[Illustration]
"I'm yet _nine_!"
Growls "Lud'rick" Stein.
[Illustration]
"Hi! here's _ten_!"
Whoops Catfish Ben.
[Illustration]
"And now we march, in daring line,
For the banks of Brandywine!"
* * * * *
4
"IT"
A wee little worm in a hickory-nut
Sang, happy as he could be,--
[Illustration]
"O I live in the heart of the whole round world,
And it all belongs to me!"
* * * * *
5
THE DARING PRINCE
A daring prince, of the realm Rangg Dhune,
Once went up in a big balloon
[Illustration]
That caught and stuck on the horns of the moon,
And he hung up there till next day noon--
When all at once he exclaimed, "Hoot-toot!"
And then came down in his parachute.
[Illustration]
* * * * *
A DUBIOUS "OLD KRISS"
[Illustration]
Us-folks is purty _pore_--but Ma
She's waitin'--two years more--tel Pa
He serve his term out. Our Pa he--
_He's in the Penitenchurrie_!
Now don't you never _tell_!--'cause _Sis_,
The _baby_, _she_ don't know he is.--
'Cause she wuz only four, you know,
He kissed her last an' hat to go!
Pa alluz liked Sis best of all
Us childern.--'Spect it's 'cause she fall
"When she'uz ist a _child_, one day--
An' make her back look thataway.
Pa--'fore he be a burglar--he's
A locksmiff, an' maked locks, an' keys,
An' knobs you pull fer bells to ring,
An' he could ist make _anything_!--
[Illustration]
'Cause our Ma say he can!--An' this
Here little pair o' crutches Sis
Skips round on--Pa maked _them_--yes-sir!--
An' silivur-plate-name here fer her!
Pa's out o' work when Chris'mus come
One time, an' stay away from home,
An' 's drunk an' 'buse our Ma, an' swear
They ain't no "Old Kriss" anywhere!
An' Sis she alluz say they wuz
A' Old Kriss--an' she alluz does.
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