THE BABY S COMING. 335
" The baby s coming very soon ;
And may be here to-morrow. I didn t know a baby lived
Within a furlong here ; Not that I sanction Herod s plan,
But then they cry. Oh dear !
I know there will be silver spoons
That smell of paregoric, I know there will be wails by day,
And nights most melancholic. The doors must all be shut, no doubt,
If " baby " dear should sneeze ; The "baby s" carriage in the hall
Must graze the boarders knees.
Where did I leave off journal-leaves ?
Ah, here, "the baby" dreading. Such queer events since then have come
Close on each other treading ! The " baby " ! Well, the baby came,
Is here to-day, God bless her ! And I have learned to love it well
Would, if I dared, caress her.
- * * *
So I sat down at breakfast-time
A little sulky maybe, And then the morning brighter grew
With advent of "the baby." A lady fair, with starry eyes
With summer sleep yet dewy,
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