reek;
Consulted cyclopaedias and manuscripts antique,
Essays in Anthropology, studies in counterpoise--
"For these," he said, "are useful lore for little girls and boys."

He scribbled hard, and scribbled fast, he burned the midnight oil,
And when he reached "The End" he felt rewarded for his toil;
He said, "This charming Children's Book is greatly to my credit."
And now he's sorely puzzled that no child has ever read it.

[Illustration]

An Intercepted Valentine

Little Bo-Peep, will you be mine?
I want you for my Valentine.
You are my choice of all the girls,
With your blushing cheeks and your fluttering curls,
With your ribbons gay and your kirtle neat,
None other is so fair and sweet.
Little Bo-Peep, let's run away,
And marry each other on Midsummer Day;
And ever to you I'll be fond and true,

Your faithful Valentine,
LITTLE BOY BLUE.

A Long-Felt Want

[Illustration]

One day wee Willie and his dog
Sprawled on the nursery floor.
He had a florist's catalogue,
And turned the pages o'er,

Till all at once he gave a spring,
"Hurrah!" he cried with joy;
"Mamma, here's just the very thing
To give your little boy!

"For when we fellows go to school,
We lose our things, you know;
And in that little vestibule
They do get mixed up so.

"And as you often say you can't
Take care of 'em for me,
Why don't you buy a _rubber plant_,
And an _umbrella tree_?"

The Musical Carp

There once was a corpulent carp
Who wanted to play on a harp,
But to his chagrin
So short was his fin
That he couldn't reach up to C sharp.

[Illustration]

The Intelligent Hen

[Illustration]

'Twas long ago,--a year or so,--
In a barnyard by the sea,
That an old hen lived whom you may know
By the name of Fiddle-de-dee.
She scratched around in the sand all day,
For a lively old hen was she.

And then do you know, it happened this way
In that barnyard by the sea;
A great wise owl came down one day,
And hooted at Fiddle-de-dee,
Just hooted at Fiddle-de-dee.
And he cried, "Hi! Hi! old hen, I say!
You're provincial, it seems to me!"

"Why, what do you mean?" cried the old red hen,
As mad as hops was she.
"Oh, I've been 'round among great men,
In the world where the great men be.
And none of them scratch with their claws like you,
They write with a