THE CASTLE NEAR THE WINDOW-SEAT.

BY CARLYLE SMITH.

There's a castle here near the window-seat, a castle made of wood, Where dwells full many a wondrous wight, some very bad, some good. On the tiptop floor lives Crusoe bold, and Mr. Gulliver, who Once sailed afar on the broad salt sea; and there's Columbus too; And next to them lives Robin Hood and all of his merry band, With his little namesake Riding-hood, upon his strong right hand; And funny old Don Quixote, too, lives 'way up there with these, With his battered helmet on his head and tin caps on his knees. On the lower floor is a fairy store—Titania and her fays, And Brownies by the dozens who are pranking all their days; And Cinderella lives near them, with her good old fairy friend, And close to her Aladdin dwells with stores of gold to spend. Hop-o'-my-Thumb lives up there too, and Jack with his bag of beans, And Alice of the Looking-Glass, with her queer old fussy Queens; And all the Barbers dwell therein, of the old Arabian Nights, And strewn about are heroes of at least a thousand fights. 'Tis a wondrous band of persons grand that nursery castle holds; With fearful beasts, and fearful birds, and witches too, and scolds; And you'd almost think it would frighten me to know, when I go to bed, That all these creatures live so close, almost at my very head. But it doesn't, you see, for I am King, and I hold the castle keys; Not one can stir from his settled place within unless I please. And, after all, they are safe enough, in spite of their wicked looks, For the castle walls of which I speak make the case where I keep my books.