The babe has gone to her little bed

But ere she gave me a kiss she said,

And laid her dolly across my knee;

"Dad, be the goodest that you can be

To my doll baby while I'm asleep,

For, dad, I'm lovin' her such a heap

I hates to leave her now, dad, I do,

I hates to leave her wiv even You"

"Her's had the awful lest kind of day,

When I laid her down and went away,

The dog got hold of her by the dress

An' shaked her sawdust all loose, I guess;

An' her fell out of my little chair

An' broke ma's comb that was in her hair;

But that's a secret, dad, you must keep

Away from mamma till I'm asleep."

"An' something, somehow, has hurt her eyes

Till they're rolled up'ards, an' all her cries

Have been cried out, an' her doesn't say

A word if you push her tum all day,

So you take care of her for me, dad,

An' in the mornin' I'll be so glad

I'll hop from bed with a kiss for you,

Or, perhaps, maybe I'll save you two."

With eyes up-rolled she is sitting there,

And baby's ribbon is on her hair,

From here it seems that her nose is marred,

Perhaps that happed when her eyes got jarred ;

One arm hangs down, and one foot is loose,

And the other arm's not any use;

But baby loves her and so we take

Good care of her for the baby's sake.

For the baby's sake! What would not we

Do for the baby? It seems to me

The bird sings loud, and its clearest song,

And days are clear and are sweet and long,

The world was made and the sun was" sent

To shine on it from the firmament,

And stream and woodland, and sea and lake

And heaven were made for baby's sake.

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