Eugene Field

“ For dear little children go romping about With dollies and tin tops and drums, And, my! how they frolic and scamper and shout Till bedtime too speedily comes! Oh, days they are golden and days they are fleet With little folk living in Good-Children street. See, here comes an army with guns painted red, And swords, caps, and plumes of all sorts; The captain rides gaily and proudly ahead On a stick-horse that prances and snorts! Oh, legions of soldiers you're certain to meet— Nice make-believe soldiers—in Good-Children street. And yonder Odette wheels her dolly about— Poor dolly! ”

“ And in your gentle bosom I found the pretty thing That from the realm out yonder Our friend the Stork did bring. Last night a babe awakened, And, babe, how strange and new Must seem the home and people The Stork has brought you to; And yet methinks you like them— You neither stare nor weep, But closer to my dear one You cuddle, and you sleep! Last night my heart grew fonder— O happy heart of mine, Sing of the inspirations That round my pathway shine! And sing your sweetest love-song To this dear nestling wee The Stork from 'Way-Out-Yonder Hath brought to mine and me! ”

“ Come, my little one, with me there— 'T is a goodly train of cars— All aboard for Shut-Eye Town! Swifter than a wild bird's flight, Through the realms of fleecy light We shall speed and speed away! Let the Night in envy frown— What care we How wroth she be! To the Balow-land above us, To the Balow-folk who love us, Let us hasten while we may— All aboard for Shut-Eye Town! Shut-Eye Town is passing fair— Golden dreams await us there ”

“ Makes bellies of Bottle-Tree babies expand— And that is a trick I would fain understand! Heigh-ho for a bottle to-day! And heigh-ho for a bottle to-night— A bottle of milk that is creamy and white! So cuddle me close, and cuddle me fast, And cuddle me snug in my cradle away, For I hunger and thirst for that precious repast— Heigh-ho for a bottle, I say!
GOOGLY-GOO Of mornings, bright and early, When the lark is on the wing And the robin in the maple Hops from her nest to sing, From yonder cheery chamber Cometh a mellow coo— 'T is the sweet, persuasive treble Of my little Googly-Goo! ”

“ But when falleth night over river and town, Those little folk vanish from sight, And an angel all white from the sky cometh down And guardeth the babes through the night, And singeth her lullabies tender and sweet To the dear little people in Good-Children Street. Though elsewhere the world be o'erburdened with care, Though poverty fall to my lot, Though toil and vexation be always my share, What care I—they trouble me not! ”

“ SWING HIGH AND SWING LOW Swing high and swing low While the breezes they blow— It's off for a sailor thy father would go; And it's here in the harbor, in sight of the sea, He hath left his wee babe with my song and with me: "Swing high and swing low While the breezes they blow!" Swing high and swing low While the breezes they blow— It's oh for the waiting as weary days go! And it's oh for the heartache that smiteth me when I sing my song over and over again: "Swing high and swing low While the breezes they blow!" ”

“ And the Fly-Away Horse seeks those faraway lands You little folk dream of at night— Where candy-trees grow, and honey-brooks flow, And corn-fields with popcorn are white; And the beasts in the wood are ever so good To children who visit them there— What glory astride of a lion to ride, Or to wrestle around with a bear! ”

“ Last night, as my dear babe lay dead, In those two messages I read A wisdom manifest; And though my arms be childless now, I am content—to Him I bow Who knoweth best.
THE HAPPY HOUSEHOLD It's when the birds go piping and the daylight slowly breaks, That, clamoring for his dinner, our precious baby wakes; Then it's sleep no more for baby, and it's sleep no more for me, For, when he wants his dinner, why it's dinner it must be! And of that lacteal fluid he partakes with great ado, While gran'ma laughs, And gran'pa laughs, And wife, she laughs, And I—well, I laugh, too! ”

“ And birdlings of the wood to him Make music, gentle music, all the day, When our babe he goeth walking in his garden. When our babe he goeth swinging in his cradle, Then the night it looketh ever sweetly down; The little stars are kind to him, The moon she hath a mind to him And layeth on his head a golden crown; And singeth then the wind to him A song, the gentle song of Bethlem-town, When our babe he goeth swinging in his cradle. ”

“ THE DELECTABLE BALLAD OF THE WALLER LOT Up yonder in Buena Park There is a famous spot, In legend and in history Yclept the Waller Lot. There children play in daytime And lovers stroll by dark, For 't is the goodliest trysting-place In all Buena Park. Once on a time that beauteous maid, Sweet little Sissy Knott, Took out her pretty doll to walk Within the Waller Lot. While thus she fared, from Ravenswood Came Injuns o'er the plain, And seized upon that beauteous maid And rent her doll in twain. ”

“ GOOD-CHILDREN STREET There's a dear little home in Good-Children street— My heart turneth fondly to-day Where tinkle of tongues and patter of feet Make sweetest of music at play; Where the sunshine of love illumines each face And warms every heart in that old-fashioned place. ”

“ Big red sugar-plums are clinging To the cliffs beside that sea Where the Dinkey-Bird is singing In the amfalula tree. So when children shout and scamper And make merry all the day, When there's naught to put a damper To the ardor of their play ”

“ On, O man! while the sun is high— On to the certain joys that lie Yonder where blazeth the noon of day, Over the hills and far away— Over the hills, and far away! Over the hills and far away, An old man lingers at close of day ”

“ For little Miss Brag she lays much stress On the privileges of a gingham dress— "Aha, Oho!" The rich little lady from over the way Has beautiful dolls in vast array; Yet she envies the raggedy home-made doll She hears our little Miss Brag extol. For the raggedy doll can fear no hurt From wet, or heat, or tumble, or dirt! Her nose is inked, and her mouth is, too, And one eye's black and the other's blue— "Aha, Oho!" ”

“ It seems to chill you through and through With a strange and speechless fear. 'T is the voice of the night that broods outside When folk should be asleep, And many and many's the time I've cried To the darkness brooding far and wide Over the land and the deep: "Whom do you want, O lonely night, That you wail the long hours through?" ”

“ But Fisherman Jim lived on and on, Castin' his nets an' sailin' the sea; As a man will live when his heart is gone, Fisherman Jim lived hopelessly, Till once in those years they come an' said: "Old Fisherman Jim is powerful sick— Go to him, quick!" ”

“ And, by-low, as you rock-a-by go, Don't forget mother who loveth you so! And here is her kiss on your weepydeep eyes, And here is her kiss on your peachypink cheek, And here is her kiss for the dreamland that lies Like a babe on the breast of those far-away skies Which you seek— The blinkywink garden where dreamikins grow— So, so, rock-a-by so!
THE SONG OF LUDDY-DUD A sunbeam comes a-creeping Into my dear one's nest, And sings to our babe a-sleeping The song that I love the best: "'T is little Luddy-Dud in the morning— 'T is little Luddy-Dud at night ”

“ The poppies they hang from her head to her feet, And each hath a dream that is tiny and fleet— She bringeth her poppies to you, my sweet, When she findeth you sleeping! There is one little dream of a beautiful drum— "Rub-a-dub!" ”

“ I hope you'll be sure to sit fast in your seat, For this calico mare is prodigiously fleet, And many adventures you're likely to meet As you journey along to Bumpville. This calico mare both gallops and trots While whisking you off to Bumpville; She paces, she shies, and she stumbles, in spots, In the tortuous road to Bumpville; And sometimes this strangely mercurial steed Will suddenly stop and refuse to proceed, Which, all will admit, is vexatious indeed, When one is en route to Bumpville! She's scared of the cars when the engine goes "Toot!" ”

“ Unto thine elders at the board Do thou sweet reverence accord; And, though to dignity inclined, Unto the serving-folk be kind; Be ever mindful of the poor, Nor turn them hungry from the door; And unto God, for health and food And all that in thy life is good, Give thou thy heart in gratitude.
FISHERMAN JIM'S KIDS Fisherman Jim lived on the hill With his bonnie wife an' his little boys; 'T wuz "Blow, ye winds, as blow ye will— Naught we reck of your cold and noise!" For happy and warm were he an' his, And he dandled his kids upon his knee To the song of the sea. ”

“ Mighty glad I ain't a girl—ruther be a boy, Without them sashes, curls, an' things that's worn by Fauntleroy! Love to chawnk green apples an' go swimmin' in the lake— Hate to take the castor-ile they give for bellyache! ”

“ The rich little lady goes out to ride With footmen standing up outside, Yet wishes that, sometimes, after dark Her father would trundle her in the park;— That, sometimes, her mother would sing the things Little Miss Brag says her mother sings When through the attic window streams The moonlight full of golden dreams— "Aha, Oho!" Yes, little Miss Brag has much to say To the rich little lady from over the way ”

“ Got a clipper sled, an' when us kids goes out to slide, 'Long comes the grocery cart, an' we all hook a ride! But sometimes when the grocery man is worrited an' cross, He reaches at us with his whip, an' larrups up his hoss, An' then I laff an' holler, "Oh, ye never teched me!" But jest 'fore Christmas I'm as good as I kin be! Gran'ma says she hopes that when I git to be a man, I'll be a missionarer like her oldest brother, Dan, As was et up by the cannibuls that lives in Ceylon's Isle, Where every prospeck pleases, an' only man is vile! ”

“ And further say I have a sled Cushioned in blue and painted red! The groceryman has promised I Can "hitch" whenever he goes by— Go, tell her that, and, furthermore, Apprise my sweetheart that a score Of other little girls implore The boon of riding on that sled Painted and hitched, as aforesaid;— And tell her, Cupid, only she Shall ride upon that sled with me! Tell her this all, and further tell I love her well.
LITTLE ALL-ALONEY Little All-Aloney's feet Pitter-patter in the hall, And his mother runs to meet And to kiss her toddling sweet, Ere perchance he fall. He is, oh, so weak and small! ”

“ Next morning, where the two had sat They found no trace of dog or cat; And some folks think unto this day That burglars stole that pair away! But the truth about the cat and pup Is this: they ate each other up! Now what do you really think of that! (The old Dutch clock it told me so, And that is how I came to know.) ”

“ Sometimes they are a-sittin' down, sometimes they're walkin' round So softly an' so creepylike they never make a sound! Sometimes they are as black as ink, an' other times they're white— But the color ain't no difference when you see things at night! Once, when I licked a feller 'at had just moved on our street, An' father sent me up to bed without a bite to eat, I woke up in the dark an' saw things standin' in a row, A-lookin' at me cross-eyed an' p'intin' at me—so! ”

“ When a stranger, most likely a tramp, come along, He'd lift up his voice in significant song— You wondered, by gum! how there ever wuz space In that bosom o' his'n to hold so much bass! Of daytimes he'd sneak to the road an' lie down, An' tackle the country dorgs comin' to town; By common consent he wuz boss in St. Joe, For what he took hold of he never let go! An' a dude that come courtin' our girl left a slice Of his white flannel suit with our bench-legged fyce! He wuz good to us kids—when we pulled at his fur Or twisted his tail he would never demur ”

“ So on the 21st of June, the weather bein' fine, They're goin' to give a picnic, and I'm goin' to jine!
SHUFFLE-SHOON AND AMBER-LOCKS Shuffle-shoon and Amber-Locks Sit together, building blocks; Shuffle-Shoon is old and gray, Amber-Locks a little child, But together at their play Age and Youth are reconciled, And with sympathetic glee Build their castles fair to see. "When I grow to be a man" (So the wee one's prattle ran) , "I shall build a castle so— With a gateway broad and grand; Here a pretty vine shall grow, There a soldier guard shall stand ”

“ THE DUEL The gingham dog and the calico cat Side by side on the table sat; 'T was half-past twelve, and (what do you think!) Nor one nor t' other had slept a wink! The old Dutch clock and the Chinese plate Appeared to know as sure as fate There was going to be a terrible spat. (I wasn't there; I simply state What was told to me by the Chinese plate!) ”

“ An' once, when the Hobart boy fell through the ice, He wuz drug clean ashore by that bench-legged fyce! We all hev our choice, an' you, like the rest, Allow that the dorg which you've got is the best; I wouldn't give much for the boy 'at grows up With no friendship subsistin' 'tween him an' a pup! When a fellow gits old—I tell you it's nice To think of his youth and his bench-legged fyce! ”