Thus the little girl answered,
In her musical out-door tone :
She was up to my pocket,
I was a man full-grown ;
But the next time that she goes to school,
She will not go alone!
"HOLD FAST WHAT I GIVE YOU."
"MOLLY, and Maggie, and Alice, Three little maids in a row,
At play in an arbor palace,
Where the honeysuckles grow,
"Six dimpled palms pressed together, Even and firm, two by two, ...
Three eager, upturned faces,
Bonny brown eyes and blue.
"Which shall it be, O you charmers? Alas! I am sorely tried,
I, a hard-hearted old hermit,
Who the question am set to decide.
"Molly, the sprite, the darling,
Shaking her shower of curls,
Whose laugh is the brook's own ripple,
Gayest and gladdest of girls?
"Maggie, the wild little brownie,
Every one's plaything and pet,
Who leads me a chase through the garden
For a kiss, the wicked coquette?
"Or Alice?-ah! shy-eyed Alice,
Looking so softly down
Under her long, dark lashes
And hair so golden brown,
"Alice, who talks with the flowers,
And says there are none so wise,
Who knows there are elves and fairies,
For has n't she seen their bright eyes?
"There, there, at last I am ready
To go down the bright, eager row;
So, up with your hands, my Graces,
Close, nobody else must know.
"Hold fast what I give you,' Molly!
(Poor little empty palms!)
'Hold fast what I give you,' Maggie!
(A frown steals over her charms.)
"Hold fast what I give you,' Alice!
You smile, do you so much care?
Unclasp your little pink fingers:
Ah ha! the button is there!
"But do you know, sweet Alice,
All that I give you to keep?
For into my heart you have stolen,
As sunbeams to shadows creep.
"You, a glad little maiden, --
How old are you? Only nine,
With your bright, brown hair all shining,
While the gray is coming to mine.
"No matter, you'll be my true-love,
And come to my old arms so;
And hold fast what I give you,' Alice,
For nobody else must know."
GOOD-NIGHT AND GOOD-MORNING.
A FAIR little girl sat under a tree,
Sewing as long as her eyes could see ;
Then smoothed her work and folded it right,
And said, "Dear work, good-night, good-night!"
Such a number of rooks came over her head,
Crying" Caw! Caw!" on their way to bed,
She said, as she watched their curious flight,
"Little black things, good-night, good-night!"
The horses neighed, and the oxen lowed,
The sheep's "Bleat! Bleat!" came over the road;
All seeming to say, with a quiet delight,
"Good little girl, good-night, good-night !"
She did not say to the sun, "Good-night!"
Though she saw him there like a ball of light;
For she knew he had God's time to keep
All over the world, and never could sleep.
The tall pink foxglove bowed his head;
The violets curtsied, and went to bed;
And good little Lucy tied up her hair,
And said, on her knees, her favorite prayer.
And, while on her pillow she softly lay,
She knew nothing more till again it was day;
And all things said to the beautiful sun,
Good-morning, good-morning! our work is begun."
"Thanks, little maiden, for all thy care,
But I love dearly, the clear, cool air,
And my snug little nest in the old oak-tree."
"Little bird! little bird! stay with me."
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