For the Dinkey-Bird's bravuras In that gladsome roundelay. Their eyes grow bright and brighter, I'm sure you like to go there THE DRUM I'm a beautiful red, red drum, As up the street we come, Wonderful is our noise! There's Tom, and Jim, and Phil, And Dick, and Nat, and Fred, While Widow Cutler's Bill And I march on ahead, THE DRUM With a r-r-rat-tat-tat And a tum-titty-um-tum-tumOh, there's bushels of fun in that For boys with a little red drum! The Injuns came last night While the soldiers were abed, And the soldiers are marching to seize Step up there, little Fred, And, Charley, have a mind! Jim is as far ahead As you two are behind! Ready with gun and sword Your valorous work to do Yonder the Injun horde Are lying in wait for you. And their hearts go pitapat When they hear the soldiers come With a r-r-rat-tat-tat And a tum-titty-um-tum-tum! Course it's all in play! The skulking Injun crew 277 With a r-r-rat-tat-tat And tum-titty-um-tum-tum; And there's glory enough in that For the boys with their little red drum! THE DEAD BABE LAST night, as my dear babe lay dead, "O God! what have I done, Or in what wise offended Thee, "Upon the thousand useless lives, Upon the guilt that vaunting thrives, Thy wrath were better spent! Why shouldst Thou take my little sonWhy shouldst Thou vent Thy wrath upon This innocent?" Last night, as my dear babe lay dead, Of things that might have been: Licentious riot, cruel strife, Then, with sweet music in the air, A Shepherd in whose keep A little lamb-my little child! Of worldly wisdom undefiled, Last night, as my dear babe lay dead, THE HAPPY HOUSEHOLD A wisdom manifest; And though my arms be childless now, Who knoweth best. 279 THE HAPPY HOUSEHOLD It's when the birds go piping and the daylight slowly breaks, While gran'ma laughs, And I—well, I laugh, too! You'd think, to see us carrying on about that little tad, Gran'pa, he laughs, And I, of course, laugh, too! But once a likely spell ago-when that poor little chick And, though the doctor poohed our fears and said he'd pull him through, Old gran'ma cried, And gran'pa cried, And wife, she cried, And I-yes, I cried, too! It makes us all feel good to have a baby on the place, And when he shakes those fists of his, good-by to every care! Old gran'ma laughs, And gran'pa laughs, And I-you bet, I laugh, too! SO, SO, ROCK-A-BY SO! So, so, rock-a-by so! Off to the garden where dreamikins grow; And here is a kiss on your dimpledown cheek, Now mind these three kisses wherever you go— There's one little fumfay who lives there, I know, I send him this kiss on your rosyred cheek. Be sure that you pay those three kisses you owe- And, by-low, as you rock-a-by go, Don't forget mother who loveth you so! And here is her kiss on your weepydeep eyes, And here is her kiss on your peachypink cheek, |