One day the doctor came because my throat was feeling awful sore,
And when he looked inside to see he said: 'It’s like it was before;
It’s tonserlitis, sure enough. You’d better tell her Pa to-day
To make his mind up now to have that little party right away.’
I’d heard him talk that way before when Bud was sick, and so I knew
That what they did to him that time, to me they planned to come and do.
An’ when my Pa came home that night Ma said: 'She can’t grow strong
and stout
Until the doctor comes an’ takes her addynoids an’ tonsils out.’
An’ then Pa took me on his knee and kissed me solemn-like an’ grave,
An’ said he guessed it was the best, an’ then he asked me to be brave.
Ma said: 'Don’t look at her like that, it’s nothing to be scared about’;
An’ Pa said: 'True, but still I wish she needn’t have her tonsils out.’
Next morning when I woke, Ma said I couldn’t have my breakfast then,
Because the doctors and the nurse had said they would be here by ten.
When they got here the doctor smiled an’ gave me some perfume to smell,
An’ told me not to cry at all, coz pretty soon I would be well.
When I woke up Ma smiled an’ said: 'It’s all right now’; but in my head
It seemed like wheels were buzzing round and everywhere I looked was red.
An’ I can’t eat hard cookies yet, nor use my voice at all to shout,
But Pa an’ Ma seem awful glad that I have had my tonsils out.
Other works by Edgar Albert Guest...
