Baby Chatterbox

Excerpt

THE NEW BABY.

A new little baby came down from the sky—
Came down from the sky in the night.
A soft little baby, with violet eyes,
Shining, and pure, and white.
But how did the little new baby get
Down here from the depths of the sky?
She couldn't have come alone, you know,
For she's much too young to fly.
Oh! the angels carried her down in their arms
From the far-away, beautiful blue;
Brought her down from the arms of God,
A present to me and to you.
So, you see, we must kiss the baby,
And give her a lot of love,
That she may not need the angels
Till she meets them again above.
"Dolly, my dearest, you really must walk,
You shall not be lazy, you never will talk;
And, as I've got all the talking to do,
I think you might please me by walking, don't you?
"So, dolly, come out to the paddock with me,
I'll show you the apples that grow on the tree,
I'll show you the bees, and the butterflies, too,
The hills all so purple, the sky all so blue.
"You must walk, dolly, dear; see, your shoes are so gay;
You only have worn them twice since your birthday.
Red hat and red feather—now come, if you please,
Gently, my dolly, we learn by degrees."
Ah! now you walk so very nicely, my dear,
You soon will be going as fast as a deer,
And then such racing, we will have all day long,
Playing "tag" in the very midst of the throng.

WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

Hop, hop, hop! In it came at the window, the dearest little yellow canary, not a bit afraid; chirping, turning its pretty head this way and that, and asking its little bird questions which nobody could understand.

George, and Winifred, and little Bruce were all filled with delight and amazement at the small visitor. Wise George flew to shut the window, kind Winny ran for cake, and solemn Bruce took his finger out of his mouth and stared.

Meanwhile Dicky sidled, and fluttered, and chattered, and at last showed he was used to society by setting down on George's finger, winking at Bruce, and making a good meal of Winny's cake.

"Do you think he can have flown straight from the Canary Islands?" asked Winny.

But George shook his head; it was too far.

But still they had a feeling that the little visitor was a sort of emigrant, who must be led to settle at Fairleigh Cottage; and Winny ran to ask her mother for the half-crown out of her money-box to buy him a cage.

"Mother's coming," she said. "She thinks Birdie belongs to some one else, because he is so tame."

"But there are no canaries in the village, except the schoolmaster's pair," said wise George; "and this little beauty is not one of them. I really think this bird must have come to look for a home."

Stands over Apples,
So rosy and round.Begins the word Berries,
Which grow near the ground.Commences Cherries,
They grow upon trees.Date-Palms or Desert,
Spell which word you please.One little black duck,
One little gray,
Six little white ducks
Running out to play.
One white lady-duck, motherly and trim,
Eight little baby-ducks bound for a swim....