THE BRIGADE TAKES A BATH
From room to room these warriors marched,
And waged a warfare keen,
Against the power of old King Dirt,
Till all the house was clean.
Then having finished well their work,
Again they climbed the stair,
In broken ranks with mulish pranks,
A welcome bath to share.
They filled the tub with water clear,
And slipped outside their togs,
And three or four with hearty cheer,
Jumped in like jolly frogs.
Jumped in, I say, but that was all;
For, friends, what do you think!
The water was so very hard,
They found they could not sink!
A situation queer as this
Is wrong, you must admit;
And so they sprinkled Borax in
The water—just a bit.
This made it soft, and in they sank
And kicked and splashed it high,
Till ordered out that others might
Their places occupy.
“Ere long their Captain shouted: ‘March!’”