And his mother never punished him after all, but just hugged him until he squeaked, "Oh, mother, you're squeezing the breath out of me!"
But just the same, dear children,
Remember to obey,
For you might be unlucky
And lose your homeward way.
A NEW YEAR'S PRAYER
God grant that I the new year through
May strive with heart and soul to do
Those things which are most good and true.
God grant that I each morning start
My duties with a cheerful heart,
And faithfully perform my part.
To wear a smile all through the day,
To banish thoughts unkind away;
And when my bedtime comes, to pray.
To say my prayers with folded hands
As night comes softly o'er the lands,
To Him, who always understands.
And when the bells on New Year's dawn
Proclaim the bright New Year is born,
And I awake on New Year's morn,
I pray Him whisper, low and sweet,
To help me guide my wayward feet,
Lest I forget my prayer to meet.
[THE OLD WOMAN UNDER THE HILL]
There was an old woman
Lived under the hill,
And if she's not married
She's living there still.