DAME DUCK'S FIRST LECTURE ON MANNERS. ANON. [To be given in a simple, direct way, imitating the quacking of a duck in the last stanza.] Old Mother Duck has hatched a brood Of ducklings small and callow; Close by the margin of the brook Of straw, and leaves, and withered grass, And there she sat for four long weeks, Until the ducklings all came out— One peeped out from beneath her wing, "That's very rude," said old Dame Duck; AN OLD HEN. M. M. D. [Speak as if you were telling a great secret.] An old hen sat on turtles' eggs, And she hatched out goslings three; "Very odd children for such a mother!" THE OWL AND THE PUSSY CAT. EDWARD LEAR. [Give in a comical, descriptive manner.] The owl and the pussy cat went to sea They took some honey, and plenty of money The owl looked up to the moon above, "Oh, lovely pussy! Oh, pussy, my love! What a beautiful pussy you are!" Pussy said to the owl: "You elegant fowl, Oh, let us be married, too long we have tarried, They sailed away, for a year and a day, With a ring in the end of his nose! "Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling They dined on mince and slices of quince, And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, They danced by the light of the moon! A VERY LITTLE BOY'S SPEECH. ANON. [Speak as if you were telling a great secret.] I never spoke before to-day. The smallest boy am I; And, as I've nothing much to say, [Give this in a mock pedantic sort of style.] "Todes is like frogs, but more dignity, and wen you come to think of it frogs is wetter. The warts which todes is noted for can't be cured, for they is cronick; but if I couldn't git well I'd stay in the house. My grandfather knew a tode which somebody had tamed till it new folks. When its master wissled it would come for flies. They ketches 'em with their tung, wich is some like a long red worm, but more like litenin', only litenin ain't got any gum onto it. The fly will be a standin' a rubbin' its hine legs together, and a thinkin' what a fine fly it is, and a tode a settin some distance away like it was asleep. While you are seein' the fly as plain as you ever see anything, all to once it ain't there. Then the tode he looks up at you sollem, out of his eyes, like he said, 'what's become of that fly?' But you know he et it." COUNTING BABY'S TOES. MRS. MILLER. [Speak this simply, counting the fingers of one hand, one after another, in giving the 2d stanza.] Dear little bare feet, Dimpled and white, All your queer little toes, Of a shell or a rose. One is a lady, That sits in the sun; Two is a baby, And three is a nun; Four is a lily, With innocent breast; And five is a birdie, Asleep in her nest! LONG TIME AGO. ANON. [Speak in a lively, animated style.] Once there was a little kitty, Whiter than snow; In a barn she used to frolic, In a barn a little mousie Ran to and fro, For she heard the pussy coming, Long time ago. Two eyes had little kitty, And they spied the little mousie, Long time ago. Four paws had little kitty- And they caught the little mousie, Long time ago. When the teeth bit little mousie, Little mouse cried "Oh!" But she got away from Kitty, Long time ago. BABY'S LETTER TO UNOLE. ANON. [A little boy or girl may speak this as if reading from a letter.] Dear Old Uncle-I dot oor letter; My dear mamma, she ditten better; She every day little bit stronger Don't mean to be sick very much longer. Dear little baby had a bad colic; Had to take three drops nassy palagolic. Toot a dose of tatnip-felt worse as ever; Shan't tate no more tatnip, never! Got a head of hair jess as black as night; t |