Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards

“ Her lips were red, and her eyes were blue,
But to say she was happy would not be true;
For she pined for love of the great big Jack
Who lived in the Box so grim and black.
She never had looked on the Jack his face;
But she fancied it shining with beauty and grace,
And all the day long she would murmur and pout,
Because Jack-in-the-box would never come out.
"Oh, beautiful, beautiful Jack-in-the-box,
Undo your bolts and undo your locks!
The cupboard is shut, and there's no one about:
Oh! Jack-in-the-box, jump out! jump out!"
But alas! alas! for Belinda Blonde,
And alas! alas! ”

“ But Doggie just wags his tail and capers,
And never an egg has he.
"Now, Dobbin, Dobbin, I'm sure you must have one,
Hid down in your manger there."
But Dobbin lays back his ears and whinnies,
With "Come and look, if you dare!"
"Piggywig, Piggywig, grunting and squealing,
Are you crying 'Fresh eggs for sale'?"
No! Piggy, you're very cold and unfeeling,
With that impudent quirk in your tail.
"You wise old Gobbler, you look so knowing,
I'm sure you can find me an egg.
You stupid old thing! just to say 'Gobble-gobble!'
85 And balance yourself on one leg." ”

“ And splashing in the pool.
"The sea, the blue, lone sea," hath one.
He left it on the beach;
A merry wave came dancing up,
And bore it out of reach.
One sleeps where depths of slimy bog
Are glossed with grasses o'er;
One hasty plunge—it loosed its hold,
And sank to rise no more.
One pair—aha! I see them now,
And know them past all doubt;
For through each leather, gaping wide,
A rosy toe peeps out.
And parted thus, old, dusty, torn,
They travel far and wide,
Who in the shop, in shining rows,
Sat lately side by side. ”

“ Little Brown Bobby said "Shoo! shoo! shoo!"
Little Brown Bobby said "Moo! moo! moo!"
This frightened them so that both of them cried,
And wished they were back at their Mammy's side!
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PHIL'S SECRET.
I know a little girl,
But I won't tell who!
Her hair is of the gold,
And her eyes are of the blue.
Her smile is of the sweet,
And her heart is of the true.
Such a pretty little girl!—
But I won't tell who.
I see her every day,
But I won't tell where! ”

“ Blue-bell, bonny bell, ring for the wedding!
Gallant young Hyacinth marries the Rose.
Here we all wait for the wedding procession,
Standing up high on our tippy-toe-toes.
Blue-bell, bonny bell, ring for the wedding!
First the three ushers on grasshoppers ride,—
Coxcomb, Larkspur, and gallant Sweet William,
Handsome young dandies as ever I spied.
Here in a coach come the bride's rich relations,—
Old Madam Damask and old Mr. Moss;
Greatly I fear they approve not the marriage,
Else they'd not look so uncommonly cross. ”

“ And the Scorpion danced on the tip of his tail;
And the Red Man came
In a fiery flame,
And cried, "My bee-yutiful bride, all hail!
My blushing, bee-yutiful bride, all hail!"
And so they were married, both he and she,
And the color of both was quite scarlet to see.
And they lived, the tale says,
To the end of their days,
As happy, as happy, as happy could be:
Sure, no other couple so happy could be. ”

“ The children may sleep, but the winds must wake
Early and late, for the children's sake.
Singing so sweet in each little one's ear,
He thinks his mother's own song to hear.
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GOOD-NIGHT SONG.
Good-night, Sun! go to bed!
Take your crown from your shining head.
Now put on your gray night-cap,
And shut your eyes for a good long nap.
Good-night, Sky, bright and blue!
Not a wink of sleep for you.
You must watch us all the night,
With your twinkling eyes so bright.
Good-night, flowers! now shut up
Every swinging bell and cup. ”

“ And come to high estate,
With mighty feathers in my tail,
And combs upon my pate.
"To see my beauty and my grace
The feathered race will flock,
And all will bow them low before
The mighty Easter Cock." ”

“ Get along, Dobbin! go along, Jack!
Bells and voices merrily mingle,
Swift we fly as an arrow's track.
Ting! ring! the sleigh-bells jingle!
Nose cold, Tommy? Here, rub it with snow!
Toes ache, Ned? Just kick till they tingle,
Thump! thump! thump! on the dasher, so! ”

“ Blue, purple, red, with spots and stripes,
And scarcely one that's white.
She lays them in no special place,—
On this side, now on that.
And last year, only think! she laid
One right in Johnny's hat.
But naughty boys and girls get none:
So, children, don't forget!
And be as good as good can be—
It is not Easter yet! ”

“ Ten toes,
Two eyes,
And one nose.
Baby said
When she smelt the rose,
"Oh! what a pity
I've only one nose!"
Ten teeth
In even rows,
Three dimples,
And one nose.
Baby said
When she smelt the snuff,
"Deary me!
One nose is enough."
38
LITTLE JOHN BOTTLEJOHN.
Little John Bottlejohn lived on the hill,
And a blithe little man was he.
And he won the heart of a pretty mermaid
Who lived in the deep blue sea.
And every evening she used to sit
And sing on the rocks by the sea,
"Oh! little John Bottlejohn, pretty John Bottlejohn,
Won't you come out to me?" ”

“ Toddle, toddle, waddle, waddle,
On her little pinky toes.
Stumble, stumble, pitch and tumble,
That's the way the baby goes.
Prattle, prattle, rattle, rattle,
Little shouts and little shrieks,
Tears, with laughter coming after,
That's the way the baby speaks.
Playing, toying, still enjoying
Every sweet that Nature gives.
Smiling, weeping, waking, sleeping,
That's the way the baby lives. ”

“ She's travelling over the sea:
She's bringing a beautiful cuttlefish,
To play with my baby and me.
Oh! his head is three miles long, my dear,
His tail is three miles short.
And when he goes out he wriggles his snout,
In a way that no cuttlefish ought.
Oh! the Queen of the Orkney Islands,
She rides on a sea-green whale.
He takes her a mile, with an elegant smile,
At every flip of his tail.
He can snuffle and snore like a Highlandman,
And swear like a Portugee;
He can amble and prance like a peer of France,
55 And lie like a heathen Chinee.
56
QUEEN OF THE ORKNEY ISLANDS.
Oh! ”

“ Sending up to heaven's blue our happy waking song;
Daily, gayly, our tiny home adorning,
Working all so merrily the whole day long.
Sweet! sweet! sweet! sweet!
Sing we in the noontide;
Half the day is over now, half our work is done ”

“ How does the Cardinal take his tea?
He takes it in Latin, he takes it in Greek,
He takes it just seventy times in the week.
He takes it so strong that it makes him grin.
Oh, Punkydoodle and Jollapin!
Oh, Pillykin Willykin Winky Wee!
How does the Admiral take his tea?
He takes it with splices, he takes it with spars,
He takes it with jokers and jolly jack tars. ”

“ The lobster darkly green soon appeared upon the scene,
And pearly drops his claws were adorning.
Quoth he, "May I be boiled, if I'll have my slumber spoiled,
So very, very early in the morning!"
Chorus. For every little wave has its nightcap on,
Its nightcap, white cap, nightcap on,
For every little wave has its nightcap on,
So very, very early in the morning.
51
Said the sturgeon to the eel, "Just imagine how I feel,
Thus roused without a syllable of warning.
People ought to let us know when a-sailing they would go,
So very, very early in the morning." ”

“ Nurse never will say I'm "not fit to be seen."
I mean not to break even one of my toys,
And I never, oh! never will make any noise.
In short, Uncle Ned, as you'll very soon see,
The best little girl in the world I shall be. ”

“ What will the baby be, Mamma,
(With a kick and a crow, and a hushaby-low) .
What will the baby be, Mamma,
When he grows up into a man?
Will he always kick, and always crow,
And flourish his arms and his legs about so,
And make up such horrible faces, you know,
As ugly as ever he can?
The baby he may be a soldier, my dear,
With a fife and a drum, and a rum-tiddy-tum!
The baby he may be a soldier, my dear,
When he grows up into a man. ”

“ A bell that will ring, and a bird that will sing,
And a brook that goes tinkling clear.
Here is the baby's little wee nose.
What shall we give her to smell?
A hyacinth blue and a violet too,
And roses and lilies as well.
Here is the baby's pretty red mouth.
What shall we give her to eat?
A sugary heart and a raspberry tart,
And everything else that is sweet.
And here are the baby's little fat hands.
What shall we give her to hold?
A sunbeam? That's right! and a rainbow bright,
And plenty of silver and gold.
35
INFANTRY TACTICS.
Present arms! ”

“ Cocking a truculent tail.
Here we go skilfully skipping,
Riding the resonant rail.
"Lozenges, peanuts, and candy!
Apples and oranges sweet!"
Legs are so frightfully bandy,
Wonder he keeps on his feet. ”

“ The elephant is king!
203
"And if a person looks at me,
Unless I give him leave,
He's very apt to meet his death
Too swiftly for reprieve.
"You are the most unpleasant beast
I e'er have looked on yet;
Although the stupid children here
Will make of you a pet.
"I hate your tail of waving hair! ”

“ Came forward and said, "If you'll be my bride,
You shall have the Great Bear
To powder your hair,
And the small one to lace up your boots beside,—
To lace up your boots, and to shine them beside."
But the princess sighed; and softly she said,
"Alas! not one of you all can I wed.
'Tis my positive plan
To marry a man
Who lives up in Mars, and is painted red,—
From his head to his feet, quite a violent red. ”

“ Of course there will be jam
And—oh! that potted ham!
How unfortunate I am!
Dear me!
64
Oh! it's growing very dark
In here.
And that shadow in the corner
Looks so queer!
Won't they bring me any light?
Must I stay in here all night?
I shall surely die of fright.
Oh dear!
Mother, darling, will you never
Come back?
Oh! I'm sorry that I hit him
Such a crack!
Hark! yes, 'tis her voice I hear!
Now good-by to every fear!
For she's calling me her dear
Little Jack!
BED-TIME.
How many toes has the tootsey foot? ”

“ And feeds them on blacking and grasshopper tea,
And if ever they try to get out, you see,
Why, this is the way he'll treat 'em.
[Here Mamma may toss the little boy up in the air, or shake him, or tickle his little chin, whichever he likes best.]
Now, Johnny and Tommy, you'd better look out!
All day you've done nothing but quarrel and pout,
And nobody knows what it's all about,
But it gives me a great deal of pain, dears. ”

“ Of the Phrisky Phrog and the Sylvan Snayle;
Of their lives and their loves, their joys and their woes,
And all about them that any one knows.
The Phrog lived down in a grewsome bog,
The Snayle in a hole in the end of a log;
And they loved each other so fond and true,
They didn't know what in the world to do.
For the Snayle declared 'twas too cold and damp
For a lady to live in a grewsome swamp;
While her lover replied, that a hole in a log
Was no possible place for a Phrisky Phrog.
99
"Come down! come down, my beautiful Snayle!
With your helegant horns and your tremulous tail ”

“ Toto makes friends with all the wood creatures, from the bear to the squirrel, and they frequently come to the house to entertain the grandmother with their conversation. Told in a droll way which is heartily enjoyed by the children.
TOTO'S MERRY WINTER
Fully illustrated. 12mo. Cloth. $1.00.
Toto's friends of the wood consent to spend the winter with him at the cottage. Their adventures and their stories (for they delight to tell stories when gathered before the fire) make a volume full of treasures for young folks. ”

“ We are the regiment,
Marching, marching.
We are the regiment,
Tum tum tum!
Let the trumpets blow,
As we rush to meet the foe,
With a tan tan tara! at the sound of the drum.
[1] "Though you're such a Hoddy-Doddy!"—Edward Lear.
224
THE STRANGE BEAST.
Four gay gallants of London town
Went out to walk on Horsley Down;
And there they saw a beast,
The like of which had ne'er been seen
In Cheapside or in Strand, I ween,
In West-side or in East.
Its legs were four, its tail was one,
So one gallant swore by the sun
It therefore was a horse;
"Nay!" cried the next, "this talk is idle. ”

“ Fish-horns all a-tooting, and schoolboys all a-hooting,—
Off the torpedoes go, crack! crack! crack!
Off go the fireworks, fizz! fizz! fizz!
Off go the fireworks, fizz! fizz! fizz!
Pin-wheels all a-turning, and fingers all a-burning,—
Off go the fireworks, fizz! fizz! fizz!
Off goes our little Ned, boo-hoo-hoo!
Off goes our little Ned, boo-hoo-hoo!
Big hole in his jacket, and another in his pocket,
Half the hair singed off his head,
Off goes our little Ned,—
Mamma'll put him straight to bed, boo-hoo-hoo!
136
THE SONG OF THE CORN-POPPER.
Pip! ”

“ The Forty Little Ducklings. [A story with a certain amount of truth in it.]
The forty little ducklings who lived up at the farm,
They said unto each other, "Oh! the day is very warm!"
They said unto each other, "Oh! the river's very cool!
The duck who did not seek it now would surely be a fool."
The forty little ducklings, they started down the road;
And waddle, waddle, waddle, was the gait at which they goed. ”