Produced by Maria Cecilia Lim and PG Distributed Proofreaders [Illustration: A-list'nin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells abou--Frontispiece] RILEY CHILD-RHYMES James Whitcomb Riley WITH HOOSIER PICTURES BY Will Vawter Copyright 1890, 1896, 1898 and 1905 WITH HALE AFFECTION AND ABIDING FAITH THESE RHYMES AND PICTURES ARE INSCRIBED TO THE CHILDREN EVERYWHERE _He owns the bird-songs of the hills-- The laughter of the April rills; And his are all the diamonds set In Morning's dewy coronet,-- And his the Dusk's first minted stars That twinkle through the pasture-bars And litter all the skies at night With glittering scraps of silver light;-- The rainbow's bar, from rim to rim, In beaten gold, belongs to him._ CONTENTS [Note from the transcriber: The Table of Contents below was taken from the book and is an alphabetical list of the poems. A second Table of Contents, listing the poems in the order they occur in this book, has been provided by the transcriber.] AT AUNTY'S HOUSE BEAR STORY, THE BOY LIVES ON OUR FARM, THE BOYS' CANDIDATE, THE BUMBLEBEE, THE CIRCUS-DAY PARADE, THE CURLY LOCKS DAYS GONE BY, THE DOWN AROUND THE RIVER ENVOY FUNNY LITTLE FELLOW, THE GRANDFATHER SQUEERS HAPPY LITTLE CRIPPLE, THE HOME-MADE FAIRY-TALE, A IMPETUOUS RESOLVE, AN JOLLY MILLER, THE LIFE-LESSON, A LITTLE COAT, THE LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE LUGUBRIOUS WHING-WHANG, THE NAUGHTY CLAUDE NINE LITTLE GOBLINS, THE OLD AUNT MARY'S OLD HAY-MOW, THE OLD TRAMP, THE ON THE SUNNY SIDE OUR HIRED GIRL PET COON, THE PIXY PEOPLE, THE RAGGEDY MAN, THE RIDER OF THE KNEE, THE RUNAWAY BOY, THE SOUTH WIND AND THE SUN, THE SQUIRTGUN UNCLE MAKED ME, THE SUDDEN SHOWER, A TIME OF CLEARER TWITTERINGS WAITIN' FER THE CAT TO DIE WHO SANTY-CLAUS WUZ WINTER FANCIES Contents (Listed in the Order They Appear) LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE THE RAGGEDY MAN CURLY LOCKS THE FUNNY LITTLE FELLOW THE HAPPY LITTLE CRIPPLE THE RIDER OF THE KNEE DOWN AROUND THE RIVER AT AUNTY'S HOUSE THE DAYS GONE BY THE BUMBLEBEE THE BOY LIVES ON OUR FARM THE SQUIRTGUN UNCLE MAKED ME THE OLD TRAMP OLD AUNT MARY'S WINTER FANCIES THE RUNAWAY BOY THE LITTLE COAT AN IMPETUOUS RESOLVE WHO SANTY-CLAUS WUZ THE NINE LITTLE GOBLINS TIME OF CLEARER TWITTERINGS THE CIRCUS-DAY PARADE THE LUGUBRIOUS WHING-WHANG WAITIN' FER THE CAT TO DIE NAUGHTY CLAUDE THE SOUTH WIND AND THE SUN THE JOLLY MILLER OUR HIRED GIRL THE BOYS' CANDIDATE THE PET COON THE OLD HAY-MOW ON THE SUNNY SIDE A SUDDEN SHOWER GRANDFATHER SQUEERS THE PIXY PEOPLE A LIFE-LESSON A HOME-MADE FAIRY-TALE THE BEAR STORY ENVOY ILLUSTRATIONS WITCH-TALES THEY WAS TWO GREAT BIG BLACK THINGS A-STANDIN' BY HER SIDE AN' WHEN THEY TURN'T THE KIVVERS DOWN LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE--TAILPIECE THE RAGGEDY MAN--TITLE HE SHOWED ME THE HOLE 'AT THE WUNKS IS GOT CURLY LOCKS--TITLE SIT ON A CUSHION AND SEW A FINE SEAM THE FUNNY LITTLE FELLOW--TITLE