Only with Me

Under the boughs of the tupelo tree 
    She sat alone, on a mossy stone,
And sang: "Who'll come and play with me?
I have read and said my A B C, 
    And fed the biddy, and sleepied Fiddie, 
And I'm just as lonesome as I can be!"

Up the bark of the tupelo tree
    There crawled, aslant, a big black ant, 
With a big white egg as large as he, 
And hid it away where none could see;
    Then, down and back on the selfsame track,
A hundred times went, "busy' s a bee.”

High in a hole of the tupelo tree,
    At the top of the trunk, a merry chipmunk.
With a cheek full of nuts and a heart full of glee, 
Came hiding her treasure, and sang "Ker-chee!" 
    As she ran for more to heap in her store, — 
There were twenty loads if there were three!

Close down at the root of the tupelo tree, 
    Rolling a ball, not dainty at all, 
Was a tumbling, gold-winged scarabee;
And the ball went back with a sudden gee, 
    A score and a score of times, and more;
It was work to do, but fun to see!

" Under the boughs of the tupelo tree, 
    On a mossy stone, what do you, alone, 
My bonny Bess?" — " Alone?" said she, 
“Oh, no, dear mamma; — such company!
    We were all so busy it made me dizzy, —
I just forgot I was only with me!"