Wood whispered to Miss Laura that he was a
boy who made rhymes, and the children had rather hear him speak than any
one else in the room.
He had a snub nose and freckles, and I think he was the plainest boy
there, but that didn't matter, if the other children loved him. He
sauntered up to the front, with his hands behind his back, and a very
grand manner.
"The beautiful poetry recited here to-day," he drawled, "put some verses
in my mind that I never had till I came here to-day." Everyone present
cheered wildly, and he began in a singsong voice:
"I am a Band of Mercy boy,
I would not hurt a fly,
I always speak to dogs and cats,
When'er I pass them by.
"I always let the birdies sing,
I never throw a stone,
I always give a hungry dog
A nice, fat, meaty bone.
"I wouldn't drive a bob-tailed horse,
Nor hurry up a cow,
I----"
Then he forgot the rest. The boys and girls were so sorry. They called
out, "Pig," "Goat," "Calf," "Sheep," "Hens," "Ducks," and all the other
animals' names they could think of, but none of them was right, and as
the boy had just made up the poetry, no one knew what the next could be.
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