540 



NEW ENGLAOT) FARMER. 



Nov. 



^0utl^s' ptpurlment. 



From the Bright Side, 

 GKAN'MA. AL'AS DOBS." 



BY A. H. POE. 



I -wanta to mend'my wagon, 



And has to have some nails; 

 Jui' two, free will be plenty. 



We're going to haul our rails. 

 Tbe spleiidideBt cob fences, 



We're makin' evt r was I 

 I wis' you'd help us find 'em, 



Oran'ma ai'.^a Joeu. 



My horsi-'s name is Betsy; 



She j imped and hroked her bead. 

 I put her ill the stable. 



And fad her mils and bread. 

 The 8ta*il:^'8 io the parlor : 



We diJn't make any muss. 

 I wit' you'd let it stay there, 



Grjn'ma ai'as does. 



I's coin' to the cornfield, 



To ride on CtiLjrlifc'.-* plow; 

 I spect hf'd Ilk'' to have me; 



I wai.ts to go right now. 

 Oh, won't I geo up aw'ul. 



Arid whoa I'ke Chirlie whoas? 

 I wis' you wouldn't bozzer; 



Gran'ma never does. 



I \^F>.nt8 gome bread ard butter; 



I'd hungry wi rsttst kitid; 

 But TadUie musn't have none, 



Cause she wouldr.'t miLd. 

 Put plenty sugar on it ; 



I tell y >u wh it, I knows 

 I'.'s rigbt to put on fcugar; 



Oran'ma al'aj does 



THE FOX AKD THE CaAB. 



A ) oung laud crab once crept out of his 

 pond to make a little excursion in a meadow 

 and see what was going on in the world. A 

 fox who happened to be passing at the mo- 

 ment, noticed the crab as he crept slowly 

 along, and after having wished him good 

 morning, added in a mocking tone, "Where 

 are you going so slowly ? When do you ex- 

 pect to get to the other end of the field? 

 It seems* to me that you go backwards in- 

 stead of forwards." 



Now this was a clever young crab, who had 

 heard how sly foxes are, and he thought there 

 wuold be no harm in playing this one a trick, 

 so he answered politely "1 am only a crab, it 

 is true, and I cannot walk so gracefully as 

 jou, Mr. Fox, but I can run much fiister." 



Mr. F^ox sneered, "Indeed!" 



"Well" said the crab, "as you appear to 

 doubt my speed, suppose we run a race for a 

 wager, ilave you any objections?" 



"Nothing would give me greater pleasure," 



replied the fox, "shall we run from Berne to 

 Bale, or from Bremen to Brabant ?" 



"Oh no, that would take up too much time. 

 I suggest we try half a mile, or say a mile, 

 that will not be too much for either of us." 



"A mile," echoed the fox, as if he thought, 

 "What is a mile to me? I can run that while 

 the crab is getting ready to set off." 



"I will offer you one advantage," added the 

 crab, "which you must accept if I am to race 

 with you." 



"Well let me hear what it is," said Rey- 

 nard, who was beginning to feel impatient. 



"I will give you your own length start of me. 

 Place yourself so that your hind feet touch 

 my nose, and when I cry 'away" )0u must 

 set off." 



This plan seemed to plea'^e Mr. Fox. and 

 he answered, "I will do exactly as you wish." 

 turned himself round, and placed his buthy 

 tail within reach of the crab, who seized the 

 long hair tightly with his claws, without the fox 

 perceiving he had done so, and shouted at the 

 same moment, "away !" 



Off started Mr. Fox, as if the hunters were 

 after him, his feet hardly touching the ground. 

 As soon as he had reached the next milestone, 

 he turnt;d round and cried "Where are you 

 Mr. Crab; where are you dawdling?" 



Now as the fox turned round to look for 

 his companion his tail touched tbe milestone 

 and tbe crab, making the best of his opportu- 

 nity, let go his hold, and answered, "Here 

 am I, waiting for you. I was just wondering 

 when you intended to make your appearance ; 

 you have certainly taken time enough to get 

 over a mile." 



Now, Mr. Fox, who had no idea that he 

 had brought the crab all the way clinging to 

 his brush, looked much astonished at seeing 

 him there, not the least bit heated or tired, 

 and not knowing what to say, he paid his wa- 

 ger and slunk home to his den, determined 

 never to laugh at a crab again. 



Those who are always trying to deceive 

 others may expect some day to be caught by 

 the vtry people they have been trying to 

 dupe, 



"A Boy's Composition on the Horse — 

 The horse is the most usefuU animal in the 

 World. So is the Cow. i once had thirteen 

 Ducks and 3 was drakes and a Skunk killed 

 One. he smeldt Orful. I knew a Boy which 

 Had 7 chickens but His father would not let 

 him rais Them and so he got mad and so he 

 boared a Hole in his mothers Wash tub. I 

 wish i had a hors. a hors weights 1000 

 pounds. 



