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st his crown,
 The queen fell, too, and tore her gown.

 [Illustration: Old Mother Goose.]

A MESSAGE TO MOTHER GOOSE.

By Ellen Manly.

 Once on a time there lived a child--so it was told to me--
 Who never heard of Mother Goose and her fine family.
 The man who lived up in the moon he saw her with his eyes,
 And told the shocking story to the Man so Wondrous Wise,
 Who said the proper thing to do in such a case would be
 To send the dreadful news at once to good old Mother G.

 So off he ran to Old King Cole and told the Fiddlers Three,
 And Old King Cole said, "Bless my soul! such things must never be!"
 And, putting up his pipe, dispatched a Fiddler in a trice
 To find Jack Horner and request the aid of his advice.

 Jack Horner cried; "Alack-a-day! and can it really be,
 There lives a child who never heard about my pie and me?
 I cannot spread the news myself--I'm busy finding plums.
 You'd better ask the King of France when next this way he comes!"

 The King of France was close at hand, a-marching up the hill,
 But kindly turned his men about to search for Jack and Jill;
 And Jack and Jill, with all good-will, they hunted up Bo-Peep,
 And then they wakened poor Boy Blue, beside the hay asleep.

 Bo-Peep she left her wandering sheep; Boy Blue he blew his horn,
 And sent the Knave of Hearts to tell the Maiden all Forlorn.
 John Barleycorn, he heard the news, and Tom the Piper's Son;
 And Tom set out to find John Stout as fast as he could run.

 The story shocked Miss Muffet so she dropped her curds and whey
 And flew to Mother Hubbard's house, but found her gone away
 To buy her poor old dog a bone, and so she told Jack Sprat
 As he was lecturing Tommy Green for drowning pussy cat.

 Brave Tommy Tucker stopped his song at hearing what she said,
 And, quite forgetting supper-time, his butter and his bread,
 To Mary Quite Contrary went, as in the garden row
 She raked the shells and silver bells that she had coaxed to grow!

 Then Mary left her precious flowers and ran with might and main,
 (The Man in Leather lent his coat in case it chanced to rain),
 And came to Mother Goose's farm before Bow Bells could ring,
 Which, Little Polly Flinders said, was quite a lucky thing.

 Within her cosy little house beneath the jimcrack-tree
 The worthy dame was just about to brew a cup of tea.
 But when she heard the dreadful news she let the teapot fall,
 And for her Sunday cap and gown impatiently did call.

 "Quick! get my steeple hat," quoth she, "my newest high heeled shoes,
 And bring my gander to the door; there is no time to lose!
 I must away to Santa Claus before the set of sun,
 To tell him this alarming tale and see what can be done!"

 She wrapped her in her scarlet cloak, she donned her steeple hat;
 The gander flapped his lovely wings and circled like a bat,
 And then the noble bird away to Christmas Land did soar,
 Nor slackened speed till they arrived at Santa Claus's door!

 Good Santa Claus was overjoyed his dear old friend to see,
 And treated her to cake and nuts from off a Christmas tree.
 Just what was said on either side I can't exactly tell,
 As nobody was near enough to hear it very well.

 But this I've learned: old Santa Claus that very Christmas took
 That poor, benighted little child a most enchanting book,
 And now she knows old Mother Goose--her children great and small,
 And, as good little folks should do, she dearly loves them all!

#SLEEPY-TIME SONGS AND STORIES#

SWEET AND LOW

By Alfred, Lord Tennyson

 Sweet and low, sweet and low,
 Wind of the Western Sea.
 Low, low, breathe and blow,
 Wind of the Western Sea!
 Over the rolling waters go,
 Come from the dying Moon, and blow,
 Blow him again to me;
 While my little one, while my pretty one, sleeps.

 Sleep and rest, sleep and rest,
 Father will come to thee soon;
 Rest, rest on Mother's breast,
 Father will come to thee soon;
 Father will come to his Babe in the Nest,
 Silver sails all out of the West
 Under the Silver Moon;
 Sleep, my little one, sleep my pretty one, sleep.

THE SLEEPY-TIME STORY[C]

BY GERTRUDE SMITH

One night Arabella and Araminta's mamma was sewing, and their papa was
reading his newspaper. And there was a fire in the grate--a warm, bright
fire in the grate.

And Arabella sat on the rug before the fire, and Araminta sat on the rug
before the fire.

And Arabella was playing with her little white kitty, and Araminta was
playing with her little black kitty.

And Arabella's little white kitty's name was Annabel, and Araminta's
little black kitty's name was Lillabel.

Arabella had a little red ball fastened to a long string, and Araminta
had a little blue ball fastened to a long string. Arabella would roll
her ball, and her little white kitty would run and jump for it. And
Araminta would roll her ball, and her little black kitty would run and
jump for it.

The kittens were so cunning and funny, and they were having such a
splendid time.

Sometimes when Arabella's kitty would run very fast, or jump very high,
Arabella would laugh until she tumbled right over on the floor.

And sometimes when Araminta's kitty would run very fast, or jump very
high, Araminta would laugh until she would tumble right over on the
floor.

Oh, they were having a splendid time.

But all at once their mamma looked up from her sewing, and said,
"Good-night, Arabella. Good-night, Araminta. The clock is on the stroke
of eight."

And their papa looked up from his paper, and said, "Yes, good-night,
Arabella. Good-night, Araminta. The clock is on the stroke of eight."

And Arabella said, "Oh, must we go to bed right now?"

And Araminta said, "Oh, must we go to bed right now?"

And their papa said, "Yes, indeed; yes, indeed. Good-night, Arabella.
Good-night, Araminta. The clock is on the stroke of eight."

Always, when it was bedtime, their papa and mamma would say,
"Good-night, Arabella. Good-night, Araminta."

And sometimes they were good, and sometimes they were bad; but they
always ran away to bed.

And their dear mamma always went with them and tucked them in and kissed
them, and then came away downstairs and left them. And sometimes they
were good, and sometimes they were bad; but they always went to sleep.

But to-night their mamma said,

 "Run and get your nighties, dears,
 And get each a flannel gown,
 And we'll sit and rock you here,
 Till you go to sleepy-town."

And Arabella ran upstairs and got her nighty and her little flannel
gown. And Araminta ran upstairs and got her nighty and her little
flannel gown. And their mamma undressed Arabella, and their papa
undressed Araminta.

Arabella's little flannel gown was red, and Araminta's little flannel
gown was pink. When they had put them on over their nighties they were
just as warm as toast.

Arabella's kitty was playing with Araminta's kitty on the rug before the
fire. They were rolling and tumbling and chasing each other, and they
looked so cunning and sweet.

And Arabella's mamma took Arabella on her lap, and Araminta's papa took
Araminta on h

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