Slovenly Betsy | Page 3

and misery.
Behold
how needful 'tis that we
Should clean in dress and person be;
Or
else, believe me, 'tis in vain
We hope affection to obtain.
[Illustration]
A sloven will be always viewed
With pity by the wise and good;

While ev'n the vicious and the base
Behold with scorn a dirty face.
[Illustration]
ENVIOUS MINNIE
Now Minnie was a pretty girl,
Her hair so gracefully did curl;
She
had a slender figure, too,
And rosy cheeks, and eyes of blue.
And
yet, with all those beauties rare,
Those angel eyes and curly hair,

Oh! many, many faults had she,
The worst of which was jealousy.

When on the brilliant Christmas tree
St. Nicholas hung his gifts so
free,
The envious Minnie could not bear
With any one those gifts to
share.
And when her sisters' birthdays came
Minnie (it must be told
with shame)
Would envy every pretty thing
Which dear Mamma to
them would bring.
[Illustration]
Sometimes great tears rolled from her eyes,
Sometimes she pierced
the air with cries,
For hours together she would fret
Because their
toys she could not get.
Ah, then! how changed this pretty child,
No
longer amiable and mild.
That fairy form and smiling face
Lost all
their sprightliness and grace.
Her tender mother often sighed,
And

to reform her daughter tried.
"Oh! Minnie, Minnie," she would say,

"Quite yellow you will turn some day."
[Illustration]
Now came the merry Christmas feast;
St. Nicholas brought to e'en the
least
Such pretty presents, rich and rare,
But all the best for Minnie
were.
Now to her little sister Bess
St. Nicholas brought a yellow
dress;
This Minnie longed for (envious child),
And snatched it from
her sister mild.
Then all in tears did Bessie run
To tell her mother
what was done.
[Illustration]
Then Minnie ran triumphantly
To try the dress on, as you see.
But
Minnie was not satisfied,
She pouted, fretted, sulked, and cried;

Sisters and brothers had no rest,--
She vowed their presents were the
best,
And springing quickly to the glass,
What saw she there? Alas!
alas!
Oh! what a sad, such deep disgrace!
She found she had a
yellow face.
"Ah, me!" she cried, now, in despair,
"Where are my
rosy cheeks--oh, where?"
Exclaimed her mother, "Now you see
The
punishment of jealousy."
[Illustration]
THE LITTLE GLUTTON
Oh! how this Mary loved to eat,--
It was her chief delight;
She
would have something, sour or sweet,
To munch from morn till night.

She to the pantry daily stole,
And slyly she would take
Sugar,
and plums, and sweetmeats, too,
And apples, nuts, and cake.
[Illustration]
Her mother Mary oft reproved,
But, ah! it did no good;
Munch,
nibble, chew, from morn to night,
The little glutton would.

[Illustration]
One day, upon some bee-hives near
She chanced to cast her eyes;

"How nice that honey there must taste!"
She cried, and off she flies.

On tiptoe now the hives she nears,
Close up to them she creeps,

And through the little window panes
Quite cautiously she peeps.

"Oh, dear! how good it looks!" she cries,
As she the honey sees;
"I
must, I will, indeed, have some;
It cannot hurt the bees."
And then a
hive she gently lifts,--
Oh, foolish, foolish child,--
Down, down it
falls--out swarm the bees
Buzzing with fury wild.
With fright she
shrieks, and tries to run,
But ah! 'tis all in vain;
Upon her light the
angry bees,
And make her writhe with pain.
[Illustration]
Four weeks and more did Mary lie
Upon her little bed,
And, ah!
instead of honey, she
On medicine was fed.
Her parents grieved so
much at first
Their child so sick to see;
But once more well, with
joy they found
Her cured of gluttony.
[Illustration]
SOPHIE SPOILALL
I never Saw a Girl Or Boy
So prone as Sophie to destroy
Whate'er
she laid her hands upon,
Though tough as wood, or hard as stone;

With Sophie it was all the same,
No matter who the thing might claim,

No matter were it choice or rare,
For naught did the destroyer care.

Her playthings shared the common lot;
Though hers they were, she
spared them not,
Her dolls she oft tore limb from limb,
To gratify a
foolish whim.
[Illustration]
"Fie!" said her mother, "don't you know,
That if you use your

playthings so,
Kriss Kringle will in wrath refuse
To give you what
you might abuse?
Remember, how in times gone by,
You've always
found a rich supply
Of Christmas presents; but beware,
You'll find
no more another year."
[Illustration]
You'd think such words would surely tend
To make this child her
ways amend.
But no; she still her course pursued,
Regardless of
advice so good.
But when her mother sees 'tis plain
That all her
arguments are vain,
Says she, "Since I have done my best,
I'll let
experience do the rest."
Meantime the season of the year
For
Christmas gifts was drawing near,
And Sophie doubted not that she

An ample store of them would see.
At length the happy hour was
come.
The children, led into the room,
Behold, with wonder and
surprise,
Three tables set before their eyes.
One is for Nelly, one for
Ned,
And both with choicest treasures spread.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
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