MARY'S LAMB

MARY had a little lamb,

Its fleece was white as snow;

And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.

He followed her to school one day,-
That was against the rule;

It made the children laugh and play,
To see a lamb at school.

And so the teacher turned him out,
But still he lingered near,
And waited patiently about,
Till Mary did appear.

Then he ran to her and laid
His head upon her arm,
As if he said, "I'm not afraid,-
You'll keep me from all harm."

"What makes the lamb love Mary so?" The eager children cry.

"Oh! Mary loves the lamb, you know,"

The teacher did reply.

SARAH J. HALE.

NONSENSE ALPHABET

AWAS an Ant who seldom stood still;

And who made a nice house in the side of the hill.

B was a Book with a binding of blue

And pictures and stories for me and for you.

C was a Cat, who ran after a rat,

But his courage did fail when she seized on his tail.

D was a Duck with spots on his back,

Who lived in the water, and always said "Quack."

E was an Elephant, stately and wise;

He had tusks and a trunk, and two queer little eyes.

F was a Fish who was caught in a net,
But he got out again, and is quite alive yet.

G was a Goat who was spotted and brown;
When he did not lie still, he walked up and down.

H was a Hat which was all on one side;
Its crown was too high, and its brim was too wide.

I was some Ice, so white and so nice,

But which nobody tasted, and so it was wasted.

NONSENSE ALPHABET

J was a jug, so pretty and white,

With fresh water in it at morning and night.

K was a Kite which flew out of sight,
Above houses so high, quite into the sky.

L was a Light which burned all the night
And lighted the gloom of a very dark room.

M was a Mill which stood on a hill

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And turned round and round, with a loud humming sound.

N was a Net which was thrown in the sea
To catch fish for dinner, for you and for me.

O was an Orange, so yellow and round;
When it fell off the tree, it fell down on the ground.

P was a Pig that was not very big,

But his tail was too curly, and that made him surly.

Q was a Quail with a very short tail,

And he fed upon corn, in the evening and morn.

R was a Rabbit who had a bad habit

Of eating the flowers in the gardens and bowers.

S was the Sugar-tongs, nippity nee,

To take up the sugar to put into our tea.

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NONSENSE ALPHABET

T was a Tortoise, all yellow and black,
He walked slowly away and never came back.

U was an Urn, all polished and bright
And full of hot water, at noon and at night.

V was a Villa, which stood on a hill
By the side of a river and close to a mill.

W was a Whale, with a very long tail,
Whose movements were frantic, across the Atlantic.

X was King Xerxes, who more than all Turks is
Renowned for his fashion of fury and passion.

Y was Yew, which flourished and grew
By a quiet abode, near the side of a road.

Z was some Zinc, so shining and bright,

Which caused you to wink in the sun's merry light.

EDWARD LEAR.

AN OLD GAELIC CRADLE-SONG

HUSH! the waves are rolling in,

White with foam, white with foam.

Father toils amid the din;

But baby sleeps at home.

Hush! the winds roar hoarse and deep!
On they come, on they come!
Brother seeks the lazy sheep:
But baby sleeps at home.

Hush! the rain sweeps o'er the knowes,
Where they roam, where they roam;
Sister goes to seek the cows;

But baby sleeps at home.

ANONYMOUS.