A Jolly Jingle-Book | Page 7

heart of gold.
He will keep a courage high,
Bear the battle's brunt;
Let the coward
whine and cry!--
His the soldier's front.
Shoes, I know, are out at toe,
And rags and patches at the knee;
He
whistles still his merry tune,
For not a fig cares he.
Whistle, whistle, up the road,
Whistle, whistle, down the lane!

That's the laddie for my love,
Whistling in the rain.
[Illustration: Whistling in the rain]
THE WOODEN HORSE
I'm just a wooden horsy, and I work hard all the day
At hauling
blocks and dollies in my little painted dray.
Sometimes they feed me make-believe, sometimes nothing at all, And
sometimes I'm left standing on my head out in the hall.
I try to be most patient, but 'twas just the other day
I got provoked

with Teddy Bear and almost ran away.
REBECCA DEMING MOORE.
AFTER SCHOOL
I've come to you again, my dear. There's no more school today. Let's
cuddle down a little while before we go to play,
And you shall tell me
what you've done, and whether you've felt sad. I always hurry home
because I know you'll be so glad.
I had a thought in school today--I quite forgot my book-- I seemed to
see you waiting, and how lonely you must look, And all the other
children's dolls, ten thousand, I suppose, All sitting up so patiently, and
turning out their toes.
And then when I was called upon to answer "four times four," I failed,
and teacher told me that I ought to study more. She asked if I had done
my best. I had to answer, "No'm." I don't believe she leaves a little
lonely doll at home!
HANNAH G. FERNALD.
A SLEEPY-HEAD TOP
My top is just the very best,
But, my! it is the laziest.
It sleeps, and
sleeps, and sleeps all day,
And doesn't want to come and play.
Then,
when it spins, it sleeps the more.
It stands up straight, but it will snore,

Until it is so sound asleep
It tumbles over in a heap.
SINCLAIR LEWIS.
A CHRISTMAS "TELEPHONE"
"Ullo, Mr. Santa! Ullo! Ullo! Ullo!
If must be 'most to Christmas, and
I think you ought to know About the things we're needing most--of
course I'd like a doll, And Jimmy wants a rocking-horse, and Charlie
wants a ball.

"And all of us would like a lot of striped candy sticks
(There's just six
boys and girls of us--be sure to make it six), And gum-drops; and oh, if
you could, some red-and-white gibraltars! I had some once, and half
was mine, and half of them was Walter's.
"But, dear old Santa, don't forget, whatever you leave out, To put in
some surprises that we never thought about;
For in the whole long
stocking, clear down into the toe,
The presents that are nicest are the
ones you didn't know."
A LOST BABY
Baby's hidden all away!
Nobody can find her!
Where's the baby,
mamma? Say,
Let's go look behind her!
Baby? No, she isn't there--
Have we lost our baby?
Let's go hunting
down the stair,
There we'll find her, maybe.
Papa's lost his little girl!
What will he do for kisses?
What is this? A
yellow curl?
And please to say what this is
Inside my coat! "_I 'ant some breff!_
_It makes me almost 'oasted!_

_Next time don't smovver me to deff--_
_Let's play aden I'm
losted!"_
VELOCIPEDE
I know of a staid and sober horse
That goes by a great, long name.

The little ones like this trusty steed
That always goes at a proper
speed.
They call him the good Velocipede,
And he's never tired or
lame.
Ah, he is the horse that gives you fun,
And he is the horse you need!

He's never balky, he eats no hay,
He's ready to either go or stay,

And never was known to run away--
This good horse Velocipede.

ANNIE WILLIS MCCULLOUGH.
A RAINY DAY PLAN
The world's wet and stormy,
The wind's in a rage.
We are shut in
the house
Like poor birds in a cage.
There's a sigh in the chimney,

A roar on the wall.
Good-by to "I Spy"
And to swinging and all!

But the child that complains
Cannot better the day,
So the harder
it rains,
Why, the harder we'll play!
There are tears on the window
And sighs in the trees,
But who's
going to fret
Over matters like these?
If the sky's got to cry,
Then
it's better by half
That the longer it weeps,
Why, the louder we'll
laugh!
And look! I declare,
There's the sun coming out
To see
what on earth
All the fun is about!
NANCY BYRD TURNER.
THE BIRTHDAY ONES
I am the birthday baby,
And this is the birthday horse.
They gave
him to me because I was three
And knew how to drive, of course.

He's trotted and walked and galloped,
And traveled the whole
birthday;
He's carried a load up the hilly road,
And once he has run
away.
I've fed him high in the stable,
I've watered him at the trough,
I've
curried him down to a glossy brown,
And taken his harness off.

Now we are resting a little,
Because there has got to be
A long, stiff