"Now Sis-sy shall hear a nice sto-ry," he said, "all a-bout Christ-mas. Sis-sy shall have beau-ti-ful things Christ-mas—a big i-vo-ry rat-tle with long red rib-bons, and a pict-ure-book, and a dol-ly with black hair, and a soft ball all blue and yel-low—and broth-er will buy them for her all him-self."
Ba-by said, "Goo-goo," and smiled a hon-ey-smile.
WHAT BA-BY LIKED.
One day, when mamma went to drive and left Ba-by-boy Joe with Nel-ly, she found out ten things that lit-tle ba-by-boys like.
She found that Ba-by-boy Joe liked to dance at the Ba-by-boy Joe in the mirror. He liked to hold the paper-weight—a smooth round stone, like an egg. He liked to hold a soft, fragrant, red rose—Nel-ly gave him a white one, but he dropped it and held the red one. He liked to be carried all a-bout the house. He liked to sit up in his crib and pound a pillow with his lit-tle fists. He liked to hold papas cane. He liked to put his hand on Pussy and smooth her soft fur. He liked a tiny sip of wa-ter. He liked a branch of green leaves. And he liked to hear Nel-ly sing.
All these things Ba-by-boy Joe had and did, in one short hour, while mamma was a-way.
And when mamma came back he was fast asleep in his lit-tle brass bed, and Nel-ly had put the house in or-der.