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JT3r;G. H.Mitchzix, ra j
- When the dewjiesdeep onthe upland lawn
„ .And the-cloudaare t ipped-with^old,
-■When the first grey gleam ofthe early dawn
Breaksover the Bitting vqli),- ~~
Then far and near you will always-hear
A voice both load andgay :' '
'Tie the little ere? hird who-« sang is heard
v: - , A-bidding the dawn good-day;
Tor-be laughs " Ha, ha^' : .
And he shoots " Ho, hi,*'
. Whatever may come to pate; {
- Sure if ever on earth ■ litre's a haven of mirth
' 'lis the aonl of-tlie.langhing j|okass.
When t.he son peeps in at the breakfast hour
And rouses the swagsman lbnej
~~ To find that the'possum has filched hie flour.
Or the cat his mutton-bone, i .
Tiien close by thg way, on some tagged spray,
" The jolly grey bird is seein
A-splittdng his sides, for he eeldctn hides
The sound of hie satire keen." 3
For he laughs, Ao.
When deep in the heart of the pathless scrub
Some wight has lost his way,
Or down in the creek with a broken hub
The wagoner toils all day, ,]
Then the little grey bird, you tmy take my
word, j
Atop of some neighboring tree,'
Is waking the wood to 'his joyfnl pood—
" What a jolly, good joke," (bisks he.
For he laughs, Ac. !
So all day long over hills and shaires
The little grey bird will go, { .
Apd whenever a man's in a fix bell pause—•
Oh, just .for a joke, you know j '. -
And when night-time comes, in theleafy gnms
He will hide himself from view, " *■' .
. Where he dreams of snakes till the morning
breaks,
As most of us sometimes do. ■ »
For he laughs, Ac. ■
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