Slovenly Betsy — 05 - The Cry Baby

THE CRY-BABY

"Oh, why are you always so bitterly crying?

You surely will make yourself blind.

What reason on earth for such sobbing and sighing, I pray, can you possibly find?

There is no real sorrow, there's nothing distressing, To make you thus grieve and lament.

Ah!

no; you are just at this moment possessing Whatever should make you content.

[Illustration] Now do, my dear daughter, give over this weeping," Such was a kind mother's advice.

But all was in vain; for you see she's still keeping Her handkerchief up to her eyes.

[Illustration] But now she removes it, and oh!

she discloses A countenance full of dismay;

For she certainly feels, or at least she supposes Her eyesight is going away.

She is not mistaken, her sight is departing;

She knows it and sorrows the more;

Then rubs her sore eyes, to relieve them from smarting, And makes them still worse than before.

[Illustration] And now the poor creature is cautiously crawling And feeling her way all around;

And now from their sockets her eyeballs are falling;

See, there they are down on the ground.

My children, from such an example take warning, And happily live while you may;

And say to yourselves, when you rise in the morning, "I'll try to be cheerful today."

[Illustration]