Front Cover

 

 

Fun & Nonsense

By Willard Bonte

 

 

Frontispiece

 

 

 

By Willard Bronte
H.M. Caldwell Company
New York and Boston

 

 

 

Copyright 1904 by H.M. Caldwell

 

 

 

 


Contents

INTRODUCTION

THE BARBER

THE REFUSAL

A HOPELESS CASE

THE GREENHORN

OLD MR. MATCH

THOUGHTS UNSTRUNG

THE MISER

DR. KEY'S ANSWER

THE CHASE

A RISING DOCTOR

THE SAILOR BOLD

OVERHEARD IN THE CORN-FIELD

TWINS

A SHARP LOVER

THE GREEDY LITTLE PITCHERS

OBLIGING MR. HAMMER

THE MALICIOUS BRUSH

THE WISE PEN


 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

Introduction
Fun and Nonsense are a pair
Of merry little twins,
And when they come to visit us
They bring their friends, the Grins.
 
They're coming now to visit you.
This page we'll call the door.
To open wide, just turn the leaf.
Why, we have met before!

 

 

 

 

THE BARBER

The Barber

Said Chocolate Drop the Barber,
"Why, bless my ugly soul!
I'll ask that stick of peppermint
To be my Barber pole."

The Barber

 

 

 

 

THE REFUSAL

The Refusal

"Dear, sweet Lady Cracker,
My passions you know."
"And I scorn them, Judge Wafer,
As you're lacking in dough."

The Refusal

 

 

 

 

A HOPELESS CASE

A Hopeless Case

"What is the use?" quoth the Whitewash Brush,
"I'll comb my hair no more;
For try as I will to make it lie,
It still stays pompadour."

A Hopeless Case

 

 

 

 

THE GREENHORN

The Greenhorn

A lettuce walking out one day,
Lost his head, so lost his way;
A Pumpkin happened on the scene,
And said it came from being green.

The Greenhorn

 

 

 

 

OLD MR. MATCH

Old Mr. Match

Old Mr. Match gave his head a good scratch,
And his face lighted up with a smile;
"It is getting quite dark, but with my cheery spark
I will lengthen the day for awhile."

Old Mr. Match

 

 

 

 

THOUGHTS UNSTRUNG

Thoughts Unstrung

"Alas! I fear my mind doth wander.
As o'er this narrative I ponder;
I usually know what I have read,
But this time I have lost the Thread."

Thoughts Unstrung

 

 

 

 

THE MISER

The Miser

The Pocketbook has money,
On that subject he is daft;
But when one strikes him for a loan
He answers, "I am strapped."

The Miser

 

 

 

 

DR. KEY'S ANSWER

Dr. Key's answer

"Shine?" inquired the Monkey Wrench
Of Stately Doctor Key;
"No!" replied that haughty soul.
"No Monkey-shines for me."

Dr. Key's answer

 

 

 

 

THE CHASE

The Chase

Mr. Brush on his steed, dashing with speed,
Was asked if he had time to spare;
Said he, with a smile, "I'll be back in a while,
But at present I'm hunting the hair."

The Chase

 

 

 

 

A RISING DOCTOR

A Rising Doctor

"Dr. Yeast-Cake, it's hard for me to speak,
As I haven't risen for more than a week."
"Take this, Mr. Roll, and never you fear;
You'll rise before morning, so be of good cheer."

A Rising Doctor

 

 

 

 

THE SAILOR BOLD

The Sailor Bold

Pilot Von Pretzel's a crusty old salt
Who wears a rich shade of tan;
Which he did not acquire at sea, by the way,
But in a warm baking-pan.

The Sailor Bold

 

 

 

 

OVERHEARD IN THE CORN-FIELD

Overheard in the Corn-Field

Said young Mr. Pumpkin,
To old Mr. Squash,
"Do you think Mr. Corn overhears
What we say when we talk
Of his self-conscious stalk,
And his moving Miss Melon to tears?"
 
"I cannot decide,"
Mr. Squash then replied,
"But I've had my suspicions for years;
Because he's so tall
He can lean over all;
Then look at the size of his ears."

Overheard in the Corn-Field

 

 

 

 

TWINS

Twins

"There go the Scissor twins.
Cutting as ever.
Some think them sharp.
But few think them clever."

Twins

 

 

 

 

A SHARP LOVER

A Sharp Lover

"I dread you much, my little miss,
You're such a dainty thing,
I fear although quite sharp myself,
You've got me on the string."

A Sharp Lover

 

 

 

 

THE GREEDY LITTLE PITCHERS

The Greedy Little Pitchers

"Now, my pretty little dears,
Little Pitchers have big ears;
But never let me hear it said
That your mouths are big instead."

The Greedy Little Pitchers

 

 

 

 

OBLIGING MR. HAMMER

Obliging Mr. Hammer

Old Mr. Hammer
Was so very, very good,
That he gave Mr. Shingle Nail
A drive through the wood.

Obliging Mr. Hammer

 

 

 

 

THE MALICIOUS BRUSH

The Malicious Brush

When poor little Hand-Glass
Was loudly berated
For casting reflections,
The Brush was elated.

The Malicious Brush

 

 

 

 

THE WISE PEN

The Wise Pen

There was a Pen in our town
And he was wondrous wise;
He knew just when to cross his T's
And when to dot his I's;
But one small thing he did not know,
A simple thing at that;
He did not know 'twas nice to wipe
His feet off, on the mat.

The Wise Pen