THE SNAP-DRAGON SINGS
While the dragon was fidgeting about, arranging and re-arranging his
tail--just like a young lady with her skirts--Margaret slipped behind
him to look at the music. It was the queerest music she had ever seen,
for it consisted of one big, black semi-breve, after which was written,
"Ad lib."--the same as saying, "Go as you please." On top of the sheet
was written:
"Margaret's Tea Party.
To the tune of Michael Roy.
Decomposed by
Lobsterneck,
The Great American Snap-Dragon."
What a decomposed tune might be, Margaret did not know, though, as
soon as the dragon began to sing, she saw what a simple matter it was;
she felt sure she could decompose one herself. All you had to do,
apparently, was to sing the right notes if you could remember them and
to fill in with notes of your own when you couldn't.
By this time Lobsterneck had arranged his tail to his liking, so
Margaret ran back and took her place with the others in front of him,
when the dragon, with a preliminary shake to loosen his scales, began
to sing:
"One day when Margaret went out
To walk upon the hill,
She saw a lovely purple duck
Who had a yellow bill.
Said Marg'ret to the purple duck,
'If you'll come home with me,
I'll give you beans and buttered toast
And sugar in your tea'."
"Chorus!" shouted the dragon; when everybody, notwithstanding the fact
that they had never heard the chorus before, pitched in and sang:
"For, Oh! For, Oh!
We're out for a regular spree,
And you shall have anything else you like
If only you'll come to tea."
This chorus they sang after each pair of verses, the rest of which were
as follows:
"'I'll come,' the purple duck replied,
And flapped one little wing,
And wagged her tail, she was so glad,
And tried her best to sing.
But that was more than she could do,
And so she merely said,
'Quack, quack!' and wagged her tail again,
And jumped about instead.
Then Marg'ret said, 'Suppose we go
And see what we can find.'
So up the hill she walked again,
The purple duck behind.
They looked behind the stones and trees,
They looked behind the wall,
And there they found a sky-blue crane,
And he was very tall.
Said Marg'ret to the sky-blue crane,
'If you'll come home with me,
I'll give you macaroni soup
And apples with your tea.'
'Ha, ha!' the sky-blue crane replied,
And that was all he said,
But on the wall he quickly jumped
And stood upon his head.
And next they saw a chicken house,
And Marg'ret looked inside,
And there she found a speckled hen
And seven chicks beside.
Said Marg'ret to the speckled hen,
'If you'll come home with me,
I'll give you meat and marmalade
And spinach with your tea.'
'Cluck, cluck!' the speckled hen replied.
'And if it won't be rude,
I'll come to tea myself,' said she,
'And bring my hungry brood.'
Said Marg'ret to the little chicks,
'If you'll come home with me,
I'll give you cakes and cream of wheat
And malted milk for tea.'
'Peep, peep!' the little chicks replied,
'Our throats are dry with thirst'.
'Then come,' said Marg'ret, 'let us run
And see who gets there first.'
So down they ran; the sky-blue crane,
The purple duck, and then
The seven little thirsty chicks
Behind the speckled hen.
The duck had beans and buttered toast
And sugar in her tea;
The crane had macaroni soup
And apples, two or three.
The speckled hen had spinach, too,
And marmalade and meat;
The chicks had cakes and malted milk,
As well as cream of wheat.
A splendid supper had they all,
As much as they could wish;
They emptied every single plate
And cleared off every dish.
And when they'd eaten all they could,
They stood up in a row,
And made a bow to Margaret,
For it was time to go.
'We're very much obliged,' they said.
'We're very glad we came'.
The duck, the crane, the hen, the chicks,
They each one said the same.
And when they all got home again
Upon the hill so steep,
They tucked their heads beneath their wings
And quickly went to sleep.
For, Oh! For, Oh!
We're out for a regular spree,
And you shall have anything else you like
If only you'll come to tea."
At the end of the song, while everybody was applauding and crying,
"Encore," the dragon, with his tail hung over his arm, waltzed round
and round in a solemn manner until he was out of breath, when he sat
down with his back against the tower and fanned himself with the music.
"Very good song," said the King. "Does you credit, Drum Major. Now, get
your breath again and sing us another. Something about Frances this
time."
"Please do," begged Frances, coming forward with Periwinkle under her
arm. "Something about me and Periwinkle--or is that _too_ difficult?"
"Not at all," replied Lobsterneck. "Simplest thing possible. Just a
moment."
So saying, he took his fountain pen from behind his ear, and spreading
the music on the door-step of the tower, he scratched out "Margaret's
Tea Party", and wrote instead, "Frances and the Spotted Pup." Having
done so, he sat up straight once more, tucked his pen behind his ear,
thumped his chest two or three times, just to see if his scales were in
tune, and began again:
"One summer day as Frances went
A-walking up the street,
She met a little spotted pup
Who had a piece of meat.
Said Frances to the spotted pup,
'If you eat all of that,
I greatly fear, my little Dear,
You'll grow a deal too fat'."
Once more everybody joined in the chorus, though the words were almost
entirely different:
"For, Oh! For, Oh!
There surely is no question,
That if you gobble your meals too fast
You'll have the indigestion."
With his eye fixed on Periwinkle, as if to remind him that he was the
subject of his song, the dragon went on:
"The spotted pup, he shut one eye
And gave a little squeak.
He could not talk, because his mouth
Was much too full to speak.
And then that foolish spotted pup--
I wonder he could do it--
He swallowed that great piece of meat
And never thought to chew it.
At first it tasted very good,
But pretty soon he cried:
'Oh, dear! Oh, dear! I greatly fear
I have a pain inside.
I quite forgot to chew my food--
I won't forget again.
Boo-hoo! Boo-hoo! What shall I do?
I have a dreadful pain!'
When Frances saw the tears run down--
They made a little pool--
She lifted up the spotted pup
And set him on a stool.
'Sit there', said she, 'I won't be long'.
The puppy cried, 'Alack!'
But Frances said, 'Be patient, now,
I'll very soon be back.'
Away she ran, and back she came,
She wasn't gone a minute.
She had a bottle in her hand,
And there was something in it.
'Take this,' said she, 'and you will be
Much better very soon.'
And then she gave him pepsin in
A large-sized table-spoon.
And pretty soon, as Frances said,
The pain had gone away.
'Bow-wow! Bow-wow! I'm better now,'
The spotted pup did say.
And then by every means he knew,
By voice and attitude,
The spotted puppy did his best
To show his gratitude.
So Frances patted him, and said:
'Now, don't forget again
To chew your dinner, or you'll have
Another dreadful pain.'
'I won't,' said he. 'Whate'er it be:
Oatmeal or soup or suet,
I never will forget again
To chew and chew and chew it.'
For, Oh! For, Oh!
There surely is no question,
That if you gobble your meals too fast
You'll have the indigestion."