TO BY L-E BENEDICT BOSTON LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS 10 Milk Street 1893 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. ©Imp, ©ajitjrigijt 3ftu Shelf :3&jI UNITED STATES OE AMERICA. PIECES TO SPEAK BY / EMMA LEE BENEDICT JgFWASHW- BOSTON >7^l LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS No. 10 Milk Street 1893 ^ Is - All rights reserved Pieces to Speak pbess or BOSTON, U.S.A. CONTENTS PART I NATURE SONGS PAGE Autumn Leaves ....... 3 A March Wind ....... 4 The First Snow G Morning-Glories ....... 8 The Pine-Tree 9 Song of the Tree in Spring .... 10 Eidelweiss . . . . . . . . 11 A Wild Rose 12 Sunshine Flowers ....... 13 A Merry-Go-Round with the Months . . 1-t THE WAYS OF The Chimpanzee The Three Frogs Pussy's Advice Hens and Chickens Froggie's Trials Robin's Refrain Grandfather's Story PART II F SOME ANIMAL FRIENDS 21 22 23 2f> 20 20 .Y ..... 28 PART III HEARTH-STONE RHYMES The Sad Fate of a Little Black-Eyed Girl Midget's Mishap . . . . Ye Romance of ye Gro< er Man . New Year's Resolutions .... iii 35 36 37 38 IV CONTENTS Fisher-Boy Ben The Little Gardener What's in the Basket? Going to Market Baby Bell In the Orchard Donald's Plea . Vacation Song A Five-O'Clock Tea A Tale of Adventure A Song of Sixpence A Heart of Love A Summer Song My Prayer PART IV COLD-WATER SONGS Water Drops and Wine Drops An Apple Party .... The Raisin's Story .... The Water-Lily .... What Shall we do with the Wheat? Their Foes and Ours The Indian Corn's Complaint Which is Best? .... The Liquor Saloon on the Corner page 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 49 50 51 53 54 57 GO 6o 66 67 68 71 72 73 PART V SOME AIRY FAIRY DRAMATICS A Snow Festival. Jack Frost Reviews the Snowflake Brigade. 49 characters . Neptune's Reunion. The Ocean's Children Re- turn and Report their Adventures. 63 char- acters . . . . . . . Exercises adapted from the best authors, arranged for the entire school or any portion thereof, as may b.e desired. 77 92 PART I NATURE SONGS PIECES TO SPEAK. AUTUMN LEAVES. CRIMSON, and scarlet, and yellow, Emerald turning to gold, Shimmering here in the sunlight, Shivering there in the cold; Waving farewells as the tempest Ruthlessly tears them apart, Fluttering, dancing, and rustling, As hither and thither they dart. Recklessly stemming the rapids, Lazily swimming the pool ; Playing " I spy " with a down-head Under a puffy toadstool. Wreaths for the walls of her dwelling Each neat little housekeeper weaves ; There, amid delicate fern-sprays, Nestle the bright autumn leaves. PIECES TO SPEAK. A MARCH WIND. TGH there ! I'm coming, get out of my ^ way ; No time for parley, I'm in for a fray. Roaring I come out of forest and glen, Howling round corners and whooping at men, Pinching the face, Quick'ning the pace, Whirling and twisting the clothes out of place. Bang ! go the shutters, and slam ! go the doors ; Crackles the fire till the whole chimney roars ; Snowflakes are whizzing through key-holes and chinks, Clothes-lines are tossed in untwistable kinks. Whew ! how I shriek, Whistle and squeak, And dash at the ground till the very stones creak. Swiftly I sweep through the narrow defiles, Hustling the briars and brush into piles, Crash through the cedars till all their twigs buzz, Shake up the willows and scatter their fuzz. A MARCH WIND, i Sink to a breeze, Blow as I please, Whistle and rattle, or rustle and wheeze. Wailing I wander through tenantless rooms, Moaning and sobbing by desolate tombs, Mournfully mingling in dirges of woe, Humming a hymn of farewell as I go. Murmur and sigh, Far away fly, Faintly and feebly there whisper and die. PIECES TO SPEAK. THE FIRST SNOW. TT sifted down all softly, -*- On a chill November night ; When morning dawned, we saw a world Transfigured, all in white. But when the earth thus frosted o'er The rising sun had warmed, The feathery snow-stars, born of cold, Were speedily transformed. But still they glistened, flashed, and shone, Ablaze with dazzling light, As if a shower of diamonds Had fallen in the night. The ugliest weed and barest stalk With flashing gems were set ; And every grass-blade on the lawn Wore beaded coronet. Upon the vine around the porch The melted snow-stars dangled, Till every twig the sun shone on With rainbow hues was spangled. THE FIRST SNOW, From every trembling water-drop Went streaming out a blaze Of green or orange, red or blue, In dazzling sun-like rays. They soon were gone, but in mind The scene is pictured yet, — The snow-crust melting from the grass, The vine with jewels set. And glad am I that, in my haste O'er sordid cares that day, I chanced to look, as Nature gave That rich and rare display. 8 PIECES TO SPEAK. MORNING-GLORIES . WINDING up in twisted lines All about my window, twines Such a network of green vines, That there hardly ever shines A morning sunbeam through. Over all the shady screen, Flashing in and out, between Curling vines and leaves of green, Rainbow colors may be seen, — Purple, red, and blue. Many a bud with spiral seams By a full-blown blossom gleams ; But when the sun with glaring beams On the modest blossom streams, Quick it shrinks from sight. Oh, morning-glories, bright and new, All too quickly you withdrew. Would that I a longer view Every day might have of you Before you shut so tight. THE PINE-TREE. & THE PINE-TREE. WITH a drip, drip, drip, and a slushy slip, From the pine-tree falls the snow, As the sun's warm rays o'er his long arms blaze, And the gentle south winds blow. The hollows small where the driplets fall A honeycomb make of the snow below. With a hum, hum, hum, like a quiv'ring drum, In the first warm days of June, All his needles wake, and the key-note take, For a round in a soft sweet tune. From far and near come the birds to hear, And it lulls them to sleep by the light of the moon. With a moan, moan, moan does the pine-tree groan, When the dead leaves downward fly, All his arms, in woe, tossing to and fro, Full of grief that the cold is nigh. But he takes his part with a stout old heart, And few of his needles fade or die. 10 PIECES TO SPEAK. With a roar, roar, roar, thrilling every pore, In the teeth of the fiercest blast Stands the brave old pine, though his foes combine, Till the winter storms have passed. What a man you'd be, sturdy old pine-tree, Standing firmly, and squarely, and true, to the last. SONG OF THE TREE IN SPRING. W "INTER winds and ice and storm Have pinched and cramped my naked form. But spring is coming soon, I know, The warm south wind begins to blow. To-day I heard a robin sing. Spring is coming; she will bring Sunny beams to warm my feet. Soon my sluggish pulse will beat, Through my cold and withered heart The welcome life-blood soon will start. Then my round pink buds 111 don, Put my pearly blossoms on, Dress myself in robes of green, To welcome June, the season's queen. EIDELWEISS. 11 EIDELWEISS. CLOSE to the cold, bare rock it cleaves, With its dainty woolly leaves, So like the snow it blooms amid; Its graceful form is well-nigh hid Away from harsh or curious eye ; And oft the foot of passer-by Would crush the clustered head of gold, So snugly in its white hood rolled, Did not its spotless beauty shed Such subtle halo round its head That one can feel its presence nigh Before its pale face greets the eye. Oh, dainty little rock-bound flower, What wealth of sweetness is thy dower ! What joy it is to see thee here, Thou hardy little mountaineer ! Thy cheering presence, without speech, Does well a simple lesson teach. The more obscure our lot or place The richer should we be in grace, That greater gifts we may bestow Upon the few we chance to know. 12 PIECES TO SPEAK, A WILD ROSE. /^\H, sweet wild rose ^-^ That by the wayside grows, Among the brambles and beside the wood! I'd love thee more, sweet blossom, if I could. Oh, frail wild rose, In thy pink and pearly clothes ! The softest zephyr, whispering at thy side, Tears off thy dress and flings it far and wide. Oh, pure wild rose ! No stain thy fair corolla knows ; Thy fragrant cup the crystal dew-drops hold All clear and shining round thy threads of gold. Would I, wild rose, At heart might be as those Fair petals whose pure beauty charms my sight, As free from evil thoughts as thou from blight. SUNSHINE FLOWERS. 13 SUNSHINE FLOWERS. "OUTTERCUPS and daisies, -■— ' All are very well, Coming in the springtime Future joys to tell. But, buttercups and daisies, Lovely though you be, Golden-rod and gentians Fairer are to me. These come out in autumn, When the earth is sad Over joys departed, And help to make us glad. It's easy to be merry Where the sunshine plays, But blessings on the face that Gladdens gloomy days. 14 PIECES TO SPEAK. A MERRY-GO-ROUND WITH THE MONTHS A JANUARY. GLITTER in the winter sun, A row of shining tips, And drops of water coming down In slow and solemn drips. What is this music regular, This rhythm without a flaw? 'Tis the icicles a-weeping In a January thaw. FEBRUARY. Over field, and wood, and garden Thick the snowy carpet lies, White is every roof and roadway, White is all that meets the eyes; But the sun departing pauses, Ere he on his journey hies, And a gold and crimson curtain Hangs across the western skies. A MERRY-GO-ROUND. , 15 MARCH. Here he comes a-roaring — Old mad March! Stirring up a panic in The branches of the larch. All the little floury flakes He shakes about and sifts, Until they fall affrighted into Curved and scolloped drifts. Shining hills and valleys out of Frozen mist he makes, And snowy mounds that make you think Of jolly frosted cakes. APRIL. Now a sprinkle, now a spatter, Now a shower; but what matter? If we wish to see May flowers We must welcome April showers. MAY. Oh, the blue hepatica ! Oh, the sweet hepatica ! Shining out from dingy woodlands brown and bare. When the first warm days of spring To the woods the rambler bring, What joy it is to find it waiting there ! 16 PIECES TO SPEAK. JUNE. There surely is a gold-mine somewhere Down beneath the grass ; For dandelions are popping up In every place you pass. But if you wish to gather some You'd better not delay, For gold will turn to silver soon, And all will blow away. JULY. Drowsily the locusts hum in the trees ; Drowsily the wheat-heads nod in the breeze ; Drowsily the brook babbles down through the glade, With all the little fishes in it whisking in the shade. AUGUST. Katy-did in the tree sits hid And sings to the puzzled beadle ; While the cricket rocks as he mends his socks With the dragonfly's darning-needle. SEPTEMBER. Out in the cornfield, rustling ribbons, Tassels tossing high, Ears all wrapped to the tips in blankets Silken, soft, and dry, Golden kernels ready for husking, — And pumpkins ready for pie. A MERRY-GO-ROUND. 17 OCTOBER. Golden-rod and asters painting roadsides bright ; Chestnut-burrs a-bursting in the frosty night ; Autumn leaves a-tinging all the woods with gold, Butterflies and grasshoppers laid up with a cold. NOVEMBER. The clouds are putting out the sun, They've shut off all his heat ; The frozen ground in heavy thuds Complains of passing feet; The meadow-brook runs still and dark ; The tree-tops sway forlorn ; But in the barn, with merry shout, The boys are husking corn, DECEMBER. Such funny styles are now the rage In all the woods and dales ! The vines shine out in beaded lace, The leaves in spangled veils. With swelling pride the twigs are all To crystal vests devoted, While every little grass-blade thinks He must be sugar-coated. PART II THE WAYS OF SOME ANIMAL FRIENDS THE CHIMPANZEE. 21 THE CHIMPANZEE. rpHERE liveth a creature -*- Way down in Soudan That really and truly Is quite like a man. He scowls when he's angry, And smiles when he's pleased, And tears round unpleasantly When he is teased. 'Tis ttie chattering chimpanzee, Hideous chimpanzee, Barbarous chimpanzee, Down in Soudan. Upright on two limbs He quite easily stands ; He lives in a hut Which he builds with his hands ; But his knees they turn out And his toes they turn in, And he greeteth his friends With a horrible grin, This chattering chimpanzee, Hideous chimpanzee, Barbarous chimpanzee, Down in Soudan. 22 PIECES TO SPEAK. THE THREE FROGS. r I THERE were three young hilarious frogs -*- Whose home was down under the bogs, And every day They came up to play And caper and dance like gay dogs. And there was a little lone wren, Who used to fly down, now and then, By the brookside, to see These three frogs in their glee, And she mentioned the fact to a hen. But never again will she look Upon those three frogs by the brook; For the very next day Mrs. Hen walked that way, And all three for her dinner she took. pussy's advice. 23 PUSSY'S ADVICE. THERE was a wise old Pussy cat, I heard the other day, Who had four little Pussy cats All very fond of play. They capered and they scampered, And they ran about so fast, You'd sometimes think a railroad train Was surely dashing past. They played and they played, And they winked their silly eyes, Till the old cat was afraid That they never would be wise. " Come here, you naughty kits," she said, " And learn to hunt for mice ; Just stop your pranks, and listen, While I give you good advice." Then on her nose she placed her specs, And on her head her cap, And sat down with the naughtiest Of the kittens in her lap. 24 PIECES TO SPEAK. " Now, first of all, I'll tell you what I've never known to fail, — Malty, drop your paws ! and Spot, Stop biting Tabby's tail ! " Thus scolding one and slapping one And boxing every ear, She got them, all set down at last, With folded paws, to hear. Then lifting up her left fore claw And pointing here and there, She told them how, and what, and all About it with great care. At last when she had given All the counsel she could think, She added, "But be very careful What you eat and drink. "And don't, as silly people do, Go drink some poison stuff That steals away what wit you have, When you haven't half enough." AN EASTER FESTIVAL. 25 AN EASTER FESTIVAL. 'rpWAS a wonderful Easter cotillon, — ■ -L A soiree exceedingly rare, The guests were the chanticleers, chickens, and hens, And the rabbits, who all came in pairs. They met in a marvellous parlor, The concavitous shell of an egg; 'Twas set round with mirrors and strewn over with moss ; Now, what could be finer, I beg? And oh, what a band of musicians ! Winged cherubims fresh from a cloud ! They rested on nothing, and sweetly they blew Their silvery trumpets aloud. Mrs. Biddy stopped cackling to listen ; The rabbits hopped round full of glee ; The chickens all danced on the top of the shell ; Oh, would you had been there to see ! The concerto-quadrillo was led by a chick Who beat time with his little red leg, While near him his mother delightedly clucked, " What wonders there are in an egg ! " 26 PIECES TO SPEAK. FROGGIE'S TRIALS. TUG-A-RUM ! jug-a-rum ! ^ Here I come ! Here I come ! I am cold, I am wet, Not a skipper can I get, Jug-a-rum ! Oh, my eye ! there's a fly ! See me snap like a trap. Say Good-by, Mr. Fly, To your friends if they are nigh, Jug-a-rum ! Oh, those boys ! what a noise They do make ! Oh, my sake ! Here they come ! Jug-a-rum ! I'll go home ! I'll go home ! Jug-a-rum, — ! ROBINS REFRAIN. TTWERYTHING'S at six and sevens, -■-^ Everybody's going wrong ; Life's a stew, — but Robin Redbreast In the tree-top sings his song, — " Oh, be cheery, always cheery ! " ROBIX'S REFRAIN. 27 Stocks are down, the bank is failing, Hard-earned savings disappear, Markets dull and values shrinking, — Robin sings out loud and clear, " Oh, be cheery, always cheery ! " Merit fails of recognition, Kind intent earns only blame, Conscious power by Fate is fettered; Robin urges just the same, — " Oh, be cheery, always cheery ! " Friends desert for trifling lapses, Contact shatters high ideals, Love meets only cold indifference ; Robin Redbreast still appeals, — " Oh, be cheery, always cheery ! " Catch the note of Robin's gladness, Listen when he sings again ; Then, when cares are most vexatious, Tune your soul to his refrain, — " Oh, be cheery, always cheery ! " 28 PIECES TO SPEAK. GRANDFATHER'S STORY. TTTE sat by the wide-open fireplace, * * We two, in the twilight dim, And grandfather told me the story, — It was true, for it happened to him. 'Twas all about Rove, a Newfoundland. 64 Great creature," grandfather said ; " He was fully as high as this table ; And he had such a magnificent head! " One day in the middle of winter My father sent me on a tramp Several miles through the forest, to visit A neighboring wood-cutter's camp. " I never once thought there was danger, For the woods had been kept pretty clear Of wild beasts, such as wolves and black bears And panthers, for many a year. grandfather's story. 29 "My father had left for the city, My brothers were also away, So I thought I'd leave Rover with mother, And I told him that he was to stay. "He dropped as if some one had struck him, And moaned like a baby and whined, Till mother declared, out of pity, That I must not leave Rover behind. "I yielded the point, and we started, The dog running on in advance, Now waiting for me, and now turning To catch an encouraging glance. " He was such a loving old creature, A harsh word he never could take Without crying and moaning, as if His great heart were all ready to break. " We sighted the camp about mid-day, Did our errands, and then faced about, Old Rove leading soberly homeward, As if he were the guide of my route. 30 PIECES TO SPEAK. " When four or five miles we had covered, Rove suddenly stopped at a sound In the bushes close by — the next moment Out sprang a gray wolf with a bound. " 'Twas a monstrous great beast, with wild eyes Like two burning coals, and a fang That was fearful to look at ; but Rover Like shot at the great beast he sprang. " Then madly they tore at each other, Till out on the snow their blood spilled, While I could do nothing but watch them In terror lest Rove should be killed. "And, watching, I saw to my horror The dog was fast losing his strength, But never his courage. Still fiercely He fought, until out at full length "Down dropped his gray enemy, gasping, His fierce burning eyes growing dim • And Rover came crawling toward me As quickly I hastened to him. grandfather's story, 31 " Poor Rover ! his throat was all bleeding, And vainly I held shut the wound ; He looked up appealingly at me, Then stretched himself out on the ground. 44 Brave Rover ! One last look he gave me From out of his great, wistful eyes That so often had looked into mine Full of gratitude, love, or surprise, " Then closed them forever. I left him, And hurried on fast as I could, Half blinded with tears at the thought Of the brave dog lying there in the wood. "We brought back his body next morning And buried it out in the grove, And we carved on a slab for his headstone, 4 Here lies a hero, — brave old dog Rove." PART III HEARTH-STONE RHYMES THE SAD FATE OF A LITTLE GIRL. 35 THE SAD FATE OF A LITTLE BLACK-EYED GIRL. A BLACK-EYED maiden once I knew Who could laugh and frolic enough for two. You would not have dreamed, if you had not known, That this black-eyed maid had a will of her own. And then such queer notions came into her head, — She was sure to want cake when she should want bread ; And whatever she wanted she wanted so bad, That until she had got it no peace could be had. At last she wanted — at least so she said — Her black hair changed to a beautiful red. Day after day she would climb the stair And look in the mirror to see her hair ; And deeper the scowls on her forehead came To see that its color kept ever the same. She fretted and fumed, and scolded and cried, And when she could stand it no longer, she died. And now what think you the people say? That " She died of not having her own way.*' 36 PIECES TO SPEAK. MIDGET'S MISHAP. T ITTLE Midget! little Midget! -*-^ All the folks will have a fidget If she ever tries to wear so long a gown. She will trip her tiny toes, Bump her head and spoil her nose, For the frock will surely make her tumble down. Let us gather up enough Round her neck to make a "ruff," And we'll pin it so 's to make it stand alone. Then we'll play she's Mother Hubbard, And she'll run out to the cupboard There to get her poor old Jippy dog a bone. But, oh dear me ! after all, Mother Hubbard got a fall, Ran a splinter in her hand and bumped her ear, While a naughty, naughty pin In her "ruff" stuck in her chin; But the chubby Midget never shed a tear. YE GROCER MAN. 37 YE ROMANCE ^F YE GROCER MAN. TT was ye little grocer man, -*- All smilingly did he Weigh out ye sugar and ye spice, Ye butter and ye tea. It was ye little ancient maid That went all modestly Unto ye little grocer man To buy some hominy. Then sweetly smiled ye grocer man And talked about ye weather, — And now they eat their hominy And drink their tea together. 38 PIECES TO SPEAK. NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS. r I THERE were three little folks, long ago, -*- Who solemnly sat in a row On a December night, And attempted to write For the New Year a good resolution. 44 I'll try not to make so much noise, And be one of the quietest boys," Wrote one of the three, Whose uproarious glee Was the cause of no end of confusion. "I resolve that I never will take More than two or three pieces of cake," Wrote plump little Pete, Whose fondness for sweet Was a problem of puzzling solution. The other, her paper to fill, Began with " Resolved that I will — " But right there she stopped And fast asleep dropped E're she came to a single conclusion. FISHER-BOY BEX. 39 FISHER-BOY BEN. T ITTLE boy Ben, come launch your boat, J-^ Your fish-nets set, your bobbins float; The wind is blowing full and free, The fish are coming in from sea. Little boy Ben, so frank and true, The fisher's life is hard for you ; But poor and scant the fisher's fare, — Each little man must earn his share. Good-by, boy Ben, may wind and sea Hold fair till safe you're back to me ; May wind and sea your whole life through Bad luck and bad thoughts keep from you. 40 PIECES TO SPEAK. THE LITTLE GARDENER. O IGHTS and sights of weeds are growing, ^ All the garden, 'most, needs hoeing; In the corn the grass is thick, And the burdocks grow so quick, First you know they're big and tall, If you let them start at all. That's the way, my little man, Hoe the weeds up while you can; After them with hoe and rake, That good plants their place may take. Hateful thoughts are weeds, you know, — Kill them quick, so Love can grow. WHAT'S IK THE BASKET ? 41 WHAT'S IN THE BASKET ? SURELY this must be a joke ! Small girl in a great big poke, Red bandana, and square shawl — See the shadow on the wall ! We'd like to say where she is going, But how can we be sure, not knowing ? But here's a question, — I must ask it, — What do you 'spose is in the basket ? Is it flowers of many a hue, All tied up with ribbons blue ? Is it groceries ? Or eggs ? Or old clothes, for which she begs ? Maybe her mother washes clothes, And she's to take them home, who knows? Whatever's in must be a load, I'm sure, for such a little toad. Now I know! — it is a bonnet With a lot of ribbon on it, And a flower and a feather, Bunched and tangled up together. But — let me see — I guess there's two : One for me and one for you 42 PIECES TO SPEAK. GOING TO MARKET. HERE we go to market! What a heavy load For a poor old donkey On a hilly road ! Up the winding hill-side, Down the narrow dell, Here we go to market, — But, dear me, what to sell ? Jaunty cap and feather, Hair all in a curl, — Do you think 'twill pay to Sell a Gypsy girl? BABY BELL. 43 BABY BELL. T WISH I could tell -■- What I know so well About Baby Bell, And make you Know it too. She has twinkling blue eyes, And the dearest pug nose, The chubbiest hands And the daintiest toes, And her small mouth is prettier Far than a rose. And then she has dimples On hands, cheek, and chin, And she says, " Ah, papa ! " With a cute little grin ; — But oh, you must see her, For I cannot tell, Nor begin to, the sweetness Of our Baby Bell ! 44 PIECES TO SPEAK. IN THE ORCHARD. AWAY to the breezy old orchard Go Mary and Mabel and Ned, To gather the red and gold apples That hang from the boughs overhead. Brave Ned has climbed up in the branches And shakes down the ripe golden hail, And Mary, the wise little maiden, Is hastily filling her pail. But Mabel looks up in the tree-tops, Where Pippins and Spitzenbergs swing, And cries for the pretty pink blossoms That grew up there early in spring. Oh. Mabel ! your share of the blossoms You gathered as fast as they fell ; Next winter I'm sure you'll be wanting Your share of the apples as well. Then pick up your basket, my Mabel, Ere more precious moments are lost, And help now to gather the apples, Or they will be spoiled by Jack Frost. donald's plea. 45 DONALD'S PLEA. WHAT'S that you're saying, mon? Jeannie maun dee ? Jeannie, my ain wee lass, What's all the warld tae me? Na, na, it canna' be, Shallna' be, I say, — Stay, doctor, mak' her weel, There's siller here to pay. She's aye a sunbeam, mon, Blithesome and gay, Singing like a bonny bird A' the livelong day. Now she lies still and pale, Faint is her e'e ; Oh ! mak' her weel again, Dinna let her dee. Monny a happy day, Ere here we came, We twa ha' passed away In th' auld Scotland hame. 46 PIECES TO SPEAK. Darkly the kirkyard mould O'er her mither lay ; But Jean, my bonny lass, Had aye a cheering way. Oh ! mak' her weel again, Dinna let her dee ; She's but a wee bit lass, But all the warld tae me. VACATION SONG. aOOD-BY to books and study, Vacation days have come ; The air grows hot and sultry, The drowsy insects hum. We're never tired of learning, We wish that understood ; But we're longing for the meadows, The cool and shady wood. So put away the pencils, Pile up the slates and books, We'll join a class of robins, Or a fish-school in the brooks. A five-o'clock tea. 47 A FIVE-O'CLOCK TEA. TpIVE little girls, -*- With their hair in curls, And faces as clean as could be, In white dresses neat, And slipper-shod feet, Sat down to a five-o'clock tea. There was " sugar and spice, And everything nice ; " There was sandwich and cake and ice-cream, And " cambric tea," hot From a tiny tea-pot ; All just like a fairy-land dream. And you would have thought That each maiden ought To have been happy as happy could be; And so they well might, But for a sad sight That spoiled all the five-o'clock tea. 48 PIECES TO SPEAK. 'Twas a dark ugly frown That settled hard down O'er the face of one poor little maid; And it stopped all the fun, For how could any one Be happy as long as it stayed? But now she agrees At all five-o'clock teas To be as smiling and gay as she's able, Because a cross face, All times out of place, Is even more so at the table. A TALE OF ADVENTURE. 49 A TALE OF ADVENTURE. AH, me ! ah, me ! The little Ah Sing Lee — Oh, me ! oh, me ! Went out one day to see A crocodile and an octopus, The great sea-whale and a wal-erus; So he sailed away. Ah, me ! ah, me ! The little Ah Sing Lee — Oh, me! oh, me! Went sailing out to sea; But the wind came up and the sun went down And his boat upset far out from town ! In a plight was he. Ah, me! ah, me ! The little Ah Sing Lee — Oh, me ! oh, me! Was shipwrecked far at sea; But he jumped on board of the great sea- whale And rode to town on the end of its tail! He did, indeed ! 50 PIECES TO SPEAK. A SONG OF SIXPENCE. FF you have a little money, -*- Don't you know, Wheresoe'er the fancy takes you You can go? You can sail or you can soar, You jean see the world, and more ; If you haven't you can whistle, — You can so. If you try to live on credit, Don't you see ? From the veriest of rascals You must flee. Whither you are well or ill You'll be hounded with a bill, And your life unto you will A burden be. How to save yourself from fretting Would you know ? Never spend quite all you're getting As you go. Always make the two ends meet E're you give yourself a treat, And the little shekels keep Until they grow. A HEART OF LOYE. 51 A HEART OF LOYE. TTE was a common laborer, J — ■- But sordidness above ; His soul was full of melody, For his heart was full of love. He loved the flowers that grew beside The path he daily trod ; They tokened to his simple mind A beauty-loving God. He loved the children with a love That drew them to his knee ; And banished envy, strife, and hate By love's Divinity. The youth or maiden in disgrace Or love-perplexity Drew courage, strength, and higher aims From his pure sympathy. 52 PIECES TO SPEAK. The business man with anxious brain, The housewife, care oppressed, Who chanced to note his peaceful face, Felt momentary rest. He was not great, he was not rich; But, like One from above, He blessed all lives within his reach, For his heart was full of love. A SUMMER SONG. 53 A SUMMER SONG. A WORDLESS song with a soft refrain -£^- Kept singing itself all one day through my brain, But for its sweet meaning I listened in vain Until the eventide. 'Twas the song of the waves as they break on the shore Of a turbulent sea, rolling in evermore, Whose every pulse-beat swells to a roar, So great its immensity. 'Twas the song of the wind as it breathes through the pines Of a sweet-scented wood where the summer sun shines ; There, caught in the tops of the tall swaying shrines, It echoes unceasingly. 'Twas a song of peace when the soul is stirred, Of rest in activity, Of a chord full struck by a master touch, Responding in harmony. But I know not yet what the words may be, — I shall know in eternity. 54 PIECES TO SPEAK. MY PRAYER. r I THERE'S a hunger of want in my heart -*- For the blessings this life can impart ; But tell me, indeed, for these shall I plead When He knows what is best for my need ? "Take no thought for the morrow," He said ; " For all numbered the hairs of thy head." Then to Him shall I bear great burdens of care ? Let " Thou knowest, O Lord," be my prayer. When to Him all my sins I disclose, My desire to be like him He knows ; And here I can rest, for the worst with the best In loving compassion, He knows. Who so anxious good gifts to impart? Who so wise to the end as Thou art? So day after day, this only I pray, — " Oh, Father, Thou knowest my heart." Then let my soul sing To the Heavenly King, As here in earth-blindness it goes ; " Oh, not my poor will, But Thy wisdom fulfil," For I know that He knows ; yes, He knows. PART IV COLD-WATER SONGS WATER-DROPS AND WINE-DROPS. 57 WATER-DROPS AND WINE-DROPS. [An exercise for day-schools, Sunday-schools, or private entertain- ments, in which part of the company repeat verses describing the beau- ties of water, and the other part the evils of wiDe. It would be well for the verses to be given alternately, one from one company and then one from the other.] WATER-DROPS. ~T~TP from the breast of the great blue sea, ^ Where cleansing winds blow long and loud, I mount on a sunbeam's warm, bright wings To a lofty seat in a shadowy cloud. Down from the clouds on a rainy day, Gladly I drop to the earth below, Wetting the trees and the thirsty soil, Till down in its depths the young roots grow. Out from a seam in a gray old rock, Clear as a crystal gem, I burst, Eager again to return to my work, Washing a stain away, quenching a thirst. Bubbling and sparkling I journey along, Carrying comfort to all I pass, Bathing the bobolink's gay, glossy coat, Sprinkling the meadow-bank, cooling the grass. 58 PIECES TO SPEAK. Etching in winter the frosty pane, Dressing the branches in crystalline gowns, Crusting the skating-ponds firm ami smooth, Laying up ice for the great hot towns. WINE-DROPS. Squeezed and pressed from the bruised grape, Bottled and corked, we are hurried away To cellars mouldy, dark, and damp, And there for many a month we lay* Out once more to the light of day, Muddy and strong, we are brought at last, Mixed with various poisonous things, And on to the busy world's markets passed. Red and strong, from many a cup, Carrying woe to those who drain, Into the blood of man we go, Clouding the senses, burning the brain. Catching the eye of a gay young man, We tempt him on with our spicy breath, Until we have poisoned his strong young veins, And sown in his body the seeds of death. WATER-DROPS AND WINE-DROPS. 59 Breaking hearts in many a home, Filling towns with hate and strife, Wasting property, houses, and lands, Burning up hope, and health, and life. Which is more beautiful, pure, and good, Wine-drops or water-drops — which do you think? Which is the best for a thirsty world, Wine-drops or water-drops — which will you drink ? 60 PIECES TO SPEAK. AN APPLE-PAETY. AN ANTI-CIDER ENTERTAINMENT. [Over the platform stretch a piece of green cloth, so as to form a can- opy, high enough to be out of the way of the tallest participant. A few yards of green cambric or strong mosquito netting will do. Into this fasten small leafy branches and twigs from the apple-tree, and to these attach some apples by cords fastened to the stems. Around the sides of the platform hang festoons of dried apples, made by running a string through the pared quarters. In the centre place a table containing all the various dishes mentioned in the exercise, and as many more as can be provided. The speakers enter at one side of the table, take from it the dish that illustrates their respective parts, and hold it while they speak. After which the dish may be returned to the table, the speaker passing to the other end of the platform, and remaining until all have spoken.] FIRST SPEAKER. [Holding up a large rosy apple.'] This is an apple, juicy and sweet, Fit for a king or a queen to eat. SECOND SPEAKER. This is a dish of apple-sauce, Made (without an atom of loss) From ripe rosy apples, juicy and sweet, Fit for a king or a queen to eat. AN APPLE-PARTY. 61 THIRD SPEAKER. Here are some apples baked, you see, A most excellent dish for dinner or tea. When dressed with cream that's rich and sweet, They are fit for a king or a queen to eat. FOURTH SPEAKER. This is a big, round apple-pie, For a piece of which I often sigh; 'Tis made of apples so juicy and sweet, It were fit for a king or a queen to eat. FIFTH SPEAKER. This is a dish of marmalade, Which I with mother's help have made Out of some apples, juicy and sweet, Fit for a king or a queen to eat. SIXTH SPEAKER. This is a dumpling, which, as you know, Is made of flour mixed up into dough, And slices of apples, juicy and sweet, Fit for a king or a queen to eat. SEVENTH SPEAKER This is jelly, see it shake ! 'Tis a joy to taste, though a task to make, For the apple-juice must be made so sweet ! — Or else it will never be fit to eat. 62 PIECES TO SPEAK. EIGHTH SPEAKER. This is an apple johnny-cake, Which I will teach you how to make : You mix cornmeal and water, as thick As you can conveniently stir with a stick, Then bake with chopped apples, juicy and sweet ; 'Tis fit for a king or a queen to eat. NINTH SPEAKER. Here is an apple pyramid, Within it raisins and apples are hid, — Raisins and apples so juicy and sweet, That a king or a queen might be glad to eat. TENTH SPEAKER. This is something we call Brown Ben; You take ripe apples, as many as ten, And pare and quarter and put in a dish, With crumbs of bread, and crusts, if you wish, Then stew until all is juicy and sweet, Fit for a king or a queen to eat. ELEVENTH SPEAKER. You've learned to make dumplings and mar- malade, Now I'd like to tell you how cider is made. AN APPLE-PARTY. 63 First, up in a tree all clean and neat, Fit for a king or a queen to eat, Grow the ripe rosy apples, all juicy and sweet. But a man comes along, and down to the ground Shakes big and little and rotten and sound, Then hustles them up into barrels and bags, With sticks and leaves and hairs and rags, And various things, which help to fill The old wagon-box for the cider-mill. The apples are there dumped out on the floor, Where they lie and rot for a week or more ; Then into the hopper they're all let fall, Rot and dirt and worms and all, And round and round are ground into mush, And fall to a trough below, all slush. From here the miller shovels the mess, With a dirty old scoop, to a dirty old press ; And there it is squeezed till the juice runs out To a barrel below, through a dirty old spout. Then when it has stood in the barrel some days, Till all the good that's left in it decays, The stuff, called cider, is sold, don't you think? To people as something that's good to drink ! 64 PIECES TO SPEAK. TWELFTH SPEAKER. It doesn't appear to me very wise To take all those apples that ought to make pies, And grind them all up into filthy old swill, And sell them to folks with small wit and small will. If I were a farmer I'd feed them, or dry them, Or put them in cans, or pickle or fry them, Or fix them in some manner, dainty and sweet, And sell them to sensible people to eat. [All sing, to the tune of " Never say Fail"' Oh, yes, I like apples, all juicy and sweet; Not any cider for me ; I'm sure they were made just on purpose to eat; Not any cider for me. In pies and in puddings they're fit for a king; In cider they're turned to a poisonous thing. Apples for me, apples for me ; But, thank you, no cider for me. the raisin's story. 65 THE RAISIN'S STORY. I'M a dried and wrinkled raisin, sadly pressed all out of shape, And my far-off home I'll never see again; Truly, you would never think that I, a round and juicy grape, Once was growing on the sunny hills of Spain. But I'm quite contented with my lot, I'll never moan my fate, For I might have had more reason to repine. I'd much rather be a raisin all dried up and out of shape, Than a single drop of ruby poison wine. 66 PIECES TO SPEAK. THE WATER-LILY. T LOVE the water-lily, -*- It is so sweet and bright; It opens in the morning, All golden, green, and white. It lives upon the water, It even drinks it up; I know, for I have seen The water in its cup. And so I know that water Is good to make things pure, And I shall always drink Cold water, I am sure. I don't think water-lilies Would grow on beer or rye, Nor men nor women either, And I don't mean to try. WHAT SHOULD WE DO WITH WHEAT ? 67 WHAT SHOULD WE DO WITH THE WHEAT? GOME out in the wheat-field some bright summer morn, And watch these tall beauties with me, All gracefully swaying about in the wind, Like waves of a great golden sea. Then come where the brewer is making his malt, 'Mid odors that stifle one's breath, And watch how whole bushels of life-giving food Are turned into liquors of death. Come with me again to the reeking saloon, The place where King Alcohol feasts, And see how the people who swallow this beer Are turning from men into beasts. And then to the garret, all empty and bare, The home of the drunkard, now come, Where children are starving and wife in despair, And tell me if you will drink rum. 68 PIECES TO SPEAK, THEIR FOES AND OURS. TTTHO or what was the enemy, V » In those old colonial days, When Washington and Putnam fought The " Revolution " frays ? What was it made our forefathers So angry, — and so brave That many and many a man of them His best blood freely gave ? Why, 'twas because the English sought To take our rights away, — To make us do the work, while they Came round and took the pay. All honor to our patriot sires, Heroes they were indeed ; Now we the full ripe harvest reap For which they sowed the seed. THEIR FOES A1SD OURS. 69 Man was not made for slavery, — God meant him to be free ; And "free and equal" is our creed, Whate'er one's race may be. But is it true that slavery Has wholly passed away ? Have we not men whose life-blood, hearts, And souls are " bound " to-day ? Look at that tottering drunken man With poison in his brain ; He'll tell you, when he's sober, that He wears, indeed, a chain. Go north, go south, go east, go west, And count until your brain Is numbed with counting, those who wear The same degrading chain. That chain is drink, and those that bind It on have hearts like Cain ; They dare to kill their fellow-men With poison, all for gain. 70 PIECES TO SPEAK. They say they have the right to sell To all who want to buy ; But when that "right" brings others "wrong," We," then, the "right" deny. Our fathers fought with sword and gun, But we with truth must fight; And every boy and girl will speak That truth out for the right. Thus every boy and every girl A soldier brave will be, To fight this drink-curse from our land, Till every man is free. THE INDIAN CORN'S COMPLAINT. 71 THE INDIAN CORN'S COMPLAINT. T GROW in the sunshine, I feed upon the -*- dew, I lift high my tall tasselled head ; I carry crinkled, silk-covered ears at my side, I make most delicious brown bread. When placed in the popper, how I hop, hop, hop, How pure, and white, and sweet the heart I show ; What famous food I furnish when I'm eaten from the cob, No one who's ever tasted can but know. I fed for many hundred years the dusky forest child, The red man with his arrow and his bow ; I fatten many hens and geese, and many tons of beef That out to feed the hungry people go. 72 PIECES TO SPEAK. But wicked men have taken me and soaked me in a tank ; They have turned my precious food into a drink That has power to change the hearts of men, to poison brain and mind, And noblest souls in lowest depths to sink. WHICH IS BEST ? "VTOW in the field of the farmer, -^ Lifting its bearded head, Now in the hands of the miller, Now in a loaf of bread. Stalwart in beauty while growing, Ground it gives vigor and joy, Oh ! what a shame to be wasted, Poisoned, and sold to destroy,. THE LIQUOR-SALOON OX THE CORNER. 73 THE LIQUOR-SALOON ON THE CORNER. OH, have you heard our geography song? For if you've not, it's on my tongue, About our States, the old and young, With liquor-saloons on the corner. Oceans of beer and whiskey flow, Hogsheads and vats, kegs, as you know, Bottles and demijohns, too, and all go To the liquor-saloon on the corner. In every State from east to west, Save in a few, more wise than the rest, The fairest towns are all possessed With liquor-saloons on the corner. In cities and towns and villages small, Enough to make a Chinese wall, If in a line you placed them all, Are the liquor-saloons on the corner. They bring to many a cheek the tear, And many a home make sad and drear: They kill their thousands every year, These liquor-saloons on the corner. 74 PIECES TO SPEAK. Oh, will you not be glad to see That blessed day of liberty, When in the whole land there shall be No liquor-saloon on the corner? Then let us work with might and main, This great good for our land to gain, And let this be our one refrain, — " No liquor-saloon on the corner." PART V SOME AIRY FAIRY DRAMATICS A SNOW FESTIVAL. 77 A SNOW FESTIVAL. JACK FROST REVIEWS THE SSTOWFLAKE BRIGADE. [Jack Frost is seated on a high throne, is dressed in white and carries a sword. The Snowflakes, also dressed in white, march in file past, salute, and take their places in lines about the platform. Or, if it is not practicable for all to wear white, each performer may wear a conspicu- ous white bow or knot of muslin on the left side of the chest. Jack Frost may wear a white military cap and sash. If the exercise is given in a school-room where there is not much room on the platform, the compaDies may file back to their seats after saluting, and rise by compa- nies in turn. The music accompanying the marching should be light and airy. In the absence of a piano, a violin, accordion, or harmonica may be substi- tuted . ] JACK FROST. COMPANY A may report the charge on Drowseytown. [Company A rise, or, if standing, wheel icto line facing Jack Frost. The captain of the company, who carries a sword, begins the rehearsal, and points with his sword in turn to each one who is to follow him in continuing the story.] CAPTAIN OF COMPANY A. 'Twas a calm, still night, And the moon shone bright Over the steeples of Drowseytown. FIRST SNOWFLAKE. Every little curly head Had been early tucked to bed. 78 PIECES TO SPEAK. And all except the pussy cats, Who kept awake to watch the rats, Were dreaming dreams or sleeping sound. SECOND SNOWFLAKE. Presently a fleecy cloud, Like a thin, white, snowy shroud, Sailed quite across the face of the moon. THIRD SNOWFLAKE. Then quickly down upon the very tallest steeple-top A single snowflake sentinel was quietly let drop. FOURTH SNOWFLAKE. Then others took their places upon the weather- vanes, And many more were stationed beside the window-panes. FIFTH SNOWFLAKE. Then the vanguard of the snow, Falling fast or whirling slow, Drifted downward in the night, Draping Drowseytown in white. Adapted from Robert Williams Buchanan. A SNOW FESTIVAL. 79 SIXTH SNOWFLAKE. All night long the legions passed On an ever-gathering blast, With a tramping and a roar Like the waves on a wild shore. On they drave in drifts of white, Burying Drowseytown from sight. Adapted from Robert Williams Buchanan. SEVENTH SNOWFLAKE. Once the moon looked out, and lo ! Blind against her face the snow Like a wild white grave-cloth lay Till she shuddering crept away. Then through darkness like the grave, On and on the legions drave. Robert Williams Buchanan. EIGHTH SNOWFLAKE. Scared out of its sleep that night, Drowseytown awoke in fright ; Chimney-pots above it flying, Windows crashing to the ground, Snow-flakes blinding, multiplying, Snow-drifts whirling round and round. Robert Williams Buchanan. NINTH SNOWFLAKE. Multitudinous and vast, Legion after legion passed ; 80 PIECES TO SPEAK. Still the air behind was drear With new legions coming near, While the drifts grew deeper, deeper On the roofs and at the doors; While the wind awoke each sleeper With its melancholy roars. Bobert Williams Buchanan. JACK FROST. Company B may report the appearance of the town the next morning. CAPTAIN OF COMPANY B. When at last the morning shone We looked upon a world unknown. Around the glistening wonder bent The blue walls of the firmament; No cloud above, no earth below, A universe of sky and snow. Adapted from John Gr. Whittier. FIRST SNOWFLAKE. The old familiar sights of ours Took marvellous shapes ; strange domes and towers Rose up where sty or corn- crib stood, Or garden-walk, or belt of wood. John Gr. Whittier. A SNOW FESTIVAL. 81 SECOND SNOWFLAKE. A smooth white mound the brush-pile showed, A fenceless drift, what once was road; The bridle post an old man sat With loose flung coat and high cocked hat. John Gr. Whittier. THIRD SNOWFLAKE. The well-curb had a Chinese roof, And even the long well-sweep, high aloof, In its slant splendor seemed to tell Of Pisa's leaning miracle. John Gr. Whittier. FOURTH SNOWFLAKE. Hanging garlands the eaves o'er-brimmed, Deep drifts smothered the paths below; The elms were shrouded, trunk and limb, And all the world was dizzy and dim With a whirl of dancing, dazzling snow. Adapted from Mrs. Elizabeth A. Allen. FIFTH SNOWFLAKE. Dimly out of the baffled sight Houses and church-spires stretched away; The trees all spectral, and still, and white, Stood up like ghosts in the falling light, Faded and faint with the blinded day. Adapted from Mrs. Elizabeth A. Allen. 82 PIECES TO SPEAK. SIXTH SNOWFLAKE. Down from the roofs in gusts were hurled The gathered drifts to the street below ; And all the drowned and desolate world Lay dumb and white in a trance of snow. Adapted from Mrs. Elizabeth A. Allen. SEVENTH SNOWFLAKE. The paths were lost and gone ; The streets had no one on Their hidden, soundless stone, Where piles of snow were blown. Adapted from J. Hazard HartzelL JACK FROST. Company C may report what the people said. CAPTAIN OF COMPANY C " A cheer for the snow, the drifting snow, Smoother and purer than beauty's brow; The creature of thought scarce likes to tread On the delicate carpet so richly spread. With feathery wreaths the forest is bound, And the hills are with glittering diadems crowned ; 'Tis the fairest scene we can have below, — Sing welcome, then, to the drifting snow." Eliza Cook. A SNOW FESTIVAL. 83 FIRST SNOWFLAKE. " Down out of cloud land, Down from the star land, Down into our land, Comes the white snow." Selected. SECOND SNOWFLAKE. " Snow-flakes are frail, white, tiny things, Dropped, I guess, from fairies' wings, Or else they're souls of summer flowers Coming down in winter showers." Selected. THIRD SNOWFLAKE. Silently, like thoughts that come and go, The snow-flakes fall, each one a gem. W. Hamilton Crib son. FOURTH SNOWFLAKE. Lo, sifted through the winds that blow, Down comes the soft and silent snow, White petals from the flowers that grow In the cold atmosphere. These starry blossoms, pure and white, Soft falling, falling through the night, Have draped the woods and mere. George W. Bungay. 84 PIECES TO SPEAK. FIFTH SNOWFLAKE. Out of an unseen quarry evermore Furnished with tile, the fierce artificer Curves his white bastions with projected roof Round every windward stake, or tree, or door. Ralph Waldo Emerson. SIXTH SNOWFLAKE. When autumn days grew pale, there came a troop Of child-like forms from the cold mountain-top ; With trailing garments, through the air they came, Or walked the ground with girded loins, and threw Spangles of silvery frost upon the grass, And edged the brook with glistening parapets, And built it crystal bridges, touched the pool, And turned its face to glass, or, rising thence, They shook from their full laps the soft light snow, And buried the great earth, as autumn winds Bury the forest-floor in heaps of leaves. William Cullen Bryant. SEVENTH SNOWFLAKE. Never lay like glory On the April leas, A SNOW FESTIVAL. 85 Never summer blossoms Thick and white as these. Never leafy wreathing, Never viny scroll, Thus hung woodland arches, Crowned the meadow knoll. John Vance Cheney. EIGHTH SNOWFLAKE. Still come the flakes of white, Like blossoms pure and light, From Heaven's great orchard trees, Which feed no humming-bees ; Now driving, leaping- down, And whitening farm and town, And from the leaden clouds which crowd the sky, Hiding familiar things from foot and eye. Arranged from J. Hazard HartzelL NINTH SNOWFLAKE. The fairy phantoms of the peopled air Come softly gliding to the earth below. I sit and list, I list in vain, to hear The feathery footfall of the falling snow. 86 PIECES TO SPEAK. No sound, save now and then a muffled hoof And muffled wheel, and, in the silence, lo, I sit and worship 'neath my whitening roof; The world keeps Sabbath for the falling snow. Charles Gordon Ames. TENTH SNOWFLAKE. Out in the misty moonlight The white snow-flakes I see As they frolic among the leafless Limbs of the apple-tree. Faintly they seem to whisper, As around the boughs they swing, " We are the ghosts of the blossoms That died in the early spring." Adapted from Richard Kendall Munkittrick. JACK FROST. Company D may tell how the surrounding country looked. CAPTAIN OF COMPANY D. Every pine and fir and hemlock Wore ermine too dear for an earl, And the poorest twig on the elm-tree Was ridged inch-deep with pearl. James Russell Lowell. A SNOW FESTIVAL. 87 FIRST SNOWFLAKE. The snow-drifts piled the window ledges, The frost was keen, the air was still ; The lanes that lay below the hills Were drifted even with the hedges. Adapted from L. Frank Tooker. SECOND SNOWFLAKE. The beech was bare, and bare the ash, The thickets white below; The fir-tree scowled with hoar mustache, He could not sing for snow. Adapted from Bayard Taylor. THIRD SNOWFLAKE. Ponds were covered, woods and roads, And trees wore shrouds, and men's abodes Like sculptured marble glistened white. Adapted from Robert Williams Buchanan. FOURTH SNOTVFLAKE. Over the woodlands brown and bare, Over the forest fields forsaken, Silent and soft and slow, Deep lay the snow. Adapted from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. FIFTH SNOWFLAKE. 1 On turf and curb and bower-roof The snow had spread its ivory woof; 88 PIECES TO SPEAK. It paved with pearl the garden-walk, And lovingly each tattered stalk And shivering stem it wrapped around With mantles fair as ermine down. Adapted from J. T. Trowbridge. SIXTH SNOWFLAKE. The frozen roads Were bound with silver bars, The snow-drifts heaped against the hut, The night was pierced with stars. Patmore. SEVENTH SNOWFLAKE. All through the silent woods, The trees, with powdered hoods And forehead calm and fair, Were bowed like saints at prayer; While leaning down were faded golden-rods, With weight of spotless ermine from the gods. Adapted from J. Hazard HartzelL EIGHTH SNOWFLAKE. The leaden sky teemed with its snowy burden, Until upon the sombre forest lands The tall, gaunt trees stood forth like sentinels Around a slumbering camp, their meagre arms Swayed by the wind, while the gathered snow- flakes showered In powdery softness down. Adapted from A. H. Baldwin. A SNOW FESTIVAL. 89 NINTH SNOWFLAKE. The lowlands lay Hidden beneath their snow-dress ; scarce a fox Or rabbit was astir ; the famished birds Nestled within the ivy that enshrouds The farm-house walls. Snow, snow, snow, On moor and wold, on woodland and in glade, On city roof, on country cottage thatch, — Winter's regalia, crisp, bright, sparkling snow! Adapted from A. H. Baldwin. TENTH SNOWFLAKE. Keen, keen, and cold The north wind whistled o'er the bleak hill- side, And ceaseless fluttered from the leaden sky The feathered flakes, till not a single bush, Or tuft, or hillock, through its covering showed, But still, and white, and silent all around The landscape lay beneath a shroud of snow. Adapted from A. H. Baldwin. JACK FROST. Company E may report the retreat. CAPTAIN OF COMPANY B. A million little diamonds Twinkled on the trees, 90 PIECES TO SPEAK. And all the little maidens said, "A jewel, if you please." But while they held their hands outstretched To catch the diamonds gay, A million little sunbeams came And stole them all away. Selected. Anonymous. FIFTH SNOWFLAKE. When all the earth thus frosted o'er The rising sun had warmed, The feathery snow-stars, born of cold, Were speedily transformed. SECOND SNOWFLAKE. But still they glistened, flashed, and shone, Ablaze with dazzling light, As if a shower of diamonds Had fallen in the night. THIRD SNOWFLAKE. The ugliest weed and barest stalk With flashing gems were set ; And every grass-blade on the lawn Wore beaded coronet. FOURTH SNOWFLAKE. Upon the vine around the porch The melted snow-stars dangled, A SNOW FESTIVAL. 91 Till every twig the sun shone on With rainbow hues was spangled* FIFTH SNOWFLAKE. From every trembling water-drop Went streaming out a blaze Of green or orange, red or blue, In dazzling sun-like rays. SIXTH SNOWFLAKE. But 'neath the sunshine's magic spell, Those jewels flashing bright, — Those crystals, pearls, and diamonds Went glittering out of sight. SEVENTH SNOWFLAKE. Where does the snow go, So white on the ground? Under May's azure No flake can be found. Look into the lily Some sweet summer hour, There blooms the snow In the heart of the flower. Lucy Larcom. 92 PIECES TO SPEAK. NEPTUNE'S KEUNION. OCEAN'S CHILDREN RETURN HOME, AND REPORT THEIR ADVENTURES. CHARACTERS. Neptune, King of the Ocean. Neptune's Children. Mists and Fogs, Clouds, Raindrops, Frost Sprites, Snowflak.es, Ice-Builders. Scene. — Neptune's court, — a rocky cavern at the bottom of the sea. [A chair draped with green netting may be placed upon the platform to represent Neptune's throne. Piles of stones, moss, or seaweed may be arranged upon the platform to represent the ocean floor. A few large pieces of coral, if they can be obtained, will add to the effect. Growing plants may be placed about, with stones heaped around the pots to hide them. Gray or green mosquito-netting may be also draped about in appropriate places. Those who take part may dress in colors to represent their characters, or wear netting draped over their clothes, or march behind a banner draped to represent the character of the company following it. Neptune may wear green and carry a trident. The Mists may wear gray; the Clouds, a lighter gray; the Rain, dark gray; Hail, gray deco- rated with large white beads; Snow, white; the Frost Sprites, white covered with spangles. Ice, gray covered with spangles.] Enter Neptune with all his followers, keeping step to music. As they march across the platform Neptune chants, keeping time with his tri- dent.— The music continues while he is speaking, but very low, so as not to drown his words. keptune's beustiost. 93 NEPTUNE. TTTTLD, wintry winds storm through the * * night, Dash the black clouds against the sky, Hiss through the billows seething white, Fling the rock-surf in spray on high. Mrs. Augusta Davies Webster. Let them rage The lordiest floods And cataracts are drops of dew To me who could subside the earth. I brook commandment from the heavens alone For marshalling my powers. Adapted from Campbell. Seats himself on his throne. Others continue marching. Here we are, my children, Once more in Ocean's halls. Winds and tempest may rage as they please, Old Father Neptune is Lord of the seas. Come now for a good time. All and every one Tell of your adventures, and what you have done. [The Mists separating from the others, who continue to march slowly stop and bow to Neptune and the audience. The music continues very softly, just enough to mark time for those who are keeping step.] 94 PIECES TO SPEAK. FIRST MIST. The sun shone down upon the sea ; The sparkling ripples dancing gay, All in a film of silver mist Rose up to meet the Lord of day. Adapted from William Bell Scott. SECOND MIST. The sunbeams leap And frolic o'er the deep, And where their light is most intensely poured There from the surface keen Flashes like diamonds gleam As the vapors arise in a numberless horde. Adapted. THIRD MIST. Over the boundless blue, there joyously The bright crests of innumerable waves Glance at the sun at once, as when hands Of a great multitude are upward flung Jn acclamation. William Cullen Bryant. FOURTH MIST. The sea tosses and foams to find Its way up to the cloud and the wind. Ralph Waldo Emerson. neptune's reunion. 95 FIFTH MIST. A film of mist looms now and then From the point where the keen winds blow ; Ghost-like it hangs in the air, then fades Where the unknown keen winds go. William Bell Scott. SIXTH MIST. The rising winds blow fierce and high, And whirl the mists through the air and sky. SEVENTH MIST. Between the outer deeps of night And the low vales, the lingering light Builds of the evening mist High walls of glory, fair and far ; And in the glory shines a star Through the trembling amethyst. Anna Boynton Averill. EIGHTH MIST. Now the wild winds lull themselves to rest, The flowers to sleep are kissed, And like a benediction o'er the land Broods the still mist. Adapted from Mrs 0. iV. Knox. 96 PIECES TO SPEAK. NINTH MIST. The thick mists cling heavily To the slumbering earth and each silent tree. Adapted. A FOG. [The Fogs differ from the Mists by wearing more floating and trail- ing drapery.] FIRST FOG. Then the Phantom Fog came forth, Following slowly from the North; Wheezing, coughing, blown and damp, He sat sullen in the swamp. Robert Williams Buchanan. SECOND FOG. The lazy Fog hangs from the brow of the hill, Concealing the course of the dark winding rill. Adapted from Robert Burns. THIRD FOG. Damp and chill Streamed the Fog on vale and hill. Robert Williams Buchanan. [The Mists and Fogs return to the columns and continue marching slowly back and forth or round and round the platform, while the Clouds separate and salute.] FIRST CLOUD. The jewels the wind dips out of the sea We sprinkle over the land in showers. Adapted from Thomas Bailey Aldrich. neptune's reunion. 97 SECOND CLOUD. We bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers From the seas and the streams; We bear light shade for the leaves when laid In their noonday dreams. From our wings are shaken the dews that awaken The sweet birds, every one, That are rocked to rest in their swaying nests, But flit and fly in the sun. Adapted from Shelley. THIRD CLOUD. We wield the flail of the lashing hail, And whiten the green plains under, And then again we dissolve in rain, And laugh as we pass in thunder. Adapted from Shelley. FOURTH CLOUD. Before the blast the bare trees lean, The ragged clouds sail low and gray, And all the wild and wintry scene Is but one blur of driving spray. Charles Turner Dazey. FIFTH CLOUD. Deformed by tempests, the sweet blue Is drowned in clouds of fleecy spray ; 98 PIECES TO SPEAK. On, on, in ranks forever new, Forever maddening in their play. Thomas Grold Appleton. SIXTH CLOUD. The hooded clouds, like friars, Tell their beads in drops of rain. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. [The Clouds pass on, giving place to the Raindrops.] FIRST RAINDROP. The laden clouds as they fleetly pass Throw their shadowy veil on the darkening grass ; And the pattering showers and stealing dews, With their starry gems and skyey hues, From the oozy meadow that drinks the tide, To the sheltered vale in the mountain-side, Wake to a new and fresher birth, The tenderest tribes of the teeming earth. Percival. SECOND RAINDROP. From floating clouds of pearly hue Fell in drops the summer shower That hung like gems of morning dew On every tree and every flower. Adapted from Roscoe. neptune's reunion. 99 THIRD RAINDROP. She waits for us, our lady Earth, Smiles and waits and sighs ; We'll say her nay and hide away, Then take her by surprise. Adapted from Mary Mapes Dodge. FOURTH RAINDROP. We knew it would rain, for all the morn A spirit on slender ropes of mist Was lowering its golden bucket down Into the vapory amethyst Of marshes and swamps and dismal fens, Scooping the dew that lay in the flowers. Thomas Bailey Aldrich. FIFTH RAINDROP. Every valley drinks, Every dell and hollow ; Where the kind rain sinks and sinks, Green of spring will follow. But for pattering rain We should have no flowers, Never a bud or leaf again But for soaking showers. Christina Creorgina Rossetti. 100 PIECES TO SPEAK. SIXTH RAINDROP. There would be no moss In cool and shadowy places, Never waving meadow-grass Pied with broad-eyed daisies. The lambs would have no grass to eat, The cattle no golden grain ; There would be no lily on land or pond, If it were not for the rain. Adapted from Christina Greorgina Rossetti. SEVENTH RAINDROP. How beautiful is the rain After the dust and heat ! In the broad and fiery street, How beautiful is the rain! Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. EIGHTH RAINDROP. Soon as comes the rain, Sing, robin ! sing, swallow ! Grasses in the lane, Buds and flowers follow. Woods ring blithe and gay With bird trill and twitter, Though the skies do weep, And the winds be bitter. Adapted from Ina Donna Coolbrith. neptune's reunion. 101 j NINTH RAINDROP. The rain comes down, not waiting for a call, Each pattering drop knows well its destined place, And soon the fields, whereon the blessings fall, Change their cold frosty look for Spring's sweet face. Adapted from Jones Very. TENTH RAINDROP. Beneath the ceaseless beating rain Earth's snowy shroud fast disappears, As sorrow, pressing on the brain, Fades in a flood of happy tears. Charles Turner Dazey. ELEVENTH RAINDROP. Spring and summer rains Bring beauty and good cheer; Fall and winter rains Make the earth more drear. TWELFTH RAINDROP. The tree-tops thrust at the snow-clouds gray, And frozen tears fill the lids of the day. Edith M. Thomas. [Raindrops rejoin the ranks; Frost Sprites step out.] 102 PIECES TO SPEAK. FIRST FROST SPRITE. We are the Frosts, the ghostly Frosts, We steal out in the night, And the breathless leaves are numb, Motionless with affright ; The moon, arising late and still, Sees all their faces beaded, chill. • Adapted from John James Piatt. SECOND FROST SPRITE. Jack Frost wears a hailstone on his head For a glittering helmet clasped, And a sharpened spear, like an icicle clear, In his cold little fingers grasped. Adapted from John Gr. 0. Brainard. THIRD FROST SPRITE. In a downward darkening mass Sleet and hail hiss as they pass, Rattling on their frozen lee With their shrill artillery. Adapted from Robert Williams Buchanan. FOURTH FROST SPRITE. Sheathed is the river as it glideth by, Frost-pearled are all the boughs in the forest old. Alexander Smith. neptune's eeunion. 103 FIFTH FROST SPRITE. The unwary flowers our icy fingers feel, And at their touch the crisped leaves roll back; The sturdy maple o'er a sea of green Waves in the autumnal wind his flag of red, First struck of all the forest-spreading screen, Most beauteous, too, the earliest of her dead. Adapted from Jones Very. SIXTH FROST SPRITE. The flowers that grew when morning-glories blew Their white and purple trumpets to the dawn, Are nipped and withered by our fingers cold ; The grass is crisp and brittle 'neath our tread ; Like ghosts we flee away before the sun, But work our charms beneath the bright full moon. Adapted from Thomas Buchanan Reed. SEVENTH FROST SPRITE. Whose the art That webs the streams, each morn, with silver • wire, Delicate as the tension of a lyre, Whose falchion pries the chestnut-burr apart ? 104 PIECES TO SPEAK. It is the Frost, a rude and Gothic sprite, Who doth unbuild the Summer's palaced wealth, And puts her dear loves all to sword or flight ; Yet in the hushed, unmindful winter's night The spoiler builds again with jealous stealth, And sets a mimic garden, cold and bright. Edith M. Thomas. EIGHTH FROST SPRITE. Then he went to the mountain and powdered its crest, He climbed up the trees, and all their boughs dressed With diamonds and pearls, and over the heart Of a quivering lake he spread A coat-of-mail that it might not fear The downward point of many a spear Which he hung on the margin far and near Where a rock could rear its head. Hannah F. Grould. NINTH FROST SPRITE. He went to the windows of those who slept, And over each pane like a fairy he crept; AVherever he breathed, wherever he stept, By the light of the moon were seen neptune's keunion. 105 Most beautiful things : there were flowers and trees, There were bevies of birds and swarms of bees ; There were cities, thrones, temples, and towns, and these All pictured in silver sheen. Hannah F. Gould. TENTH FROST SPRITE. What dream of beauty ever equalled this ? What bands from fairyland have sallied forth With snowy foliage from the abundant north ? What imagery from the realms of bliss ; All loveliness, all graces that allure, Shapes that amaze ? A paradise that is — Yet was not, — will not in few moments be Clothing the ground, replenishing the tree, Weaving arch, bower, and delicate festoon Still as a dream, and like a dream to flee. William Howitt. ELEVENTH FROST SPRITE. Fair fragments of gay fairy-scenes We paint on the crusted pane, Spear-like leaves, and long fern fronds Linked in a silvery chain. 106 PIECES TO SPEAK. Or black frozen lakes and icy peaks, Or wastes of polar snow, Ice-laden boughs and feathery pines Leaning over ravines below. Adapted from Edith May. TWELFTH FROST SPRITE. On many a window-pane Our busy pencils draw designs Of ferns, and blossoms, and fine sprays of pines, OakJeaf, and acorn, and fantastic vines. Adapted from Thomas Bailey Aldrich. THIRTEENTH FROST SPRITE. The pane is etched with wondrous tracery ; Curve interlaced with curve and line with line, Like subtle measures of sweet harmony Transformed to shapes of beauty crystal- line. Slim, graceful vines and tendrils of such sort As never grew, save in some fairy world, Wind up from roots of misted silver wrought Through tulip flowers and lilies half un- furled. Charles Lotin Ilildreth. 107 FOURTEENTH FROST SPRITE. Shag firs and hemlocks blend with plumy palms, Spiked cacti spring from feathery ferns and weeds, And sea-blooms, such us rock in Southern calms, Mingle their foamy fronds with sedge and reeds. And there are diamond-crusted diadems, And orbs of pearl and sceptres of pure gold, Stored up in crystal grottos, lit with gems, And paved with emeralds of price untold. Charles Lotin Hildreth. FIFTEENTH FROST SPRITE. Grass a-field wears silver thatch, Palings all are edged with rime, Frost-flowers pattern round the latch, Cloud nor breeze dissolve the clime. John Leicester Warren. SIXTEENTH FROST SPRITE. The frost hangs blackening on the stalk, The dewdrops fall in frozen showers. John Grardner Calkins Brainard. 108 PIECES TO SPEAK. SEVENTEENTH FROST SPRITE. But even while we look the magic pictures fade, Melts the bright tracery from the frosted pane, Trees, vales, and cliffs, in sparkling gems ar- rayed, Are covered o'er with snow, the blossoming of the rain. Adapted from Edith May. [The Frost Sprites return to the ranks ; the Snowflakes take their places.] FIRST SNOWFLAKE. Hidden clouds Let fall soft beauty, till each green fir branch Is plumed and tasselled, till each heather stalk Is delicately fringed. The sycamores, Through all their mystical entanglement Of boughs, are draped with silver. David Gray. SECOND SNOWFLAKE. Through the hushed air the whitening shower descends, At first thin wavering ; till at last the flakes Fall broad, and wide, and fast, dimming the day neptune's reunion. 109 With a continual flow. The cherished fields Put on their winter robe of purest white; 'Tis brightness all, save where the snow melts Along the mazy currents. Low the woods Bow their hoar heads. Thomson. THIRD SNOWFLAKE. The hills that were so bare Are robed in dazzling garments pure and fair .; The trees seem blossoming in some strange way. Ernest Warburton Shurtleff. [The Snowflakes retire and the Ice- Builders form in line.] FIRST ICE-BUILDER. When we have glazed the snow and clothed the trees In crystal, then can be seen " each spray Nodding and tinkling in the breath of heaven Studded with its trembling water-drops, While round the parent stem the long, low boughs Bend in a glittering ring." Adapted from William Cullen Bryant. SECOND ICE-BUILDER. We make in the woods "fairy palaces Where crystal columns send forth slender shafts, 110 PIECES TO SPEAK. And crossing arches and fantastic aisles Wind from the sight in brightness and are lost Among the crowded pillars." William Cullen Bryant. THIRD ICE-BUILDER. He who looks "in fancy, dreams Of spouting fountains, frozen as they rose And fixed, with their branching jets in air; All, all is light; but all shall pass away With the next sun. From numberless vast trunks Loosened, the crashing ice shall make a sound Like the far roar of rivers." William Cullen Bryant. FOURTH ICE-BUILDER. Sun and frost together form Pendants long and bright, That through the day reflect the sun, At night the moon's soft light. FIFTH ICE-BUILDER. Down from the eaves there dropped at noon An icicle in the sun, A prison of fire, a palace of frost, A miracle world begun; All heaven's hues in its rondure pale, With its exquisite life undone. Adapted from Louise Imogen Gruiney. neptune's reunion. Ill SIXTH ICE-BUILDER. Icicles hoar Split and descend; On the freezing shore The frost-kings rend Their sheen jewelry evermore* Thomas Gold Appleton. SEVENTH ICE-BUILDER. Like agate stones upon earth's frozen breast, The little pools of ice lie round and still; While sullen clouds shut downwards eStst and west In marble ridges stretched from hill to hill. Christopher Pearse Cfanch. EIGHTH ICE-BUILDER. The brooks are armed with silver shields, Through which the sun's sword cannot fare ; To mutter 'twixt their teeth, the streams, In icy fetters, scarcely dare. Richard Chenevix Trench. NINTH ICE-BUILDER. Then the North with crimson cheeks Blew upon the pond for weeks, Chilled the water through and through, Till the first thin ice-crust grew 112 PIECES TO SPEAK. Blue and filmy; then, at last, All the pond was frozen fast. Prisoned, smothered, fettered tight, Let it struggle as it might. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. TENTH ICE-BUILDER. Beneath the ice, the river, lying In a frozen sleep, Remembers how his pulses Used to throb and leap; How he danced and sparkled, Happy on his way, In the summer mornings, When the world was gay. Adapted from Mrs. Julia Caroline Dorr. ELEVENTH ICE-BUILDER. Each reed that grows in Our stream is frozen, The fields it flows in Are hard and black. The water fairy Waits wise and wary Till time shall vary And thaws come back. neptune's reunion, 113 O sister water! The wind besought her, O twin-born daughter Of spring with me ! Stay with me, play with me, Take the warm way with me, Straight for the summer and over the sea. Algernon Charles Swinburne* TWELFTH ICE-BUILDEB. But winds will vary, And wise and wary The patient fairy Of water waits. All shrunk and wizen, In iron prison, Till spring, re-risen, Unbars the gates; Till, as with clamor Of axe and hammer, Chained streams that stammer And struggle encased Burst bonds that shiver, And thaws deliver The roaring river, That rushes onward again to the ocean in haste. Adapted from Algernon Charles Swinburne. [Neptune rises, waves his trident ; all join in singing some appropri- ate song, and march out.] READINGS m H0ME HALL AND SCHOOl Prepared by Professor LEWIS B. MONROE Founder of the Boston School of Oratory HUMOROUS READINGS In prose and verse For the use of schooli reading-c'iubs public and parlor entertainments $1.50 " The book is readable from the first page to the last, and every article contained la it is worth more than the price of the volume." — Providence Herald. 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