Cole's Funny Picture Book No. 1
Oh, yes, my precious darling,
You'll take the prize, I'm sure.
_Places doll next to doll No. 1 and takes a seat._
_Third Girl--Carrying a handsome French Doll._
My dolly came from Sunny France,
Her name is Antoinette,
She's two years old on Christmas day,
And she's my dearest pet.
Her feet and hands are very small,
Her hair is soft and light,
Her eyes the deepest, darkest blue,
And very large and bright.
This handsome dress from Paris came,
Also this stylish hat,
Why, she of course will take the prize,
I'm positive of that.
_Places her doll by doll No. 2, and takes a seat._
_Fourth Girl_
I hope they've saved a little space
For Jack, my sailor lad,
The bravest, best, and nicest son
A mother ever had.
He wears a suit of navy blue--
I've brought him to the show
Because he looks so very nice,
He'll take the prize, I know.
_Places it by doll No. 3, and sits down._
_Fifth Girl--a very small girl holding by the arm a large rag baby
with a long dress._
My mamma's writing letters,
And told me--"run away,"
And so I brought my dolly
To the baby show, to-day.
She isn't very pretty,
But she's very nice, I think,
Her eyes, and nose, and little mouth,
My mamma made with ink.
I love my Dolly, 'cause she's good--
She never never cries,
So don't you think she'll be the one
To carry off the prize?
_Places her doll by doll No. 4, and takes a seat._
_Sixth Girl_
They mustn't crowd my baby out,
Although she's black as night.
I think she'll stand as good a chance
As babies that are white.
She's very neat, and nice, and clean,
Her lips are cherry red,
She wears a gay bandanna
Tied round her curly head.
She's a very handsome lady,
And if the judge be wise,
I do not have the slightest doubt
That she will take the prize.
_Places her doll by doll No. 5, and sits down._
_First Girl--to the girls_
Do not open your mouths,
Nor shut your eyes!
For here comes the judge
To award the prize.
_Seventh Girl--Enters carrying a wand. She views each doll in turn
with critical eyes, then pointing to the first doll, says--_
Number one is very pretty,
But I think she's rather tall.
_Points to No. 2_
And this cunning little baby,
Is a little bit too small.
_No. 3_
Number three--a fine French lady,
Too Frenchy is, I fear.
_Points to No. 4_
And Master Jack, I like your looks,
But I think you dress too queer.
_No. 5_
And this old-fashioned baby doll,
I guess lived in the ark;
_No. 6_
No, no, Miss Dinah, no prize for you,
Your skin is much too dark.
_Then turning to the little girls, she continues:_
And now, dear anxious mothers,
I find I can't decide
Which doll shall have the premium,
But I'll be satisfied
If you'll call another meeting
To-morrow afternoon,
I need more time to settle this--
To-day is much too soon.
So, mothers, now I give these babies
Back to your loving care;
And I thank you much for bringing them
To our famous Baby Fair.
_Hands each doll to it's owner._
_Exit all._
[Page 53--Dolly Land]
A Doll's Adventures Round the World
All round the world and back again
Dolly and I have been;
By sea and land we've travelled far,
The strangest sights have seen.
To Greenland first we sailed away
To see the snow and ice,
But Dolly's nose--it nearly froze--
Oh, dear! that wasn't nice!
So off we tripp'd to Canada,
There 'twas not quite so cold--
But there the Indians in the woods
Rushed after us so bold.
We ran away to Montana,
O'er Rocky Mountains high,
To picnic in wild Oregon,
Famous for pumpkin pie.
Then down to California,
Through many a field of gold,
And over ancient Mexico,
Past temples manifold.
The Sandwich Isles we visited,
Where grew such radiant flowers,
And pretty girls danced all the day
In fragrant, rosy bowers.
We crossed the Equatorial Seas,
And, sailing round and round
The lovely islands of the main,
Sweet coral groves we found.
New Zealand's shores we landed at,
The country of strange things--
Cherries that carried the stones out-side,
And flowers with butterflies' wings.
Oh, when we reach Australia--
What heaps and heaps of gold!
And a million sheep and lambs we saw
Straying from fold to fold.
To buy some tea-pots and some trays,
We called at quaint Japan,
Where a very polite old Japanese
Gave Dolly an ivory fan.
We took a trip to Chinese land
To take a cup of tea,
But neither sugar nor cream was given,
Which didn't suit Dolly and me.
Then travelling to Hindustan,
We met a tiger there,
Who looked as though he would eat us up--
So off we flew elsewhere.
And found ourselves in the Khyber Pass,
In the midst of a Caravan,
With which we travelled night and day
To reach Afghanistan.
Across the Red Sea next we sail'd
And through the Suez Canal,
To purchase a camel at old Cairo,
With a trot most magical,
Across the Desert we rode apace,
No water was there to drink,
Ah, oh!--while climbing a Pyramid
Dolly dropped down a chink.
An Arab kindly rescued her--
(She did so ruffle her hair;
If ever she plays that trick again
She'll have to be left down there.)
At last we left the Desert drear,
To sail upon the Nile,
In the Pasha's beautiful diabeheh
Past many a crocodile.
We saw no end of wonders now
In Africa's strange land--
Forests full of lions fierce,
And many a savage band.
Our steamer on the Congo sank--
We were in a dreadful plight
Until we met with Stanley true,
And then we steered aright.
We said good-bye to Africa,
And, though winds proved contrary,
Northward our wondrous way we took
To the Isles of sweet Canary.
Thence favouring gales conveyed us far
Beyond the Spanish shore;
Fast by the coast of France we sped
To our own land once more.
And now we're safe at home again,
And wise as wise can be;
For seeing all the world's wonders
Improves my Doll and me.
Sabina
The Story of a Doll
I stood in the semi-darkness
And watched a child at her play;
Her cares were of multiform nature,
And the daylight was speeding away.
Her dolly demanded attention,
To be petted and kissed and be fed;
To have on its little nightgown,
And then to be put in its bed.
All this with a motherly yearning
She had learned by the instinct of love;
And the dolly but faintly presented
A gift from the heaven above.
The dear little creature had finished
And was just about turning to go,
When the scene all changed in a moment
And turned into weeping and woe.
A boy, almost reaching to manhood,
Dashed wildly from the room,
And seizing the doll from the cradle
Rushed out again into the gloom.
There was one wild scream from the maiden,
A clasp of the hands and a chase;
But the boy thought the thing was funny
And was in for a brotherly race.
But soon, when the screaming was louder
And he saw all the pain he had caused.
He threw down the doll on the flooring,
And sneering, he suddenly paused.
"I wouldn't be such a cry-baby," he said,
With a half-mocking drawl;
"I can buy plenty more that's just like it,
"It's only a plaster doll.
"Why don't you get one made of china,
Instead of that plaster thing?
An then I would try to respect it,"
And he took himself off with a fling.
"Oh, my dolly, my dolly is broken,"
And quick in her bosom she hid
The maimed little bit of her sunshine,
"I Loved it, I loved it, I did.
"I don't care if it was only plaster;
'Twas my dolly, my dolly, my own."
And she knelt by the mangled plaything.
"And now I am left all alone."
Ten years from that very evening,
I stood by the couch of a child,
While a man knelt and wept beside it,
With a face both haggard and wild.
'Twas the old scene of the dolly repeated,
The boy had to manhood grown;
A hand crushed his plaster idol
And left him to mourn all alone.
Ah me! how the world is repeated,
The work of each day o'er and o'er.
We all have our broken dollies
Away on the golden shore.
Did he think, I wonder, of that one
He threw on the carpetless floor.
Watson
[Page 54--Dolly Land]
I am homesick, Dolly Dear
Dolly knows what's the matter--
Dolly and I.
It isn't the mumps nor the measles--
Oh! dear, I shall die!
It's the mothering we want, Dolly,
The--what shall I call it?
And grandpa says he has sent--
He put the 'spatch safe in his wallet.
I know well enough that he dropped
That telegraph 'spatch in the fire,
If mother just knew, she'd come
If 'twas on the telegraph wire!
She'd take my poor head,
That is splitting this very minute,
And she'd sing "There's a Happy Land,"
And the hymn that has "Darling" in it.
Course, I like grandpa's house;
It's the splendidest place to stay,
When there's all the outdoors to live in,
And nothing to do but to play;
Somehow you forget your mother--
That is, just the littlest bit,
Though if she were here, I suppose
That I shouldn't mention it.
But oh! there's a difference, Dolly,
When your head is so full of pains
That ('cepting the ache that's in 'em)
There's nothing left of your brains,
Remember how nice it feels, Dolly,
To have your head petted and "poored."
Ache? Why I ache all over,
And my bed is as hard as a board.
Nurse says "It's a sweet, lovely morning."
It may be for all that I care;
There's just one spot in this great wide world
That is pretty--I wish I was there!
I can see the white roses climbing
All over the low porch door,
And the daisies and buttercups growing--
I never half loved them before.
And mother--let's see! she's standing
In that very same door, no doubt;
She loves to look out in the morning
And see what the world is about,
In a pale-blue something-or-other--
A loose sort of wrapper, I guess;
As if a few yards of sky
Had been taken to make a dress.
And up from the pine woods yonder
Comes a beautiful woodsy smell,
And the breeze keeps a hinting of May flowers--
The real-pink arbutus bell;
And I think most likely the robins
Have built in the cherry tree;
And by and by there'll be birdies--
And I shall not be there to see!
Did you hear any noise, Dolly!
Speak, Dolly, you little witch!
As if someone was laughing--or crying!
I couldn't tell which!
We've kept from crying, so far;
We've choked but we wouldn't cry;
I've just talked it out to you, dear;
I had to, or else I'd die.
But if that is you, mother--
And I know by your lips that it is--
I'll just squeeze your head off!--
You think that all I want is a kiss!
O mother! to papa and Tom
You needn't got mention it,
But you know it was homesickness
Almost killed your poor little Kit!
[Page 55--A Lady Making Dolls]