Under the Tree | Page 4

dog that follows him.
And one is lame; that's Uncle Mells;?He takes off warts by mumbling words,?And he can lay on spells.
Or maybe night is almost come,?And Miss Jane Anne is going home.
And by her side walks Mr. Paul;?They go along with far-off looks?And hardly ever talk at all.
Or Murry's child comes up this way?To carry milk to poor Miss May
That lives in Wells's other house,?Or Joe is driving home his cows.
And some go fast and some go slow,?And some of them I almost know.
I can feel them almost speak to me,?When they pass by our tree.
BABES IN THE WOODS
The two little children that died long ago?Away in the woods on the top of a hill--?And a good little robin that knew all about it?Came with strawberry leaves in her bill,
To cover them up, and she kept very quiet?And brought the leaves one at a time, I think.?And some of the leaves would have little holes in them,?And some would be red and pink.
And these little Babes-in-the-Woods that were dead?Must have lain very still, and they heard all the talk?That the bees would be saying to more little bees,?And maybe they even could hear the ants walk.
And they could look out through a crack in the leaves?And see little bushes and some of the sky.?They could see robin coming with leaves in her mouth,?And they watched for her when she went by.
THE PICNIC
They had a picnic in the woods,?And Mother couldn't go that day,?But the twins and Brother and I could go;?We rode on the wagon full of hay.
There were more little girls than ten, I guess.?And the boy that is Joe B. Kirk was there.?He found a toad and a katydid,?And a little girl came whose name was Clare.
Miss Kate-Marie made us play a song?Called "Fare-you-well, says Johnny O'Brown."?You dance in a ring and sing it through,?And then some one kneels down.
She kissed us all and Joe B. Kirk;?But Joe B. didn't mind a bit.?He walked around and swung his arms?And seemed to be very glad of it.
Then Mr. Jim said he would play,?But Miss Marie, she told him then,?It's a game for her and the little folks,?And he could go and fish with the men.
Mr. Wells was there and he had a rope?To tie to a limb and make it swing.?And Mrs. Wells, Mr. Wells's wife,?Gave me a peach and a chicken wing.
And I had a little cherry pie?And a piece of bread, and after we'd played?Two other songs, I had some cake?And another wing and some lemonade.
MUMPS
I had a feeling in my neck,?And on the sides were two big bumps;?I couldn't swallow anything?At all because I had the mumps.
And Mother tied it with a piece,?And then she tied up Will and John,?And no one else but Dick was left?That didn't have a mump rag on.
He teased at us and laughed at us,?And said, whenever he went by,?"It's vinegar and lemon drops?And pickles!" just to make us cry.
But Tuesday Dick was very sad?And cried because his neck was sore,?And not a one said sour things?To anybody any more.
THE CIRCUS
Friday came and the circus was there,?And Mother said that the twins and I?And Charles and Clarence and all of us?Could go out and see the parade go by.
And there were wagons with pictures on,?And you never could guess what they had inside,?Nobody could guess, for the doors were shut,?And there was a dog that a monkey could ride.
A man on the top of a sort of cart?Was clapping his hands and making a talk.?And the elephant came--he can step pretty far--?It made us laugh to see him walk.
Three beautiful ladies came riding by,?And each one had on a golden dress,?And each one had a golden whip.?They were queens of Sheba, I guess.
A big wild man was in a cage,?And he had some snakes going over his feet.?And somebody said "He eats them alive!"?But I didn't see him eat.
STRANGE TREE
Away beyond the Jarboe house?I saw a different kind of tree.?Its trunk was old and large and bent,?And I could feel it look at me.
The road was going on and on?Beyond to reach some other place.?I saw a tree that looked at me,?And yet it did not have a face.
It looked at me with all its limbs;?It looked at me with all its bark.?The yellow wrinkles on its sides?Were bent and dark.
And then I ran to get away,?But when I stopped to turn and see,?The tree was bending to the side?And leaning out to look at me.
THE BRANCH
We stopped at the branch on the way to the hill.?We stopped at the water a while and played.?We hid our things by the osage tree?And took off our shoes and stockings to wade.
There is sand at the bottom that bites at your feet,?And there is a rock where the waterfall goes.?You can poke your