[Illustration]

The spelling lesson.

Now, Pussy, you must be real good,
  And learn to spell like me;
When I say, “Pussy, what is this?”
  You must say, That is C.

Don’t scratch, and twist, and turn about,
  And try to get away;
But, Pussy, please to try and learn: 
  This is the letter A.

There now, that’s nice, you’re doing well;
  Oh, dear! where can she be;
Just as I’d taught her how to spell
  Clear to the letter T.

She jumped and ran away so fast,
  She must have seen a rat;
And now how will she ever know
  That C-A-T spells Cat.

[Illustration]

“Gee up, pony.”

When mother threw open the nursery door,
There she found uncle down on the floor;
While up on his back sat Harry and Fred,
And Nellie stood by and was stroking his head.

“This is my pony,” cried Harry:  “gee way;
Get on, old Dobbin—­don’t wait here all day.” 
And “Gee way,” says Freddy, who thinks he must do
Whatever his brother may do or say too.

And uncle good-humoredly keeps on his round,
Creeping and crawling about on the ground;
And mother still hears, as she goes on her way,
“Come, gee up, my pony—­don’t wait here all day.”

[Illustration]

Good-night and good-morning.

A fair little girl sat careless and free,
Sewing as long as her eyes could see;
Then smoothed her work, and folded it right,
And said “Dear Work! good-night! good-night!”

Such a number of rooks came over her head,
Crying “Caw!  Caw!” on their way to bed. 
She said, as she watched their curious flight,
“Little black things! good-night! good-night!”

The horses neighed, and the oxen lowed;
The sheeps “Bleat! bleat!” came over the road—­
All seeming to say with a quiet delight,
“Good little girl! good-night! good-night!”

The tall pink foxglove bowed his head—­
The violets curtsied and went to bed;
And good little Lucy tied up her hair,
And said on her knees her favorite prayer.

And while on her pillow she softly lay,
She knew nothing more till again it was day;
And all things said to the beautiful sun,
“Good-morning! good-morning! our work is begun.”

[Illustration]

A dear little granny.

I want to be your granny—­
  Granny, granny dear;
Do you think in glasses
  I’m anything like near?

Would you take me for her
  If I wore her cap;
Told you pretty stories,
  Took you in my lap?

Gave you lots of sweeties,
  Cakes and apples too? 
That’s the way that grannies,
  Dear old grannies do!

[Illustration]

Playing in the hay.