Baby sends a pooty kiss to his uncles all, TOPSY-TURVY WORLD. LILLIPUT LEVEE. [Deliver in a quizzical, droll manner.] If the buttercups ate the cows, To be worried, sir, by the mouse; If a gentleman was a lady, And a brook was oceans deep; I should not consider them blunders, THE GOOD LITTLE GIRLS. MARY MAPES DODGE. [Give the last lines in a bashful way.] Oh, where are all the good little girls, Where are they all to-day? And where are all the good little boys? Tell me, somebody, pray. Safe in their fathers' and mothers' hearts The girls are stowed away; And where the girls are, look for the boys, COOK-A-DOODLE-DOO. ANON. [Imitate the flapping wings and crowing of the fowl herein described.] A little boy got out of bed 'Twas only six o'clock And out of window poked his head, And spied a crowing cock. The little boy said, "Mr. Bird, "What would you think if you were me," But still that bird provokingly "How many times, you stupid head, That old bird winked one eye and said He slammed the window down again, TROTTY MALONE. MARY MAPES DODGE. [Imitate, as far as possible, each conveyance.] Boys and girls come riddle and ravel; Crispy, crackly, snow and tingle- Slidy, glidy, jerky whiff-ter- Flippetty, cricketty, elegant, go- "A fig for them all!" cried Trotty Malone, THREE BUGS. ALICE CARY. [To be given in a simple, natural manner.] Three little bugs in a basket, And hardly room for two! And one was yellow, and one was black, And one like me or you. The space was small, no doubt, for all; Three little bugs in a basket, And hardly crumbs for two; And all were selfish in their hearts, The same as I or you; So the strong ones said, "We will eat the bread, And that is what we'll do." Three little bugs in a basket, And the beds but two would hold; So he that was left in the basket Or a thread to wrap himself withal Pulled one of the rugs from under the bugs, And so there was war in the basket, Ah, pity 'tis, 'tis true! And he that was frozen, and starved, at last Now, when bugs live in a basket, HOW TO GAIN FRIENDS. ANON. [Recite in a natural, conversational tone.] "Well," said a straight-backed, straight-legged chair to a cosy little rocking chair by whose side it had chanced to be placed, "before I would be such a drudge as you are I would be a stool, or, if possible, something still more insignificant. People are not content with making you nurse every person, big or little, but you must also continually be rocking them to and fro." "To be sure," answered the little rocking chair pleasantly, "I am always on the go for the gratification of others, but thereby have I won for myself many friends, and appear to be a great favorite with all. This well repays me for my trouble." And so it is with little girls, and little boys, and other people. Those who cheerfully and willingly do for others are the ones who gain for themselves many and lasting friends. FROGS AT SCHOOL. GEORGE COOPER. [Deliver in an imitative, descriptive manner.] Twenty froggies went to school, Down beside a rushy pool; Master bullfrog, grave and stern, Showed them how to say, "Ker-chog!" Also, how to dodge a blow From the sticks which bad boys throw. Twenty froggies grew up fast; TWO SOMEBODIES. ANON. [To be delivered in a natural, colloquial style.] I know somebody who always appears to be miserable, and this is the way she contrives to be so: she is always thinking about herself; constantly wishing for that she has not; idling her time; fret |