Johnny the Stout. Rhymes and Jingles by Mary Mapes Dodge for children
"Ho, for a frolic!"
Said Johnny the stout;
"There's coasting and sledding,—
I'm going out!"
Scarcely had Johnny
Plunged in the snow,
When there came a complaint
Up from his toe:—
"We're cold," said the toe,
"I and the rest;
There are ten of us freezing
Standing abreast."
Then up spoke an ear:
"My! but it's labor
Playing in winter. Eh,
Opposite neighbor?"
"Pooh!" said his nose,
Angry and red;
"Who wants to tingle?
Go home to bed!"
Eight little fingers,
Four to a thumb,
All cried together,
"Johnny, we're numb!"
But Johnny the stout
Wouldn't listen a minute;
Never a snow-bank
But Johnny was in it.
Tumbling and jumping,
Shouting with glee,
Wading the snow-drifts
Up to his knee.
Soon he forgot them,
Fingers and toes,—
Never once thought of
The ear and the nose.
Ah, what a frolic!
All in a glow,
Johnny grew warmer
Out in the snow.
Often his breathing
Came with a joke:
"Blaze away, Johnny!
I'll do the smoke."
"And I'll do the fire,"
Said Johnny the bold;
"Fun is the fuel
For driving off cold."