He held her hand and gazed about with pride,
As though to challenge those who'd say him nay;
He held her hand—and nestling to her side,
The interested audience heard him say;
"Oh, Momie, dear, you're sweet as any rose—
I love you more dan anybody knows."
IMAGINATION
Oncet, when I was a gret big man, I got mad at the way
Ol' nurses bossed the childruns an' so I wouldn't stay;
I jest got up and pushed my house right over—yes, I did;
An' then I turned the streets all round, and runned away and hid!
When I come back, my childruns was cryin' awful loud,
Fer nobody knowed wher they lived, an' there was such a crowd.
I says, "Now, folks must shet their eyes—don't open them a crack!"—
An' then I straightened out the streets, an' put the houses back.
'N oncet I was a neluphant, as big as all outdoors,
'N every time I turned around it shook the roofs and floors;
I walked down to the river, and I drunk it up—All up,
Jest like it was some cambric tea in my ol' silver cup.
An' when the people come fer me, I jest set down, kerplunk!
An' squashed 'em flat—an' picked them up—an' packed 'em in my trunk!
'N then I twist my trunk off, an' throwed it all away—
You better let me go, Louise—I might do that to-day!
You won't? All right—you'd better did, for one time long ago,
Before I gotter be a boy, I was a bear—oh, no—
I was a snake—a yaller snake, an' I was ten miles long,
'N all I et was nurse girls—yes, I did, although 'twas wrong.
That was a million years ago, but something—inside me—
Tells me I'm goin' to be a snake again—jest watch and see!
You don't believe a word I say? Well, I don't care—I do—
How could I 'member all these things, unlessen they was true?
WILLING TO TRADE
The doctor brung a baby up to our house last week—
A little bit of thing it is—but my! it's gotta squeak!
It makes a noise that's twice as big as you expect to hear,
And then ma says, "Go right away—you mustn't tease him, dear!"
She seems to like it more than me—
But I ain't jealous, no, siree!
I told the boys, and Billy Black, he says, "Well, that is nice,
But I would rather have my dog—they're worth more at the price,
For pa says babies cost a lot to feed and dress and train,
And Rover, he is smart, he is, and gotter splendid brain!"
I kinder feel that very way—
But ma says baby's come to stay.
Frank Brown has got a billygoat that pulls him on his sled,
And Kenneth's got a ponycart; but pa looked cross and said
I mustn't talk so foolish when I asked him if I might
Go trade our baby for a pony or a goat, last night.
I s'pose he knew nobody'd trade
A goat for any baby made!
I wouldn't mind it, I believe, if any boy I knew
Would envy me for what we've got, but that's what they won't do!