Edward Buttoneye and His Adventures

This ebook edition has been proofed and corrected and compiled to be read with without errors!


***




A child's picture and poetry book.

An excerpt from the beginning:

***

And, though he never could explain,
I don't mind telling you
That in that box he had been lain
By those who made him, limb and brain,
And stitched his eyes on, too.
It's odd, you'll think, they joined his toes
And gave him such a head and nose.

But there on the broad countryside
Was he, a homeless lad.
Another might have sat and cried,
But Edward, no. "Whate'er betide,
If work is to be had,
I'll take," thought he, "what Fortune brings
And live in hopes of better things."

A farmhouse stood not far away,
So first there Edward tried,
And was engaged to herd by day
And night the farmer's sheep, which stray,
Whene'er they can, and hide.
And so a paper Edward bought
And sat and watched and read and thought.

He read through each advertisement
To see if he could find
A place he thought would suit his bent,
In which he could be quite content
And cultivate his mind.
—He read so hard and thought so deep
He quite forgot about the sheep.

But when at last he looked around,
His flock could not be seen.
He shouted, called, and searched the ground,
The sheep were nowhere to be found
(They knew that he was green);
And when in fear he ventured back,
I scarce need say he got the sack.

He went away with many sighs
And sight a little dim,
But suddenly, to his surprise,
A woolly head with shining eyes
Peered through the hedge at him.