LESSON 56 THE GIRL WHO SMILES

THE GIRL WHO SMILES

1. The wind was east, and the chimney smoked,

And the old brown house seemed dreary [1] ;

For nobody smiled, and nobody joked,

The young folks grumbled, the old folks croaked,

And they all were chilled and weary.

2. Then opened the door, and a girl came in;

Oh, she was homely—very;

Her nose was short, and her cheek was thin;

There wasn't a dimple from brow to chin;

But her smile was bright and merry.

3. She spoke not a word of the cold and damp,

Nor yet of the gloom [2] about her;

But she mended the fire, and lighted the lamp,

And she gave to the place a different stamp

From that it had had without her.

4. Her dress, which was something in sober brown,

And with dampness nearly dripping,

She changed for a bright, warm, crimson gown,

And she looked so gay when she so came down

They forgot that the air was nipping.

5. They forgot that the house was a dull old place,

And smoky from base to rafter [3] ;

And gloom departed from every face,

And they felt the charm of her mirthful grace

And the cheer of her happy laughter.

6. Oh, give me the girl who will smile and sing,

And make all glad together!

To be plain or fair is a lesser thing,

But a kind, unselfish heart can bring

Good cheer in the darkest weather.

—M. A. GILLETTE

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[1] dreary: Sad, tiresome.

[2] gloom: Darkness.

[3] rafter: Piece of timber carrying the roof.