Page:The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo.pdf/17

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Long ago, in old China far over the sea,
In the reign of Hi-kik-i, the king,
There lived a rich baker, a turnover-maker,
Whose name was Li-Ching-i-Chang-Ching.
Li-Ching had a daughter as fair as the dawn,
Her complexion was famed all around,
And her feet were so small when she toddled at all,
They made little round holes in the ground.

Her eyes were like almonds; her teeth were like pearls;
And her cheeks were like roses and tan;
While her cute little chin had a dozen times been
Painted on a great mandarin's fan.
Her gowns were the latest of Japanese style,
Silk, embroidered with gold at Peking;
"Oh, there's nothing too good," said the whole neighborhood,
For the tea-gowns of sweet Ting-a-Ling!"

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