there'd be one blackbird
That shouldn't nip again.
I LOVE LITTLE PUSSY
"I love little pussy, her coat is so warm,
And if I don't hurt her, she'll do me no harm.
I'll sit by the fire and give her some food,
And pussy will love me because I am good."
I never will dress her again, that is sure.
Her scratches, you see, are not easy to cure.
And I find that it takes much more time than you'd guess,
To sew up the rents in my dolly's best dress.
I'd give a good deal, if it wasn't for that,
To see how she'd look in my dolly's new hat.
But no, I'll not try it, you never can tell;
And politeness is best till one's scratches get well.
The Horner Brothers
BY Elizabeth Raymond Woodward
Jack Horner had three brothers,
Their names were Horner, too--
One was James, and one was George,
And the little one was Hugh.
And they always did exactly
What they saw Jackie do--
James and George and the littlest one,
The one whose name was Hugh.
So when Jack's Christmas pie was made,
They made three others, too--
One for James, and one for George,
And a little one for Hugh.
And _they_ sat up in corners,
As they'd seen Jackie do--
James and George and the littlest one,
The one whose name was Hugh.
I'm sure 't was _very_ lucky
(Does it not seem so to you?)
That the room had just four corners
For Jack James George and Hugh
For if Jackie had a corner,
There _must_ be corners, too,
For James and George and the littlest one,
The one whose name was Hugh.
* * *
A little old man
with a shiny bald head
Was told by his wife
they were all out of bread.
He puckered his lips
and replied with a frown,
"Then bring me some toast
that is crusty and brown."
JINGLES
THERE WAS A MAN IN OUR TOWN
There was a man in our town,
And all he did each day
Was to skip and hop along the streets
And on a trumpet play.
A MOST WONDERFUL SIGHT
The most wonderful sight I ever did see
Was an owl on the branch of our old oak-tree;
His eyes were so large and his head was so small
That he seemed all eyes and no head at all.
SAILING
Afloat, afloat, in a golden boat!
Hoist the sail to the breeze!
Steer by a star to lands afar
That sleep in the southern seas,
And then come home to our teas!
An Up-to-date Pussy-cat.
Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?
I've been to London in my new machine.
Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there?
The auto broke down and was hard to repair.
Adeline Knapp.
MISERY IN COMPANY
The rain is falling,
The fire is out!
Jane has the toothache,
John has the gout!
COURT NEWS
BY LUCY FITCH PERKINS
The king and queen went out to-day,
A-riding on a load of hay.
The king fell off and loPrevious Next |