Dame Wiggins of Lee

Said he, "I suppose

She's as deaf as can be,
Or this ne'er could be borne
By Dame Wiggins of Lee."
To show them his poultry,
He turned them all loose,
When each nimbly leaped
On the back of a goose,
Which frightened them so
That they ran to the sea,
And half-drowned the poor cats
Of Dame Wiggins of Lee.

For the care of his lamb,
And their comical pranks,

He gave them a ham

And abundance of thanks. "I wish you good-day,

My fine fellows," said he; "My compliments, pray, To Dame Wiggins of Lee."

You see them arrived

At their Dame's welcome door; They show her their presents,

And all their good store. "Now come in to supper, And sit down with me;

All welcome once more,'

Cried Dame Wiggins of Lee.

21

Mary E. Sharpe.

SLUTTISHNESS.

H! Mary, my Mary, why, where is your Dolly?

A Look here, I protest, on the floor;

To leave her about in the dirt so is folly, You ought to be trusted no more.

I thought you were pleased, and received quite gladly,
When on your birthday she came home;

Did I ever suppose you would use her so sadly,
And strew her things over the room?

Her bonnet of straw you once thought a great matter,
And tied it so pretty and neat;

Now, see how 'tis crumpled, no trencher is flatter,
It grieves your mamma thus to see't.

Suppose (you're my Dolly, you know, little daughter,
Whom I love to dress neat and see good),

Suppose in my care of you I were to falter,

And let you get dirty and rude!

But Dolly's mere wood; you are flesh and blood living, And deserve better treatment and care;

That is true, my sweet girl; 'tis the reason I'm giving This lesson so sharp and severe.

'Tis not for the Dolly I'm anxious and fearful, Though she cost too much to be spoiled;

I'm afraid lest yourself should get sluttish, not careful, And that were a sad thing, my child.

Jane Taylor.

A Visit from St. Nicholas

23

A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS.

Was the night before Christmas, when all through

'TWAS the house,

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads; And Mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap— When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon, on the breast of the new-fallen snow, Gave a lustre of mid-day to objects below;

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by

name;

"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and

Vixen !

On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Donder and Blitzen-
To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall!
Now, dash away, dash away, dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So, up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys-and St. Nicholas too.
And then in a twinkling I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry;
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook, when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump-a right jolly old elf;
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
A wink of his eye, and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle;
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!

66

Clement Clarke Moore.

The Story of Little Suck-a-Thumb 25

THE STORY OF LITTLE SUCK-A-THUMB.

NE day, Mamma said, "Conrad, dear,
I must go out and leave you here.
But mind now, Conrad, what I say,
Don't suck your thumb while I'm away.
The great tall tailor always comes
To little boys that suck their thumbs;
And ere they dream what he's about,
He takes his great sharp scissors out
And cuts their thumbs clean off, and then
You know, they never grow again."

Mamma had scarcely turned her back,
The thumb was in, Alack, Alack!

The door flew open, in he ran,
The great, long, red-legged scissor-man.
Oh! children, see! the tailor's come
And caught out little Suck-a-Thumb.
Snip! Snap! Snip! the scissors go;
And Conrad cries out, Oh! oh! oh!
Snip! Snap! Snip! they go so fast
That both his thumbs are off at last.

Mamma comes home; there Conrad stands,
And looks quite sad, and shows his hands-
"Ah!" said Mamma, "I knew he'd come
To naughty little Suck-a-Thumb."

Heinrich Hoffmann.