"Mistress Mary quite contrary
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells, and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row."
Saturday afternoon Mary was playing with her dolls when the bell rang.
"Alice has come to play with me," she thought.
Just then the door opened and there stood twelve little boys and girls.
[Illustration]
Each one was carrying a plant with a pretty, bright blossom.
They marched in singing "Mistress Mary," and little Mistress Mary
laughed, and cried, and clapped her hands, all in one minute.
Then the children put the plants on a table near the window where Mary
could see them.
There were geraniums, and pinks; a sweet heliotrope, and a rose-bush
with a pink rose.
Alice brought the heliotrope, and Jack brought the rose-bush.
How bright and cheerful the plants made the room look!
The children stayed an hour and played games with Mary.
They played "hide the thimble" and one or two guessing games, because
Mary could not run around the room with them.
Then they had some little cakes and cookies which Mary's mother had
made for them.
When it was time to go home they left a very happy little girl.
"Good-bye," said Mary, "I hope you will come very often.
"Thank you for the lovely plants. My table looks like a flower garden."
"Yes, Mistress Mary," said Jack, "we'll come to see how your garden
grows. You ought to have some silver bells and some cockle shells."
In a few weeks Mistress Mary, as every one called her now, came back to
school.
She could run and play as well as any of the children.
But she did not forget her garden, and she often brought some of her
flowers to school.
When the spring came she made a garden out of doors for her plants.
And what do you think she put all around the flower bed?
She put a splendid row of little white shells.
Little Tommy Tucker,
Sings for his supper.
What shall he eat?
White bread and butter.
How can he cut it without any knife?
How can he marry without any wife?