eget
Than was felt by young Joe
For his four-footed pet.

Joe groomed him and fed him,
And, each market day,
Would talk to his darling
The whole of the way;
And Jack before dawn
Would be pushing the door,
As though he would say,
"Up Joe; slumber no more."

One day Jack was wandering
Along the roadside,
When an urchin the donkey
Maliciously eyed;
And aiming too surely
At Jack a sharp stone,
It struck the poor beast
Just below the shin bone.

Joe soothed and caressed him
And coaxed him until
They came to a stream
By the side of the hill;
And with cool water
He washed the swoll'n limb,
And after this fashion
Kept talking to him:--

"Poor Jack did they pelt him--
The cowards, so sly!
I wish I'd been there,
With my stick, standing by:
It doesn't bleed now--
'Twill be well in a trice;
There, let me just wash it--
Now isn't that nice?"

And Jack nestled down
With his soft velvet nose,
And close as he could,
Under Joe's ragged clothes;
And he looked at his master,
As though he would say--
"I'm sure I can never
Your kindness repay."

S. W. P.

The Donkey's Song

"Please, Mr Donkey, Sing a song,"
A black-bird said, one day.
The don-key o-pened wide his mouth,
The black-bird flew a-way.

The Ass

The Ass, when treated well by man,
To pleas him will do all he can;
But if his master uses him ill,
He will not work, but stand stock-still,

To market he will carry peas,
And coals, or any thing you please;
He is not over-nice with meat,
For thorns and thistles he will eat.

He drinks no water but what's clean;
His nose he puts not in the stream;
His feet he does not like to wet,
But out of dirty roads will get.

Poor Donkey's Epitaph

Down in this ditch poor donkey lies,
Who jogg'd with many a load;
And till the day death clos'd his eyes,
Brows'd up and down this road.

No shelter had he for his head,
Whatever winds might blow;
A neighb'ring commons was his bed,
Tho' drest in sheets of snow.

In this green ditch he often stray'd
To nip the dainty grass;
And friendly invitations bray'd
To some more hungry ass.

Each market-day he jogg'd along
Beneath the gard'ner's load,
And snor'd out many a donkey's song
To friends upon the road.

A tu