Over the river and through the wood, Oh, how the wind does blow! It stings the toes, And bites the nose As over the ground we go. Over the river and through the wood, Hear the bells ring 'Ting-a-ling-ding!" Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day! Over the river and through the wood Like a hunting hound! For this is Thanksgiving Day. Over the river and through the wood, We seem to go Extremely slow; It is so hard to wait! Over the river and through the wood, Is the pudding done? ́ Hurrah for the pumpkin pie! - Lydia Maria Child. Co THE RACCOON. OME, child, and see our pet raccoon, The raccoons live in the woods, you know, But ours was caught And caged, and brought From old Virginia, long ago. Oh, no, you need not be afraid; See, he is fastened with a chain; He has gnawed off, And he is hard to catch again. He e'en will climb this ten-foot fence, And there will hang, His rope being caught by vine or spike. So now he's chained; yet up he'll climb So pleading, Oh! 'Twould make you sorry for him, quite. Just see his nose, so pointed, sharp,- His eyes so bright, So full of light, And see him leap right merrily! His fur, you see, is yellowish gray,- He lives on roots, And nuts and fruits, When he's his native woods among. But here we give him bread and milk; From out the cup With his fore feet, as we use hands. You'd laugh to see him, I am sure; Each one among the hulls out-thrown. - Mother Truth's Melodies. THE ANT AN ENGINEER. HE pastry was delicious, and I wanted it myself, ΤΗ So I put it in the pantry on the very lowest shelf; And to keep it from the insects, those ants so red and small, I made a river round it of molasses, best of all. But the enemy approached it, all as hungry as could be, And the captain, with his aide-de-camp, just skirmished round to see Whether they could ford the river or should try some other plan, And, together with his comrades, he around the liquid ran. To his joy and satisfaction, after traveling around, The place where the molasses was the narrowest he found; Then again he reconnoitered, rushing forward and then back, Till he spied some loosened plaster in the wall around a tack. He divided then his forces, with a foreman for each squad, And he marshaled the whole army and before him each ant trod; His directions all were given; to his chiefs he gave a call, While he headed the procession as they marched off up the wall. Every ant then seized his plaster, just a speck and nothing more, And he climbed and tugged and carried till he'd brought it to the shore; Then they built their bridge, just working for an hour by the sky, After which they all marched over and all fell to eating pie. THE DAY IS DONE. TH HE day is done, and the darkness As a feather is wafted downward From an eagle in his flight. - Selected. I see the lights of the village.. Gleam through the rain and the mist, And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me That my soul cannot resist : A feeling of sadness and longing, As the mist resembles the rain. Come, read to me some poem, Not from the grand old masters, For, like strains of martial music, Read from some humbler poet, Whose songs gushed from his heart, As showers from the clouds of summer, Or tears from the eyelids start; Who, through long days of labor, Still heard from his soul the music R |