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[Illustration]
The Twins.
There lived some twins named Joan and Jack,
And they were eight years old;
Jack's curly hair was black as black,
While Joan's was fair like gold.
Their mother said to them one day—
“Dears, walk to Russett Hall
And take these eggs to Mrs. Gray,
Mind, don't you let them fall.”—
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The children started off with pride,
The basket was so big,
That carefully each held a side,
Until they met a pig.
“Why, he's escaped from Farmer Brown,”
Cried Jack, “that's very wrong!”
And so they put the basket down,
To chase the pig along.
And when they'd sent him back again,
Joan found a pretty flow'r,
Then off they wandered down a lane,
And played for half an hour.
On, on they walked, and looked around.
An orchard was near by,
With apples lying on the ground,
And others hanging high.
They scrambled through the fence, alas!
T'was very wrong 'tis true,
But Farmer Brown soon chanced to pass,
And roared “Be off, you two!”
They rushed away, just like the wind,
Then Joan exclaimed “Oh, dear,
We've left the basket far behind,
It will be gone, I fear!”
They hurried back with all their might,
“Hurrah! it's here,” Jack cried,
Yes, it was safe, to their delight,
With all the eggs inside!
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The Five Little Frogs.
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Five little frogs were sent to school
Upon a winter day,
Their shoes were light and their pinafores white,
And their hearts were bright and gay;
And their mother stood by the door to watch,
And said, “Don't stop to play.”
So the five little frogs ran merrily off,
Till they had gone far from home;
When one said, “Brothers, do as you like,
But I do not mean to come;
I don't want to sit in school and croak,
When in sunshine I can roam.”
So the four little frogs ran off to school,
They would not stay to play;
But their naughty brother turned his head
And went another way;
But he knew all the time he was doing wrong,
So could not feel bright and gay.
He almost wished he had gone to school,
When a fat white duck came by,
And as she was sailing down the brook,
Little froggy caught her eye;
So she swallowed him up with a joyful quack,
And that froggy had to die.
Still many a mother-frog tells the tale
Of the sad, sad fate he met,
As she gathers her little ones by her side,
And the warning they'll never forget.
And the four little brothers are all grown up,
And living in frog-land yet.