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Ontario Readers Third Book, The

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<h2>FATHER WILLIAM</h2> "Repeat 'You are old, Father William,'" said the Caterpillar. Alice folded her hands, and began:— <div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> "You are old, Father William," the young man said, "And your hair has become very white; And yet you incessantly stand on your head— Do you think, at your age, it is right?" </div> <div class="stanza"> "In my youth," Father William replied to his son, "I feared it might injure the brain; But now that I'm perfectly sure I have none, Why, I do it again and again." </div> <div class="stanza"> "You are old," said the youth, "as I mentioned before, And have grown most uncommonly fat; Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door— Pray, what is the reason of that?" </div> <div class="stanza"> "In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his gray locks, "I kept all my limbs very supple By the use of this ointment—one shilling the box— Allow me to sell you a couple." </div> <div class="stanza"> "You are old," said the youth, "and your jaws are too weak For anything tougher than suet; Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak. Pray, how did you manage to do it?" </div> <div class="stanza"> "In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law, And argued each case with my wife; And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw, Has lasted the rest of my life." </div> <div class="stanza"> "You are old," said the youth; "one would hardly suppose That your eye was as steady as ever; Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose— What made you so awfully clever?" </div> <div class="stanza"> "I have answered three questions, and that is enough," Said his father; "don't give yourself airs! Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff? Be off, or I'll kick you down-stairs!" </div> </div> "That is not said right," said the Caterpillar. "Not quite right, I'm afraid," said Alice timidly; "some of the words have got altered." "It is wrong from beginning to end," said the Caterpillar decidedly, and there was silence for some minutes. Lewis Carroll: "The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland." <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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