So they got their plates and knives,
Their children and their wives,
And gobbled up the beetle on the broomstraw.

MULE THOUGHTS

A silly little mule
Sat on a milking stool
And tried to write a letter to his father.
But he couldn't find the ink,
So he said: "I rather think
This writing letters home is too much bother."

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

A CANDLE, A CANDLE

A candle, a candle
To light me to bed;
A pillow, a pillow
To tuck up my head.
The moon is as sleepy as sleepy can be,
The stars are all pointing their fingers at me,
And Missus Hop-Robin, way up in her nest,
Is rocking her tired little babies to rest.
So give me a blanket
To tuck up my toes,
And a little soft pillow
To snuggle my nose.

[Illustration]

BAXTER

Baxter had a billy-goat
Wall-eyed and double jointed.
He took him to the barber shop
And had his head anointed.

LODDY, GIN, AND ELLA ZANDER

Loddy, Gin, and Ella Zander
Rode to market on a gander;
Bought a crane for half a dollar;
Loddy led him by the collar.

Mister Crane said: "Hi there, master,
Can't you make your legs work faster?
We can't poke along this way."
Then he slowly flew away.
Loddy held him fast, you bet,
And he hasn't come home yet.

AS I WAS GOING DOWN THE HILL

As I was going down the hill
In front of Missus Knapp's
I saw the little Knapperines
All in their winter wraps--
Purple mitts and mufflers
And knitted jersey caps.

As I was coming back again
In front of Missus Knapp's
I saw that awful lady
Give about a dozen slaps
To every little Knapperine--
I thought it was, perhaps,
Because they gathered stickers
In their knitted jersey caps.

[Illustration: GOING DOWN THE HILL IN FRONT OF MRS. KNAPP'S]

[Illustration]

A LITTLE BOY RAN TO THE END OF THE SKY

A little boy ran to the end of the sky
With a rag and a pole and a gooseberry pie.
He cried: "Three cheers for the Fourth of July!"
With a rag and a pole and a gooseberry pie.

He saw three little donkeys at play,
He tickled their noses to make them bray,
And he didn't come back until Christmas Day--
With a rag and a pole and a gooseberry pie.

DISCRETION

A man with a nickel,
A sword, and a sickle,
A pipe, and a paper of pins
Set out for the Niger
To capture a tiger--