THE CHRISTMAS PIE.
BY MRS. DAVID MACLURE.
It was a merry Christmas Day
Not many years gone by;
A day of gifts and songs, my dear—
Description they defy;
But some especial features were
Roast turkey, nuts, and pie—
Particularly Pie!
On that bright day, not long ago,
A little friend of mine
Had had a merry time, my dear
(His age, I think, was nine);
He had a merry time, I say,
With all that cash could buy—
Especially with Pie!
He went to bed that Christmas night,
And closed his weary eye;
And what occurred thereafter, dear,
Was traceable to pie,
Though turkey had a share indeed,
Which no one can deny—
But not compared with Pie!
At midnight's still uncanny hour,
Lo! perched on each bedpost,
Appeared a long-necked turkey hen—
A pale, plucked, pimply ghost—
And sat and ogled him the while,
With wicked, leering eye,
Ejaculating "Pie!"
And there they sat through all the night,
Except that once each chime
They played at leap-frog on the bed,
And chanted all the time
A very melancholy song,
In tones pitched harsh and high:
"O give, O give me Pie!"
At early dawn my youthful friend
Sprang from his bed in flight,
To find the phantoms of his dreams
Had vanished with the night.
Said he: "Good Christmas cheer is fine,
But Wisdom's voice doth cry:
Pray draw the line at Pie!"
So, dear young friends, a word to you
Right at this Christmas Eve:
Use caution with your appetite,
Or cause may come to grieve.
Remember, Indigestion, dear,
Few stomachs can defy,
And draw the line at Pie.
[THE MAGIC STOCKING.]
A BIT OF CHRISTMAS MERRIMENT IN ONE ACT.
CHARACTERS:
| Santa Claus, a jolly old elf. |
| Mary, mother's little woman, aged thirteen. |
| Nan, a stout champion of Santa Claus, aged eight. |
| Lucy, a wee darling of three years. |
| Tommy, a scoffer at Santa Claus, aged eleven. |