isty sea, oh,
The snake had sometimes nothing to eat,
And an angry snake was he, oh.

Then he'd flick his tongue and his head he'd shake,
Over the misty sea, oh,
Crying, "Gooseberry-pie! For goodness' sake
Some gooseberry-pie for me, oh!"

And if gooseberry-pie was not to be had,
Over the misty sea, oh,
He'd twine and twist like an eel gone mad,
Or a worm just stung by a bee, oh.

But though he might shout and wriggle about,
Over the misty sea, oh,
The snake had often to go without
His breakfast, dinner, and tea, oh.

Henry Johnstone.

_Snake Story_

There was a little Serpent and he wouldn't go to school--
Oh, what a naughty little Snake!
He grinn'd and put his tongue out when they said it was the rule--
Ah, what a naughty face to make.

He wriggled off behind a stone and hid himself from sight--
Oh, what a naughty thing to do!
And went to sleep as if it were the middle of the night--
I wouldn't do like that, would you?

He dreamt of stealing linties' eggs and sucking them quite dry--
Oh, what a greedy thing to dream!
And then he dreamt that he had wings and knew the way to fly--
Ah, what a pleasure that would seem!

By came a collie dog and said, "What have we here?
Oh, it's a horrid little Snake!"
He bark'd at him and woke him up and fill'd him full of fear--
Ah, how his heart began to quake!

How the Serpent got away he really didn't know--
Oh, what a dreadful fright he got!
But he hurried all the way to school as hard as he could go,
Dusty and terrified and hot.

As into school he wriggled, they were putting books away--
"Oh," says the master, "is it you?
Stand upon that stool, sir, while the others go to play;
That's what a truant has to do."

Henry Johnstone.

_The Melancholy Pig_

There was a Pig, that sat alone,
Beside a ruined Pump.
By day and night he made his moan:
It would have stirred a heart of stone
To see him wring his hoofs and groan,
Because he could not jump.

Lewis Carroll.

_Hospitality_

Said a Snake to a Frog with a wrinkled skin,
"As I notice, dear, that your dress is thin,
And a rain is coming, I'll take you in."