How Fair Cinderella Disposed of Her Shoe

The vainest girls in forty statesWere Gwendolyn and Gladys Gates;They warbled slightly off the air,Romantic German songs,And each of them upon her hairEmployed the curling tongs,And each with ardor most intenseHer buxom figure laced,Until her wilful want of senseProcured a woeful waist:For bound to marry titled matesWere Gwendolyn and Gladys Gates.

Yet, truth to tell, the swains were fewOf Gwendolyn (and Gladys, too).So morning, afternoon, and nightUpon their sister theyWere wont to vent their selfish spite,And in the rudest way:For though her name was Leonore,That’s neither there nor here,They called her Cinderella, forThe kitchen was her sphere,Save when the hair she had to doOf Gwendolyn (and Gladys, too).

Each night to dances and to fetesWent Gwendolyn and Gladys Gates,And Cinderella watched them goIn silks and satins clad:A prince invited them, and soThey put on all they had!But one fine night, as all aloneShe watched the flames leap higher,A small and stooping fairy croneStept nimbly from the fire.Said she: “The pride upon me gratesOf Gwendolyn and Gladys Gates.”

“I’ll now,” she added, with a frown,“Call Gwendolyn and Gladys down!”And, ere your fingers you could snap,There stood before the doorNo paltry hired horse and trap,Oh, no! —a coach and four!And Cinderella, fitted outRegardless of expense,Made both her sisters look aboutLike thirty-seven cents!The prince, with one look at her gown,Turned Gwendolyn and Gladys down!

Wall-flowers, when thus compared with her,Both Gwendolyn and Gladys were.The prince but gave them glances hard,No gracious word he said;He scratched their names from off his card,And wrote hers down instead:And where he would bestow his handHe showed them in a triceBy handing her the kisses, andTo each of them an ice!In sudden need of fire and furBoth Gwendolyn and Gladys were.

At ten o’clock, in discontent,Both Gwendolyn and Gladys went.Their sister stayed till after two,And, with a joy sincere,The prince obtained her crystal shoeBy way of souvenir.“Upon the bridal path,” he cried,“We’ll reign together! SinceI love you, you must be my bride!”(He was no slouch, that prince!)And into sudden languishmentBoth Gwendolyn and Gladys went.

The Moral: All the girls on earthExaggerate their proper worth.They think the very shoes they wearAre worth the average millionaire;Whereas few pairs in any townCan be half-sold for half a crown!