And many other curious things
That did his hearers good,—
Of cats that did a swimmin’ go
And eels that chew’d the cud;
And toads that dance upon their ears
When they a courtin’ go;
And moles that stand upon their heads,
That they may see the show.
His sermon, as you see, was queer,
And muchly out of joint;—
And ’cause the preacher took no text,
He failed to make his point.
And soon his hearers all grew tired,
And mortified and vex’d,
Because he chose to play the fool,
And preach without a text.
And so they left him there alone—
And this is what befel—
He grew so mad it broke his heart,
And almost burst his shell.
Moral.
If you successfully would preach,
Be sure a text to take,
And stick unto it like a leech
Until your point you make.
[Skye.]
The Dog with the Beautiful Eye.
Someone has written a song about “Tray,”
But no one has courage to write about Skye;
So methinks I will rhyme, in my own rugged way,
Of the queer little dog with the beautiful eye.