by Jane Andrews
THE LITTLE BROWN BABY.
Far away in the warm country lives a little brown baby; she has abrown face, little brown hands and fingers, brown body, arms, andlegs, and even her little toes are also brown.
And this baby wears no little frock nor apron, no little petticoat,nor even stockings and shoes,--nothing at all but a string of beadsaround her neck, as you wear your coral; for the sun shines verywarmly there, and she needs no clothes to keep her from the cold.
Her hair is straight and black, hanging softly down each side of hersmall brown face; nothing at all like Bell's golden curls, or Marnie'ssunny brown ones.
Would you like to know how she lives among the flowers and the birds?
She rolls in the long soft grass, where the gold-colored snakes are atplay; she watches the young monkeys chattering and swinging among thetrees, hung by the tail; she chases the splendid green parrots thatfly among the trees; and she drinks the sweet milk of the cocoanutfrom a round cup made of its shell.
When night comes, the mother takes her baby and tosses her up into thelittle swinging bed in the tree, which her father made for her fromthe twisting vine that climbs among the branches. And the wind blowsand rocks the little bed; and the mother sits at the foot of the treesinging a mild sweet song, and this brown baby falls asleep. Then thestars come out and peep through the leaves at her. The birds, too, areall asleep in the tree; the mother-bird spreading her wings over theyoung ones in the nest, and the father-bird sitting on a twig closeby with his head under his wing. Even the chattering monkey has curledhimself up for the night.
Soon the large round moon comes up. She, too, must look into theswinging bed, and shine upon the closed eyes of the little brown baby.She is very gentle, and sends her soft light among the branches andthick green leaves, kissing tenderly the small brown feet, and thecrest on the head of the mother-bird, who opens one eye and looksquickly about to see if any harm is coming to the young ones. Thebright little stars, too, twinkle down through the shadows to blessthe sleeping child. All this while the wind blows and rocks the littlebed, singing also a low song through the trees; for the brown motherhas fallen asleep herself, and left the night-wind to take care of herbaby.
So the night moves on, until, all at once, the rosy dawn breaks overthe earth; the birds lift up their heads, and sing and sing; the greatround sun springs up, and, shining into the tree, lifts the shut lidsof the brown baby's eyes. She rolls over and falls into her mother'sarms, who dips her into the pretty running brook for a bath, and rollsher in the grass to dry, and then she may play among the birds andflowers all day long; for they are like merry brothers and sistersto the happy child, and she plays with them on the bosom of the roundearth, which seems to love them all like a mother.
This is the little brown baby. Do you love her? Do you think you wouldknow her if you should meet her some day?
A funny little brown sister. Are all of them brown?
We will see, for here comes Agoonack and her sledge.