A dazzling icy splendor,
And crystal is the rose.

Around the eaves are fringes
Of icicles that seem
To mock the summer rainbows
With many-colored gleam.

Along the walk, the pebbles
Are each a precious stone;
The grass is tasseled hoarfrost,
The clover jewel-sown.

Such sparkle, sparkle, sparkle
Fills all the frosty air,
Oh, can it be that darkness
Is ever anywhere!

THE RUNAWAY

A frantic clatter of horses' feet!
A runaway's coming down the street!
Flurry, scurry,
Children, hurry!
Drop your playthings! Quick! don't wait!
Run and get within the gate!
Push the baby in the door,
Scramble in yourselves before
--_Whoa! Whoa!_
There they go!
Pell-mell rushing, snorting, quaking,
Wagon rumbling, harness breaking,
Frightened so they cannot know
Everybody's shrieking "_Whoa!_"
O my, don't cry!
Whiz, bang, they've galloped by!
No one hurt, but horses dashed
Round a post and wagon smashed!
Dear me! Dear me!
When a runaway we see,
Children, too, must run, oh, fast!
Run and hide as it goes past!

LOST!

"Peep! Peep! Peep!" Poor little chick!
Little cry so weak and small,
Meadow grass so tall and thick,
And the clover tufts so tall!

Little heart in sore distress,
Longing for the mother wing;
Through the weedy wilderness
Searching for its sheltering!

THE QUEEN'S PAGE

Once I was a little page
To a May-day queen,
And I wore a little coat
Made of Lincoln green.

Oh, the queen was beautiful!
And she had a bright
Crown of golden cuckoo-buds
And violets blue and white.

On the step beside her throne
I sat very still,
Ready, as a page should be,
To obey her will.

And before us little girls,
Each with garlands gay,
Round a May-pole danced and sang
Almost all the day.

OUR TREE-TOAD

Grandfather says the tree-toad,
That to our yard has come,
Is just a little wee toad
No bigger than his thumb!

And that his coat's so queer it
Can turn from green to blue!
Whatever color's near it,
Why, that's its color, too!

And then Grandfather snickers
And says, "Would you suppose
He climbs with little stick