_Curtain._

* * * * *

TO THE ROLLER-SKATING FIEND.

[Illustration]

O Boy!--O injudicious boy!--
Who, swayed by dark and secret reasons,
Dost love thine elders to annoy
At sundry times and frequent seasons,
Why hast thou left thy tempting top--
Thy penny-dreadful's gory garble--
Thy blue-and-crimson lollipop--
Thy aimlessly meandering marble?

Thy catapult, so sure of aim,
In cold neglect, alas! reposes,
And even "tip-cat's" cherished game
No longer threatens eyes and noses;
Thy tube of tin (projecting peas)
At length has ceased from irritating;
But how much worse than all of these
Thy latest craze--for roller-skating!

For, mounted on twin engines dread,
Thou rushest (with adventures graphic)
Where even angels fear to tread,