WAITING. BY MARGARET JOHNSON.

 I said, "When will the summer come?

Mamma, is it not late?"

She smiled, and answered. "By-and-by;

Be patient, child, and wait."

 

I asked papa if he would buy

A new wax¹ doll for me.

He pinched² my cheek, and said, "Not now;

Be patient, and I'll see."

 

"Nurse, tell me when my dear rose-bush

A blossom³ red will bear."

"Oh, by-and-by, my dear. Don't fret⁴.

Come, let me brush your hair."

 

"When shall I grow so tall, papa,

That I can reach your head?"

"Quite soon enough, my little one;

Wait patiently," he said.

 

"Dear me!" I thought; "they all say 'Wait.'

I'll put my dolls away.

And go and sit upon the stairs

As long as I can stay."

 

Now I have waited patiently

For hours and hours and hours,

And yet the dear doll has not come,

The summer, nor the flowers.

 

I have not grown a single bit,

And now I know it's late.

I'm going up to tell mamma

It does no good to wait.

1 wax   

n.蜡，蜡状物，震怒；vi.变大，增大，月亮满；vt.用蜡涂

参考例句：

• I wax my boots chiefly to waterproof them.我给靴子打蜡主要是为了防水。
• I wax the floor once a month.我每月给地板打一次蜡。

2 pinched   

adj.短缺的，匮乏的v.夹痛( pinch的过去式和过去分词 )；逮捕；盗窃；使入不敷出

参考例句：

• He pinched the leaf between his thumb and forefinger. 他将叶子捏在拇指和食指之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A man pinched her bum on the train so she hit him. 在火车上有人捏她屁股，她打了那人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 blossom   

n.花，开花；vi.开花，发展

参考例句：

• The blossom on the trees looks lovely in springtime.春天树上的花很漂亮。
• Let a hundred flowers blossom,let a hundred schools of thought contend.百花齐放，百家争鸣。

4 fret   

v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损

参考例句：

• Don't fret.We'll get there on time.别着急，我们能准时到那里。
• She'll fret herself to death one of these days.她总有一天会愁死的.