She print’ an’ sent a postul-card
    To Uncle Sidney, telling
  How glad he’ll be to hear that she
    “Toock the onners in Speling.”

  Uncle he learns us to rhyme an’ write
  An’ all be poets an’ all recite: 
  His little-est poet’s his little-est niece,
  An’ this is her little-est poetry-piece.

[Illustration]

* * * * *

III

SINGS A “WINKY-TOODEN” SONG—­

[Illustration]

  O here’s a little rhyme for the Spring- or Summer-time—­
    An a-ho-winky-tooden-an-a-ho!—­
  Just a little bit o’ tune you can twitter, May or June,
    An a-ho-winky-tooden-an-a-ho! 
  It’s a song that soars and sings,
  As the birds that twang their wings
  Or the katydids and things
    Thus and so, don’t you know,
    An a-ho-winky-tooden-an-a-ho!

  It’s a song just broken loose, with no reason or excuse—­
    An a-ho-winky-tooden-an-a-ho! 
  You can sing along with it—­or it matters not a bit—­
    An a-ho-winky-tooden-an-a-ho! 
  It’s a lovely little thing
  That ’most any one could sing
  With a ringle-dingle-ding,
    Soft and low, don’t you know,
    An a-ho-winky-tooden-an-a-ho!

[Illustration]

* * * * *

[Illustration]

IV

AND MAKES NURSERY RHYMES

1

THE DINERS IN THE KITCHEN

[Illustration]

  Our dog Fred
  Et the bread.

[Illustration]

  Our dog Dash
  Et the hash.

[Illustration]

  Our dog Pete
  Et the meat.

[Illustration]

  Our dog Davy
  Et the gravy.

[Illustration]

  Our dog Toffy
  Et the coffee.

[Illustration]

  Our dog Jake
  Et the cake.

[Illustration]

  Our dog Trip
  Et the dip.

  And—­the worst,
  From the first,—­

[Illustration]

  Our dog Fido
  Et the pie-dough.

* * * * *

2

THE IMPERIOUS ANGLER

  Miss Medairy Dory-Ann
  Cast her line and caught a man,

[Illustration]

  But when he looked so pleased, alack! 
  She unhooked and plunked him back.—­
  “I never like to catch what I can,”
  Said Miss Medairy Dory-Ann.

* * * * *

3

THE GATHERING OF THE CLANS

[Voice from behind high board-fence.]

[Illustration]

  “Where’s the crowd that dares to go
  Where I dare to lead?—­you know!”