Baby Chatterbox | Page 5

into hay?that the horses and cows will eat. The?children have had fine fun in the hay; they?have spread and tossed it, and Gertie has?pretended to feed her toy goat with it, and?now she wants Elsie to hide her in it that?she may jump out and surprise James their?brother, who is coming in at the gate.
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"Lamb of God! I look to Thee,?Thou shalt my example be;?Thou art gentle, meek and mild;?Thou wast once a little child.
Fain I would be as Thou art.?Give me thy obedient heart:?Thou art pitiful, and kind;?Let me have thy loving mind.
Let me above all fulfil?God my heavenly Father's will;?Never his good Spirit grieve,?Only to his glory live.
Loving Jesus, gentle Lamb!?In thy gracious hands I am;?Make me, Saviour, what Thou art;?Live thyself within my heart.
I shall then show forth thy praise;?Serve thee all my happy days;?Then the world shall always see?Christ, the Holy Child in me."
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PUPPIES AND TORTOISE.
A sight most strange and wonderful?Three little puppies saw--?A creature out of shell of horn?Popped out a head and claw.
They jumped and barked, and barked again,?And stared with open eyes;?The sight of such a strange shaped thing?So filled them with surprise.
They wondered at its smooth, brown shell,?Its skin both brown and green;?And thought it was the strangest sight?They ever yet had seen.
They would have tried to bite and scratch?This funny looking thing;?But now they thought it might have hid?A sharp and biting sting.
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"I'M GRANDMOTHER."
Mary is a good little girl, but is meddlesome.?She has a good Grandmother,?called Mrs. Mason, and she sometimes goes?to her house. One day Mary got into mischief.?Seeing her Grandmother's spectacles?on the table, she put them on her nose, and?said, "I'm Grandmother." Mary began to?march about the room in a very grand way.?Presently the spectacles fell off, and the?glasses were broken. Poor Mary cried bitterly,?and at first did not know what to do;?but when Mrs. Mason came in, she told her all,?and promised never to play "Grandmother"?again. Mrs. Mason told her not to cry, and?she might play "Grandmother" as much as?she liked, but she was to be very careful not?to take her spectacles, and she would get her?papa to get a pair of tin ones, with holes?in them, so that she could see as well, and?look all the funnier.
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Our Band.
[Illustration: R]ub-a-dub, rub-a-dee,?Oh, such jolly fun!?I'm Signor Blowmore,?And he's Herr Bertrun.
Rub-a-dub, rub-a-dee!?Do we make a noise??That's the very thing you know?Pleases little boys.
Rub-a-dub, rub-a-dee!?Full of young life's joys,?Playing with the horn and drum,?Best of all the toys.
Rub-a-dub, rub-a-dee!?Music now hath charms;?You can blow and beat away,?And it no one alarms.
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THE SWAN AND THE DRAKE
Slowly, in majestic silence,?Sailed a Swan upon a lake;?Round about him, never quiet,?Swam a noisy quacking Drake.
"Swan," exclaimed the latter, halting,?"I can scarcely comprehend?Why I never hear you talking:?Are you really dumb, my friend?"
Said the Swan, by way of answer:?"I have wondered, when you make?Such a shocking, senseless clatter,?Whether you are deaf, Sir Drake!"
Better, like the Swan, remain in?Silence grave and dignified,?Than keep, drake-like, ever prating,?While your listeners deride.
W.R.E.
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UPSETTING BABY'S MILK.
"Ponto," the dog, who was longing for a?run with nurse and baby, came up into?the nursery to see if they were nearly ready?for their walk. Nurse had gone out of the?room, leaving baby fastened into her chair?with a saucer of milk on the ledge in front of?her. Ponto would not have taken the milk?without leave--he knew better how to behave?than that; but he wanted baby to give?him some, and did not know how easily the?saucer would be upset: one great paw put?on the little shelf sent it over, broke it, and?spilt the milk. You see the baby is not at?all afraid of the dog, and she is too good-tempered?to cry about the milk being spilt; but?she holds her spoon out of Ponto's way and?says, "Naughty, naughty!"
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CLEVER TRAY.
I want to tell you a true story about the?terrier dog you see having a game at hide-and-seek?with our two children.
One evening, nurse had put baby to bed,?and tucked her in quite snug and warm.?Having to do some shopping, nurse went out,?and, in going along the street she felt something?pulling her skirt, and on looking down?discovered Tray with her skirt in his mouth.?Nurse thought he was only playing, and tried?to shake him off, but he began to bark and?whine, and seemed to say, in his doggish way:?"Please do_ attend to me; _do come back?with me!" that at last, just to see if he would?leave off, she began to walk home. And oh,?how delighted Tray was! When they reached?the house Tray ran up-stairs, and nurse?discovered baby sitting up in bed, and screaming?sadly. The little thing had awoke, and?finding herself alone, began to cry; and the?faithful dog had heard her, and set off?directly to find nurse.
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MY FRIEND WASHINGTON.
When I was a very little girl, one of?my best friends was Washington?Henry. He was one of our servants, who?made himself useful inside of the house,