Wade and Silas-Walker cry,—­
“Igo and Ago—­
Annie’s kissin’ ’em ’good-bye’!”—­
Iram, coram, dago.

Aunty waves us fond farewells.—­
“Igo and Ago,”
Granny pipes, “tak care yersels!”
Iram, coram, dago.

* * * * *

THE LITTLE LADY

O The Little Lady’s dainty
As the picture in a book,
And her hands are creamy-whiter
Than the water-lilies look;
Her laugh’s the undrown’d music
Of the maddest meadow-brook.—­
Yet all in vain I praise The Little Lady!

  Her eyes are blue and dewy
    As the glimmering Summer-dawn,—­
  Her face is like the eglantine
    Before the dew is gone;
  And were that honied mouth of hers
    A bee’s to feast upon,
  He’d be a bee bewildered, Little Lady!

  Her brow makes light look sallow;
    And the sunshine, I declare,
  Is but a yellow jealousy
    Awakened by her hair—­
  For O the dazzling glint of it
    Nor sight nor soul can bear,—­
  So Love goes groping for The Little Lady.

* * * * *

[Illustration:  “SHE’S BUT A RACING SCHOOL-GIRL.”]

* * * * *

  And yet she’s neither Nymph nor Fay,
    Nor yet of Angelkind:—­
  She’s but a racing school-girl, with
    Her hair blown out behind
  And tremblingly unbraided by
    The fingers of the Wind,
  As it wildly swoops upon The Little Lady.

* * * * *

“COMPANY MANNERS”

  When Bess gave her Dollies a Tea, said she,—­
  “It’s unpolite, when they’s Company,
  To say you’ve drinked two cups, you see,—­
  But say you’ve drinked a couple of tea.”

[Illustration]

* * * * *

IN FERVENT PRAISE OF PICNICS

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

  Picnics is fun ’at’s purty hard to beat. 
  I purt’-nigh ruther go to them than eat. 
  I purt’-nigh ruther go to them than go
  With our Char_lot_ty to the Trick-Dog Show.

* * * * *

THE GOOD, OLD-FASHIONED PEOPLE

  When we hear Uncle Sidney tell
    About the long-ago
  An’ old, old friends he loved so well
    When he was young—­My-oh!—­
  Us childern all wish we’d ’a’ bin
    A-livin’ then with Uncle,—­so
  We could a-kindo’ happened in
    On them old friends he used to know!—­
      The good, old-fashioned people—­
      The hale, hard-working people—­
      The kindly country people
        ’At Uncle used to know!