The Dogs Book of Verse | Page 3

dear, wee woman of four;
Her
feet, in their shiny slippers,

Hung dangling over the floor.
She
meant to be good; she had promised,
And so with her big, brown eyes,


She stared at the meetinghouse windows
And counted the crawling
flies.
She looked far up at the preacher,
But she thought of the honeybees

Droning away at the blossoms
That whitened the cherry trees.

She thought of a broken basket,
Where curled in a dusky heap,
Four
sleek, round puppies, with fringy ears.
Lay snuggled and fast asleep.
Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle,
Such queer little hearts to beat,

Such swift round tongues to kiss,
Such sprawling, cushiony feet;

She could feel in her clasping fingers
The touch of the satiny skin,

And a cold, wet nose exploring
The dimples under her chin.
Then a sudden ripple of laughter
Ran over the parted lips
So quick
that she could not catch it
With her rosy finger-tips.
The people
whispered "Bless the child,"
As each one waked from a nap,
But
the dear, wee woman hid her face
For shame in her mother's lap.
ANONYMOUS.
TREASURES
They got a bran' new baby
At Bud Hicks' house, you see.
You'd
think Bud Hicks had somethin'
The way he talks to me!
He comes
around a-braggin',
An' when he wouldn't quit
I said: "What good's a
baby?
You can't hunt fleas on it."
Then Bud turned to me an' told me
How loud that kid could yell,

An' lots I can't remember,
He had so much to tell.
But I got tired o'
hearin'
An' so I ast him, quick,
"If you wuz in a-swimmin'
Could
it go get a stick?"
There is no use a-talkin',
Bud thinks their baby's fine!
Huh! I'd a
whole lot rather
Jest have a pup like mine.

I'll bet it's not
bald-headed!
But if Bud doesn't fail
To let me hear it yellin',
I'll

let him pull Spot's tail.
ANONYMOUS.
THAT THERE LONG DOG
Funniest little feller
You'd ever want to see!
Browner 'an the
brownest leaf
In the autumn tree.
Shortest little bow legs!
Jes'
barely touch the floor--
And long--b'gosh, the longest dog
I ever
seen afore!
But he's mighty amusin',
For all 'at he's so queer,
Eyes so mighty
solemn,
Askin' like an' clear,
And when he puts his paws up,

Head stuck on one side--
Jes' naturally love every hair
In his durn
Dutch hide.
ALICE GILL FERGUSON.
MY FRIEND
True and trustful, never doubting,
Is my young and handsome friend;
Always jolly,
Full of fun,
Bright eyes gleaming
Like the sun--

Never see him blue or pouting
From the day's break to its end.
Whether I am "flush" or "busted"
Makes no difference to him!
"Let's be gay, sir"--
He would say, sir--
"Won't have any
Other way, sir!"

Oh, he's never cross and crusted--
Light of heart and full of vim!

Often we go out together
For a ramble far and wide--
Catch the breezes
Fresh and strong
Down the mountain
Swept along--

For we never mind the weather
When we two are side by side.
But my friend is sometimes quiet,
And I've caught his clear brown
eye
Gazing at me,
Mute, appealing--
Telling something,
Yet concealing,

Yes, he'd like to talk! Well, try it--
"Bow, wow, wow," and that's his
cry!
ANONYMOUS.
TED
I have a little brindle dog,
Seal-brown from tail to head.
His name I
guess is Theodore,
But I just call him Ted.
He's only eight months old to-day
I guess he's just a pup;
Pa says he
won't be larger
When he is all