St. Nicholas/Volume 41/Number 1/When Alexander Dances

by Elsie Hill

I

Oh, where is Alexander? We have sought him high and low,
Our hats are on, our coats are on, it ’s time for us to go.
Oh, where has Alexander gone—can anybody say?
For dancing-school 's heginning in the house across the way.

“AND WHERE ON EARTH, WE ASK OF YOU, CAN ALEXANDER BE?”

“HE DOES N'T ‘CARE FOR DANCING.’”

II We ’ve seen the little girls go in, with smoothly shining hair, We ’ve seen the little boys, and marked their almost cheerful air; We hear the merry music, and the glowing lights we see, And where on earth, we ask of you, can Alexander be? III He is n't in the attic. nor behind the cellar door; He is n’t in the coal-bin, as he was the week before: He is n't in the clothes-press, as he was two weeks ago— Whatever has become of him, does anybody know?

“THOMAS JONES.”

IV

He does n't “care for dancing much,” he thinks it 's “meant for girls,”
He seems to have “too many feet” that trip him when he twirls;
His arms “get somehow in the way”—as evervbody owns—
But oh, we wish that he could dance as well as Thomas Jones!

“HE GRIMLY PIROUETTED ON ONE NEATLY SLIPPERED TOE.”

“WE WATCHED IN ADMIRATION.”

V For what will Alexander do when, grown to man’s estate, He wildly longs to waltz, and finds, alas! it is too late? “And how will Alexander feel,” despairingly we cried, “When he cannot tell a two-step from an Andalusian glide!” VI And as we spoke, we heard a noise directly overhead, A bump, a thump, a slip, a slide, a military tread; We flew to Mother’s dressing-room as quickly as we could, And there before the looking-glass our Alexander stood! VII He bowed with grave politeness, he bounded to and fro;: He grimly pirouetted on one neatly slippered toe. And we watched in admiration as he piloted with care An imaginary maiden to a secat that was n't there.

VIII

And when he had his breath again, he turned to us to say,
As he rearranged his collar in an unembarrassed way:
“It must be time for dancing-school! I thought I heard you call;
I 'm really very sorry if I 've made you wait at all.”

VII

He paused to pick a table up, then said in even tones:
“Of course I do not wish to dance ‘as well as Thomas Jones,
But I thought, perhaps, I 'd practise. just a little. out of sight.
For if I 've got to do it, I am going to do it right!”

"HE REARRANGED HIS COLLAR IN AN UNEMBARRASSED WAY.”