Told in the twilight

Chapter 8: MINNIE’S CALCULATIONS.

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About This Book

A compact assortment of short lyrical poems aimed at children, presenting twilight moods, daydreams, and gentle moral observations. Imaginative vignettes mix whimsy and instruction: seaside fantasies populated by talking sea-creatures, street and river scenes that note poverty and longing, and tender encounters with swallows, lambs, cats, and other animals. Several pieces meditate on dreams, memory, and consolation, while others offer playful moral lessons about prudence, gratitude, and kindness, combining simple imagery with reflective, quietly didactic tones.

MINNIE’S CALCULATIONS.

Said Minnie with pride,

As she counted her chicks,

“When they’re grown a bit bigger,

I’ll sell all the six.

And as each ought to fetch

At the least half a crown,

I can quite well afford me

A new Sunday gown.”

Alas for our castles!

How soon they all slip!

The cat ate one chicken,

And one got the pip;

And while mourning their brother

And sister, the four

Were crushed by the carter-boy

Slamming the door.

Don’t reckon your chickens

Before they are hatched,

Is a proverb some fancy

Can never be matched.

But I think that this other

Deserves to be told:—

Don’t count on their value

Until they are sold.