~The Doll-Baby Show

Our doll-baby show, it was something quite grand;
You saw there the loveliest dolls in the land.
Each girl brought her own, in its prettiest dress:
Three pins bought a ticket, and not a pin less.

For the doll that was choicest we offered a prize:
There were wee mites of dollies, and some of great size.
Some came in rich purple, some lilac, some white,
With ribbons and laces,—a wonderful sight!

Now, there was one dolly, so tall and so proud,
She put all the others quite under a cloud;
But one of us hinted, in so many words,
That sometimes fine feathers do not make fine birds.

We sat in a row, with our dolls in our laps:
The dolls behaved sweetly, and met no mishaps.
No boys were admitted; for boys will make fun:
Now which do you think was the dolly that won?

Soon all was commotion to hear who would get
The prize; for the dollies’ committee had met:
We were the committee; and which do you think
Was the doll we decided on, all in a wink?

Why, each of us said that our own was the best,
The finest, the sweetest, the prettiest drest:
So we all got the prize—we’ll invite you to go
The next time we girls have our doll-baby show.

.
from “The Nursery,” Volume 17, No. 101, May, 1875
by George Cooper

via:
The Project Gutenberg eBook
Art by Oszkár Glatz
(1872 – 1958, Hungarian)