Nine Little Goslings   By: Susan Coolidge (1835-1905)

by

SUSAN COOLIDGE,

Author of "The New Year's Bargain," "Mischief's Thanksgiving," "What Katy Did," "What Katy Did at School."

With Illustrations.

CURLY LOCKS. GOOSEY, GOOSEY GANDER. LITTLE BO PEEP. MISTRESS MARY. LADY BIRD. ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE. RIDE A COCK HORSE. LADY QUEEN ANNE. UP, UP, UP, AND DOWN, DOWN, DOWN Y.

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Boston: Roberts Brothers. 1893.

Copyright, 1875. By Roberts Brothers.

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University Press · John Wilson & Son, Cambridge.

When nursery lamps are veiled, and nurse is singing In accents low, Timing her music to the cradle's swinging, Now fast, now slow,

Singing of Baby Bunting, soft and furry In rabbit cloak, Or rock a byed amid the toss and flurry Of wind swept oak;

Of Boy Blue sleeping with his horn beside him, Of my son John, Who went to bed (let all good boys deride him) With stockings on;

Of sweet Bo Peep following her lambkins straying; Of Dames in shoes; Of cows, considerate, 'mid the Piper's playing, Which tune to choose;

Of Gotham's wise men bowling o'er the billow, Or him, less wise, Who chose rough bramble bushes for a pillow, And scratched his eyes,

It may be, while she sings, that through the portal Soft footsteps glide, And, all invisible to grown up mortal, At cradle side

Sits Mother Goose herself, the dear old mother, And rocks and croons, In tones which Baby hearkens, but no other, Her old new tunes!

I think it must be so, else why, years after, Do we retrace And mix with shadowy, recollected laughter Thoughts of that face;

Seen, yet unseen, beaming across the ages, Brimful of fun And wit and wisdom, baffling all the sages Under the sun?

A grown up child has place still, which no other May dare refuse; I, grown up, bring this offering to our Mother, To Mother Goose;

And, standing with the babies at that olden, Immortal knee, I seem to feel her smile, benign and golden, Falling on me.

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CONTENTS.

CHAP PAGE I. CURLY LOCKS 1 II. GOOSEY, GOOSEY GANDER 40 III. LITTLE BO PEEP 65 IV. MISTRESS MARY 101 V. LADY BIRD 137 VI. ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE 165 VII. RIDE A COCK HORSE 197 VIII. LADY QUEEN ANNE 228 IX. UP, UP, UP, AND DOWN, DOWN, DOWN Y 259

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CURLY LOCKS.