s only plaster;
'Twas my dolly, my dolly, my own."
And she knelt by the mangled plaything.
"And now I am left all alone."

Ten years from that very evening,
I stood by the couch of a child,
While a man knelt and wept beside it,
With a face both haggard and wild.

'Twas the old scene of the dolly repeated,
The boy had to manhood grown;
A hand crushed his plaster idol
And left him to mourn all alone.

Ah me! how the world is repeated,
The work of each day o'er and o'er.
We all have our broken dollies
Away on the golden shore.
Did he think, I wonder, of that one
He threw on the carpetless floor.

Watson

[Illustration: Cruel Boy keeping Doll away from Crying Girl.]

[Page 54--Dolly Land]

I am homesick, Dolly Dear

Dolly knows what's the matter--
Dolly and I.
It isn't the mumps nor the measles--
Oh! dear, I shall die!
It's the mothering we want, Dolly,
The--what shall I call it?
And grandpa says he has sent--
He put the 'spatch safe in his wallet.

I know well enough that he dropped
That telegraph 'spatch in the fire,
If mother just knew, she'd come
If 'twas on the telegraph wire!
She'd take my poor head,
That is splitting this very minute,
And she'd sing "There's a Happy Land,"
And the hymn that has "Darling" in it.

Course, I like grandpa's house;
It's the splendidest place to stay,
When there's all the outdoors to live in,
And nothing to do but to play;
Somehow you forget your mother--
That is, just the littlest bit,
Though if she were here, I suppose
That I shouldn't mention it.

But oh! there's a difference, Dolly,
When your head is so full of pains
That ('cepting the ache that's in 'em)
There's nothing left of your brains,
Remember how nice it feels, Dolly,
To have your head petted and "poored."
Ache? Why I ache all over,
And my bed is as hard as a board.

Nurse says "It's a sweet, lovely morning."
It may be for all that I care;
There's just one spot in this great wide world
That is pretty--I wish I was there!
I can see the white roses climbing
All over the low porch door,
And the daisies and buttercups growing--
I never half loved them before.

And mother--let's see! she's standing
In that very same door, no doubt;
She loves to look out in the morning
And see what t