“Let me see if Philip can
    Be a little gentleman;
    Let me see if he is able
    To sit still for once at table”: 
    Thus Papa bade Phil behave;
    And Mamma looked very grave. 
    But fidgety Phil,
    He won’t sit still;
    He wriggles,
    And giggles,
    And then, I declare,
    Swings backwards and forwards,
    And tilts up his chair,
    Just like any rocking horse—­
    “Philip!  I am getting cross!”

    See the naughty, restless child
    Growing still more rude and wild,
    Till his chair falls over quite. 
    Philip screams with all his might,
    Catches at the cloth, but then
    That makes matters worse again. 
    Down upon the ground they fall,
    Glasses, plates, knives, forks, and all. 
    How Mamma did fret and frown,
    When she saw them tumbling down! 
    And Papa made such a face! 
    Philip is in sad disgrace.

    Where is Philip, where is he? 
    Fairly covered up you see! 
    Cloth and all are lying on him;
    He has pulled down all upon him. 
    What a terrible to-do! 
    Dishes, glasses, snapt in two! 
    Here a knife, and there a fork! 
    Philip, this is cruel work. 
    Table all so bare, and ah! 
    Poor Papa, and poor Mamma
    Look quite cross, and wonder how
    They shall have their dinner now.

The Story of Johnny Head-in-Air

    As he trudged along to school,
    It was always Johnny’s rule
    To be looking at the sky
    And the clouds that floated by;
    But what just before him lay,
    In his way,
    Johnny never thought about;
    So that every one cried out
    “Look at little Johnny there,
    Little Johnny Head-In-Air!”

    Running just in Johnny’s way
    Came a little dog one day;
    Johnny’s eyes were still astray
    Up on high,
    In the sky;
    And he never heard them cry
    “Johnny, mind, the dog is nigh!”
    Bump! 
    Dump! 
    Down they fell, with such a thump,
    Dog and Johnny in a lump!

    Once, with head as high as ever,
    Johnny walked beside the river. 
    Johnny watched the swallows trying
    Which was cleverest at flying. 
    Oh! what fun! 
    Johnny watched the bright round sun
    Going in and coming out;
    This was all he thought about. 
    So he strode on, only think! 
    To the river’s very brink,
    Where the bank was high and steep,
    And the water very deep;
    And the fishes, in a row,
    Stared to see him coming so.

    One step more! oh! sad to tell! 
    Headlong in poor Johnny fell. 
    And the fishes, in dismay,
    Wagged their tails and swam away.

    There lay Johnny on his face,
    With his nice red writing-case;
    But, as they were passing by,
    Two strong men had heard him cry;
    And, with sticks, these two strong men
    Hooked poor Johnny out again.