As shadesof evening settled down,The Brownies rambled through the town,To pry at this, to pause at that;By something else to hold a chat,And in their free and easy veinExpress themselves in language plain.
At length before a store, their eyesWere fixed with wonder and surpriseOn toys of wood, and wax, and tin,And toys of rubber piled within.
Said one, "In all our wandering 'round,A sight like this we never found.When such a passing glimpse we gain,What marvels must the shelves contain!"
Another said, "It must be hereOld Santa Claus comes every yearTo gather up his large supply,When Christmas Eve is drawing nigh,That children through the land may findThey still are treasured in his mind."
A third remarked, "Ere long he mayAgain his yearly visit pay;Before he comes to strip the place,We'll rummage shelf, and box, and case,Until the building we exploreFrom attic roof to basement floor,And prove what pleasure may be foundIn all the wonders stowed around."
Not long were they content to viewThrough dusty panes those wonders new:And, in a manner quite their own,They made their way through wood and stone.And then surprises met the bandIn odd conceits from every land.Well might the Brownies stand and stareAt all the objects crowded there!Here, things of gentle nature layIn safety, midst the beasts of prey;The goose and fox, a friendly pair,Reposed beside the lamb and bear;
There horses stood for boys to ride;Here boats were waiting for the tide,
Playing with hoops
While ships of war, with every sailUnfurled, were anchored to a nail;There soldiers stood in warlike bands;And naked dolls held out their hands,As though to urge the passers-byTo take them from the public eye.This way and that, the Brownies ran;To try the toys they soon began.
Jack-in-the-box
The Jack-in-box, so quick and strong,With staring eyes and whiskers long,Now o'er and o'er was set and sprungUntil the scalp was from it flung
And then they crammed him in his case,With wig and night-cap in their place,To give some customer a startWhen next the jumper flew apart.The trumpets, drums, and weapons brightSoon filled them all with great delight.Like troops preparing for their foes,In single ranks and double rows,
They learned the arts of war, as toldBy printed books and veterans old;With swords of tin and guns of wood,They wheeled about, and marched or stood,
In a boxAnd went through skirmish drill and all,From room to room by bugle-call;There Marathon and WaterlooAnd Bunker Hill were fought anew;And most of those in war arrayAt last went limping from the fray.The music-box poured forth an airThat charmed the dullest spirits there,
Till, yielding to the pleasing sound,They danced with dolls a lively round.There fish were working tail and finIn seas confined by wood and tin;The canvas shark and rubber whaleSeemed ill content in dish or pail,And leaping all obstructions o'erPerformed their antics on the floor.Some found at marbles greatest fun,And still they played, and still they won,Until they claimed as winners, allThe shop could furnish, large and small.
fish out of barrel
More gave the singing tops no rest—But kept them spinning at their bestUntil some wonder strange and newTo other points attention drew.The rocking-horse that wildly rose,Now on its heels, now on its nose,playing with a spinning top
Was forced to bear so great a loadIt seemed to founder on the road,Then tumble feebly to the floor,Never to lift a rocker more.No building in the country wideWith more attractions was supplied.No shop or store throughout the landCould better suit the Brownie band.For when some flimsy toy gave way
And 'round the room in pieces lay
'Twas hardly missed in such a store,With wonders fairly running o'er:To something else about the placeThe happy Brownie turned his face,And only feared the sun would callBefore he'd had his sport with all.Thus, through the shop in greatest glee,They rattled 'round, the sights to see,Till stars began to dwindle down,And morning crept into the town.And then, with all the speed they knew,Away to forest shades they flew.
THE END
Transcriber's Notes:Only the most obvious punctuation errors repaired.
Only the most obvious punctuation errors repaired.