Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Bookflute, He couldn't make a penny with his tootle-ti-toot. One day he met a singular Quaint old man with a big tu_ba_, Who said: "I've travelled wide and far But I haven't made a penny with my _oom_-pah-pah." _Oom_-pah! _Oom_-pah! _Oom_-pah-pah! _Oom_-pah! _Oom_-pah! _Oom_-pah-pah! Though he played all day on his big tu_ba_ He couldn't make a penny with his _oom_-pah-pah. Then they met two men who were hammering On a big bass drum and a cymbal thing, Who said: "We've banged since early spring And we haven't made a penny with our boom-zing-zing." _Boom_-zing! _Boom_-zing! _Boom_-zing-zing! _Boom_-b-b-_boom_-boom--zing-zing! Though the banged on the drum and the cymbal thing They couldn't make a penny with their _boom_-zing-zing. So the man with the flute Played tootle-ti-toot, And the other man he played _oom_-pah, While the men with the drum and the cymbal thing Went: _boom_-b-b-_boom_-boom--zing-zing! And they travelled wide and far. Together they made the welkin ring With a Tootle-ootle! _Oom_-pah! _Boom_-zing-zing! Tootle-ootle! _Oom_-pah! _Boom_-zing-zing! Tootle-ootle! _Oom_-pah! _Boom_-zing-zing! And Oh! the pennies the people fling! When they hear the tootle-_oom_-pah-_boom_-zing-zing! Katherine Maynadier Browne The Cautious Cat by D.K. Stevens A Cautious Cat And a Reckless Rat Went to sea with an Innocent Lamb. They sailed in a yawl With nothing at all To eat but a Sugar-cured Ham. The wind blew high In a sky-blue sky, At a rate they had never foreseen. The wind blew low, And the wind also Blew a little bit in between-- Just a little bit in between. Said the Cautious Cat To the Reckless Rat, Likewise to the Innocent Lamb: "We'll tack this smack And sail right back To send a Mar-coni-o-gram. For the winds might blow Both high and low And I wouldn't care a Lima Bean, But I never can sail When the ocean gale Blows a little bit in between-- Just a little bit in between. "Of course with me You will never agree," Said the Cat to the Rat and the Lamb, "But if you balk You will have to walk,-- That's the kind of kitten I am!" So they sailed right back On the larboard tack To the nearest port of call, And the Reckless Rat Let it go at that, While the Lamb said nothing at all-- Said nothing--whatever--at all. Katherine Maynadier Browne THREE LITTLE BEARS BY M. C. McNEILL Three little bears came into the town. "How do you do?" said everybody. Their faces were smiling, with never a frown. "How sweet!" said everybody. The three little bears made three little bows. "How very polite!" said everybody. They bowed as boys bow in dancing-school. "What airs and what grace!" said everybody. One little bear had a little red coat. "How smart!" said everybody. One had a tippet all made of soft down. "How cozy and warm!" said everybody. And one was a fiddler of great renown. "What charming music!" said everybody. The three little bears began then to dance. "How cute!" said everybody. "What do you want, you little black bears With manners so nice?" said everybody. "I don't like to be a fool, so I want to go to school," Said the red-coated bear to everybody. Then Tommy Perkins, making a bow, Right in front of everybody, Took down his book and his slate as well, And began to explain to everybody Just what the little black bears should do To read and to cipher like everybody. "Sit up quite straight, and mind your stops; Say, 'A, B, C,' for everybody." "A, B, C," said the three little bears, All in one voice, to everybody. "A, B, C! What fiddle-dee-dee!" Was whispered aloud by everybody. "I want to count," said one little bear. "One! Two! Three! Four!" shouted everybody. "We're not at all deaf!" said the three little bears. "Oh! I beg your pardon!" said everybody. "We'd like to learn manners," said the three little bears; "And we'd like to learn from everybody, But every one hasn't fine manners," they said. "Some have very bad manners," said everybody. "What manners you have may be better than ours," Said the three little bears to everybody, "For we live in the wood--which no manners requires." "Then how did you learn?" said everybody. "For when you came in you were quite as polite As Tommy Perkins," said everybody. "You bowed and you danced, while we all sat entranced, So sweet were the notes," said everybody. "You wanted to learn to say, 'A, B, C,' Like good little bears," said everybody. "And when we exclaimed, 'Such fiddle-dee-dee!' No notice you took," said everybody. "And when we all shouted out, 'One! Two! Three! Four!' Instead of roaring," said everybody, "You gently reminded us all that in school We must not be noisy," said everybody. "If you won't teach us manners, We're going back home," Said the three little bears to everybody. "For after the night falls it won't do to roam; So we'll say our farewells to everybody." Then they stood up and bowed, and held out their paws, And shook hands all round with everybody. "We'll dance all the way, for we know how to play," Said the three little bears to everybody. "And with our best compliments we wish you good day." "Good day and good luck!" said everybody. THE SNOWMAN BY W. W. ELLSWORTH One day we built a snowman. We made him out of snow; You'd ought to see how fine he was-- All white from top to toe! We poured some water on him, And froze him, legs and ears; And when we went indoors to bed _I_ said he'd last two years. But in the night a warmer kind Of wind began to blow, And winter cried and ran away, And with it ran the snow. And in the morning when we went To bid our friend good day, There wasn't any snowman there-- _Everything_'d runned away! #ANIMAL STORIES# TINY HARE AND THE WIND BALL A STORY FOR VERY LITTLE FOLK TO READ. NO WORD IN IT HAS MORE THAN FOUR LETTERS BY A. L. SYKES "I want to do just as I like," said Tiny Hare to his Mama one day, as he ran to the door of his home. "What do you want to do, my dear?" she said. "I do not know, but I want to do just as I like," said Tiny Hare. [Illustration: "SOON MAN CAME BY."] "You may run out a wee bit of a way, and run and jump and play in the sun," said his Mama. "I do not want to run and jump and play. I want to do just as I like," said Tiny Hare. "You may eat the good food that you can find near our home," said his Mama, "but if you go far MAN may get you, or DOG may eat you, or HAWK may fly away with you." "I do not want to eat the good food that I can see here. I want to do just as I like." Papa Hare then said very low and deep, "_What_ do you want to do, my son?" "I do not know," said Tiny Hare, "but I want to do just as I like." Then said Papa Hare, "Do not wake me from my nap any more now, and when the big moon is high in the sky, and it is just like day. I will take you far out in the wood, and you may run and jump and play and eat, and be very safe, for MAN will be in his hom |