It chanced that nearly every day

The cousins quarrelled at their play.

Good little Janie always ran

And told Mama of naughty Ann;

—Of how she tied Jane’s flaxen hair

To the back portion of her chair,

And when her cousin tried to rise,

Laughed at her look of pained surprise.

How she had torn Jane’s Sunday skirt,

And squirted at her with a squirt!

—And how another evening, she

Slipped salt into Jane’s dish of tea;

And many another naughty feat

Did Ann perform and Jane repeat.

When Ann called Jane a “Tell-tale-tit,”

She went and told Mama of it.

She sighed, “I wondered how she could!

I long to help her to be good.”

Jane’s kind Mama, I need not say,

Behaved in the most prudent way;

Correcting Ann in various ways

And giving Jane much well-earned praise.

Now in that village, every year

The people held a cattle fair;

And stalls and tents and swings were seen

Set up upon the village green.

Now when the fair came round that spring

Ann longed to go like anything.

“Oh, Aunt,” she cried, “do let us go!”

And pouted when her Aunt said “No.”

Next morning when out walking, Ann

Concocted such a naughty plan!

She had some money of her own,

And she would see the fair alone!

(I hope no other little miss

Has ever made a scheme like this.)

When she believed that no one saw,

She slipped out at the big front door,

And off she started at a run,

To see the shows and all the fun.

Now little Jane sat prim and neat

Upon the parlour window seat;

And so she saw her cousin go,

And guessed she meant to see the show.

“Mama!” she murmured, with a sigh,

“My cousin Ann has just run by;

I sadly fear—but no! oh, no!

It could not be to see the show.”

Mama at once sent Betsy out

To see what Ann could be about:

And Betsy found her at the fair

Watching a big performing bear;

And Betsy brought her to her Aunt,

Altho’ she fought and cried “I shan’t!

I shan’t go back! I won’t go in!”

—And kicked poor Betsy on the shin.