home!
Hark! hark to thy children's bewailing!

Fly back again, back again, lady-bird dear!
Thy neighbours will merrily welcome thee here,
With them shall no perils attend thee.
They'll guard thee so safely from danger or care,
They'll gaze on thy beautiful winglets so fair,
And comfort, and love, and befriend thee!

THE SELFISH SNAILS

It happened that a little snail
Came crawling, with his shiny tail,
Upon a cabbage-stalk;
But two more little snails were there,
Both feasting on this dainty fare,
Engaged in friendly talk.

"No, no, you shall not dine with us;
How dare you interrupt us thus?"
The greedy snails declare;
So their poor brother they discard,
Who really thinks it very hard
He may not have his share.

But selfish folks are sure to know
They get no good by being so
In earnest or in play;
Which those two snails confess'd, no doubt,
When soon the gardener spied them out,
And threw them both away.

ALPHABETS

QUARREL OF THE ALPHABET

Great A was alarmed at B's bad behaviour,
Because C, D, E, and F denied G a favour.
H got a husband, with I, J, K, and L,
M married Mary, and taught scholars how to spell.

It went hard at first with N, O, P, and Q,
With R, S, T, with single and double U,
The X and the Y it stuck in their gizzards,
Till they were made friends by the two crooked izzards.

This A, B, C, so little is it thought about,
Although by its aid great knowledge is brought about;
'Tis the groundwork of science, of wisdom the key, sir,
For what does a man know that knows not A, B, C, sir?
He is a blockhead, take it from me, sir,
That does not know his A, B, C, sir,
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N,
O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z.

A stands for Apple Pie,
B for Balloon,
C a nice custard
To eat with a spoon.
D for my doll,
When from lessons released,
E sister Ellen, and
F for a Feast.
G for the Garden,
Where oft-time we play.
H you will find
In a field of sweet Hay.
I was an Inkstand,
Thrown over for fun.
J brother Joseph,
By whom it was done.
K is our Kitten,
Who plays with her tail,
L our maid Lucy
With milk in her pail.
M my kind Mother,
I love her so well.
N